I am an avid reader. It is one of the best ways to pass the time while traveling—between all the airports, trains and planes, distractions are a necessity. But, even at home a good book will have you off to a place you’ve never been or even a time different from your own. That’s the thing about books—they let you travel without moving your feet.
My tastes on books to read run the gamut, from romance to science fiction to entrepreneurial to fantasy. It doesn’t matter much as long as it’s entertaining, educational or inspirational. With that said, the one genre that seems to always be last on the reading list is classic novels. This probably due to the fact that so many were mandatory reading way back in high school, which turns enjoyable reading into homework. I never liked homework. That’s why I decided to create this list of must-read classic books.
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A well-known Christmas tale where Charles Dickens tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge was a wealthy man with a very cold heart who was paid a visit by the spirits on Christmas Eve and faced to make a choice about changing.
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Orwell’s books always give me a heavy feeling after reading. Animal Farm is an allegory to Stalin’s tyranny. It’s about a farm where the animals rebelled and overthrew the humans for treating them poorly. The pigs led a new system and established the Seven Commandments.
The farm prospered at first, but then the pigs began to fight for power. From a democratic system, it became a tyranny. Over the years, the pigs began to act like men—wearing clothes, sleeping on beds, and drinking scotch. While the common animals in the barn have barely to eat, shivering in the cold, hopeless.
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker
A young English solicitor travels to Count Dracula’s castle for a business visit and encounters a series of unfortunate incidents. The Count has set his sights on the young man and his friends, but with a legendary vampire hunter by his side they embark on a nightmarish adventure.
4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The bookworm in me shuddered upon reading Fahrenheit 451. I can’t even imagine a world where reading is a crime and books are burned. In Bradbury’s novel, technology was becoming advanced and people were choosing simpler forms of entertainment like televisions and radio.
Books were no longer favored because the contents are the same for fear of offending some groups. The book didn’t state why the books are banned, but it may be to censor the people from certain truths; and to give the people equal levels of knowledge (by burning all the books, no one can be more knowledgeable than the other).
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Originally called Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, this novel is about the inner struggles of a woman caused by social norms, moral obligations, and personal desires. It describes how from a young age she was able to withstand the hardships she experienced after losing her parents and how she grew to be a good woman with a straight moral compass.
Jane Eyre rose above social standards, choosing not to get married just because society dictates. She was independent and self-reliant. She did marry in the end, though, but only for love. Now, that’s my kind of hero!
