Summer Reading? I'd Rather Not... Thank You!

Okay telling by the title, I hate summer reading. The books assigned during the summer aren't fun anymore. Classic novels have to be assigned because classic novels are being forgotten.

"You're not a good reader until you read classic novels." - Teachers, literally from every high school.

Honestly, growing up, I read the majority of the time. I read a couple of series and long books. I would read book that were two hundred or more pages long. I read The Book Thief , which was about three hundred to four hundred pages long, before actually watching the movie.

Now, in high school, I don't have enough time for reading the books I want to read. I have to read books given to me, which I don't mind.

The summer reading assignment freshman year was okay. I loved reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. The mystery behind who was killing who from left to right was freaking me out. The deaths within the book were a bit gruesome and unforgettable, in my opinion. The other summer reading book assigned was Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I hated this book so much, I didn't even want to read it. The spiritual aspect behind the book wasn't appealing to me and didn't interest me. Plus, while reading the book, I wasn't confused, but I didn't see the point of Siddhartha's journey. There was no reason for him to leave home and go through the trouble.

Moving on to sophomore year, I would say the books were better. I enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nick Carraway would have to be one of my favorite characters. Carraway moved from the Midwest America to New York to pursue his career in the bond business. Fast forward, Carraway meets Gatsby, who loves Daisy, who is related to Carraway and married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby takes Daisy away from all her troubles, having affairs with her. Buchanan was never fond of Gatsby from the beginning and picked up on the fact that Daisy was having affairs with Gatsby. HEY! Who said Tom Buchanan was innoccent in this case. He's not! Buchanan was having multiple affairs with Myrtle Wilson, who was also married. Eventually Buchanan finds out that Gatsby was the one who killed Myrtle, and ends up having someone do the dirty work and assassinate Gatsby. What Buchanan didn't realize was that Daisy was driving the car and not Gatsby, but in reality, Tom Buchanan wanted Gatsby dead anyways.

Another book I read sophomore year was Of Men and Mice by John Steinbeck. This was the sadest book ending I've ever read. I'm sorry if you haven't read this book, but I can't believe George shoots Lennie. I cried when I read this. He killed his own family. Honestly, I blame Lennie's death not on George, but on Curley's Wife. If Curley's Wife didn't provoke Lennie, she would have never been strangled to death by Lennie. I feel bad that George couldn't really control Lennie's innoccence longer. George couldn't let anyone else touch Lennie, so George had to do the job himself. If George didn't shoot Lennie himself, then he would have regret on his shoulders wherever he went.

Currently, I'm in the process of reading the play The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. So far this play is relatable and realistic. I'm trying to read it in three to four days to just finish the play and move on to the next book I have to read. The next book is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Judging by the length of the book, I hate it. I know I said I like reading long books, but I'm on summer vacation. I need to relax from all the stress teachers place in my head. Dropping a three hundred paged book in my lap is a slap in the face by all English teachers.

Unfortunely, I have to read the book and there's no escaping it. I'm way to good to use Sparknotes or some other source to know what the book is about. Reading the three hundred paged book is better than not knowing what's going on when returning back to write an essay. Wish me luck!

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