Sophia – The Princess Bride – William Goldman
As you may know from the movie, The Princess Bride by William Goldman is a fantasy romance novel. The book (written in the 70s) is set in renaissance times and follows a couple who hopes to get married. When the man leaves to obtain money to marry her, his ship gets attacked by pirates and the woman agrees to marry the prince. Before the wedding, however, she was kidnapped by a group of bandits. They are followed by a man in a mask who seeks to rescue her. This movie was a huge part of my childhood and would be so nostalgic to read.
Anna – Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
The book is about a woman Joanna who found a girl in front of her cabin with bruises and barefoot. The girl’s name was Ursa and was apparently sent from the stars to witness miracles. Joanna and her neighbor try to solve the mystery of Ursa and they keep wondering why she doesn’t know certain things. Once Ursa gets to the last miracle her past catches up to her and secrets are forced into the open. I thought this book was interesting and it caught my attention. I liked how this book sounded like a fun mystery to read and I can’t wait to learn what happened to the girl and the two friends.
Johanna – This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s romantic and witty first novel, was written when the author was only twenty-three years old. This semi-autobiographical story of the handsome, indulged, and idealistic Princeton student Amory Blaine received critical raves and catapulted Fitzgerald to instant fame. Now, readers can enjoy the newly edited, authorized version of this early classic of the Jazz Age, based on Fitzgerald’s original manuscript. In this definitive text, This Side of Paradise captures the rhythms and romance of Fitzgerald’s youth and offers a poignant portrait of the “Lost Generation.”
Rhys – Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
While I have read Giovanni’s Room by Baldwin, I have not gotten around to this acclaimed novel. From some quick research, I learned that this book is semi-autobiographical and takes place in the 1930s. I believe that this story is of an African American teenage boy dealing with religion, racism, and family. While I’m sure that our group has read stories with these themes before, I think that this novel’s time period would be a different perspective than we are used to reading. From previous experience with Baldwin’s work, I know that he seems to tackle many sensitive issues and is thought-provoking and insightful. There is a reason he is considered such an iconic, skillful, and resonant writer to this day, and I think that reading one of his works can help us learn more about the subjects he writes about and writing in general.
How Writers Read - Fall 2021 - Group 5 