Post date: Jun 30, 2016 3:49:1 PM
This school year, my focus will be primarily on American Literature, in preparation for teaching Introduction to Literature in the spring, as I have always been more of Brit-Lit fan. I'm sure I'll diverge from time to time...but that is the goal nonetheless. America, here I come!
1. Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Redundancy and poor pacing plagued the opening third of this classic; however, crisp descriptions and compelling plot redeemed the narrative.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 6/10- Redundancy and pacing really slowed this down
Content Enjoyment: 8/10- Great descriptions and story line. However, the best character, in my opinion, Hetty, had moments of poor characterization (she moved from profound to parody)
Language Enjoyment: 8/10 If the pacing and redundancy were removed, I'd give this a 10.
2-4. Heroes of Olympus Series Last Three Books (Free Choices)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though generally enjoyable, the conclusion of this series disappointingly followed trends in popular culture, allowing commentary to trump story.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 6/10
Language Enjoyment: 8/10 Riordan is a master of conversational language
5. My Antonia! by Willa Cather (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: This well-written classic is full of rich descriptions, compelling characters, and intriguing themes.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 10/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10- She wrote remarkably well. Really, her language was the primary draw for me.
Ok, so these next two were just for fun, and not American Lit...
6. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though the end of this novel neared soap-opera territory, the captivating language and setting, especially in the early sections, compensated well.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10- Due to dialects (which were great!)
Content Enjoyment: 8/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10
7. The Princess Bride Abridged by Goldman, written by Morgenstern (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: This abridgment is a wonderful satire bookmarked and interlaced with terrible introductions and commentaries.
(Honestly, after the introductions, I almost stopped reading. Here's what you need to know, he abridged it to make it more readable. Read the book. Skip the pessimistic and bitter introductions.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10
OK, back to America!
8. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: In classic Twain style, this book combines the the genius of a master humorist with his personal, satirical bitterness.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10 - Twain is an amazing conveyer of language!
9. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow by Washington Irving (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: The brevity of this piece actually hinders the overall effectiveness of the otherwise well crafted, classic tale.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 9/10
Content Enjoyment: 7/10
Language Enjoyment: 9/10
10. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Nonfiction/Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: The earliest portions being the strongest segment of writing, the entire portrayal is both thought provoking and entertaining.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 7/10 (Due to a lag into tediousness at the end)
Content Enjoyment: 9/10 Honestly, this piece made me laugh, frustrated me, encouraged me, and impressed me... That's a good book.
Language Enjoyment: 9/10
11. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: O'Connor's mastery of character and setting fused with her skill as a story teller work together to create memorable and impactful pieces.
(Side Note: I am a fan of O'Connor in general.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 7/10- Her stories are not always straight forward. I am left thinking about them, or trying to break them down...often.
Content Enjoyment: 10/10-- Though many made me cringe, they were all great!
Language Enjoyment: 10/10-- She's a master!
Ok, so these are technically by Americans...
12. Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson (Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Dobson uses clear language to fuse large-scale research findings and complicated sciences into practical advice for parenting.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 10/10... Yeah, so this book motivated me deeply, and made me nearly cry...a lot.
Language Enjoyment: 7/10
13. Man of God by Charles Stanley (Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Brief and useful, this book was well designed for busy fathers who care deeply for their families.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 10/10
Language Enjoyment: 7/10
14. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller (Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though admittedly redundant at times, this was a thorough and practical treatment on a vital practice. (Honestly, I would highly recommend anything by Keller, and this work is excellent.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 9/10
Content Enjoyment: 10/10
Language Enjoyment: 9/10
Back to Am Lit...
15. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: East of Eden is a thought provoking hike through Steinbeck's worldview.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10 The only "cons" here would be 1)not all of the content was enjoyable...and 2) it is very long
Content Enjoyment: 8/10
Language Enjoyment: 8/10
16. Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy (Modernish-Classic)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Percy is a master of narrative voice and creates a unique reading experience blending enjoyment and discomfort. (In other words, I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. :D)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10
Content Enjoyment: 8/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10- Masterful writing.
17. Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (Free Choice)
Note: I read this book because I had enjoyed the first season of the show based on it. They are only loosely similar.
Thesis Statement Analysis: In Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick creates an intriguing world, but leaves his readers wanting more narrative.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 8/10- A couple scenes were outside of my liking.
Language Enjoyment: 8/10
18. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Philip K. Dick again creates an engaging world and pulls readers into it with a compelling story.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10 Short of one scene and an ending I'm not 100% sold on, I was interested the whole time.
Language Enjoyment: 8/10
19. History of American Literature by Halleck (Classic/Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: This thorough treatment of early American Literature (through Twain) has been an invaluable resource in my personal study. (i.e. It helped me as I prepare to teach American Lit, but I also really enjoyed Halleck's perspective.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 10/10
Language Enjoyment: 8/10
20. Anne Bradstreet and Her Time by Campbell (Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though an anti-purtian bias is clearly being struggled against, the content of this piece is a thorough contextualization of an immensely interestingly writer; however, the writer is often lost amidst the contextualization.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 8/10
Language Enjoyment: 7/10
21. Stardust by Gaiman (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though there were initially scenes done in poor taste, the tale quickly became a captivating mix of dark humor and fairy adventure.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10
Language Enjoyment: 10/10 -A master story teller.
22. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Riggs puts together a truly compelling read.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10
Language Enjoyment: 9/10
23. The Strain by Del Toro (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: The Strain is a surprisingly compelling read. (Great read--and not at all what I expected.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10
Content Enjoyment: 9/10
Language Enjoyment: 9/10
In addition to these books, I have read the assigned reading for my American Lit course, as well.
Constants:
1. The Bible
2. Student Essays
3. Articles for Personal Study
Chapter Books Read with my Kids:
My children are now at an age where we can read longer pieces together. It's a blast!
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 6
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 9
TEMPLATE
Thesis Statement Analysis:
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: /10
Content Enjoyment: /10
Language Enjoyment: /10