I'm going to keep this quick. What classics blow my mind? I'll be honest: pretty much what you'd expect...
Ah, the classics. What makes a classic? Ask ten different people and you'll get ten different answers. For me they're books that transcend genre, the time period in which they were written, and the original audience they were written for.
“Classics are classics for a reason. That's why we all end up reading them at some point.”
Alright, my favorite classics. Here we go:
Lord of the Rings: Are you surprised? Of course you're not. This one ends up on everyone's list because it's amazing. Hobbits rule.
Lord of the Flies: Let's get the 'Lords' out of the way. Lord of the Flies is an incredible look at civilization and what happens when we allow ourselves to degrade as a people. It's deep, it's disturbing, and it's a great read.
Charlotte's Web: It's a tearjerker. I remember reading this book on my dad's lap when I was like 4 years old and laughing when he would say the word 'manure.'
Brave New World: A sad look at a possible future for our society; one that seems closer to reality than we care to admit.
Frankenstein: The tragic fall of two men, both of which could have been amazing inspirations and ended up destroying each other.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare: That guy knew how to write a play. I've read all of his works, and while some don't resonate and aren't great in my opinion, most of them blow my mind and make me appreciate the beauty of language.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Not as thoughtful as Huckleberry Finn, but I love the adventure and pure young-man thrills this story brings.
The Time Machine: Not many books follow a single man through an adventure where he pretty much talks to no one the entire time. It's a great book with some interesting perspectives on humanity and the passage of time. It's a personal favorite.
Peter Pan: There's something magical and tragic about a young man so self-absorbed he thinks nothing exists outside of himself. Sound familiar? It's every man in existence.
Flowers for Algernon: This one gets me every time. From the evolution of the journal entries to the tragedy of going from ignorance to knowledge and back, Flowers for Algernon blows my mind. A true classic.
There you go. Read them all and enjoy. They're classics after all. Classics are classics for a reason. That's why we all end up reading them at some point.
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