My English 201class is taught by one of my favorite professors Jaren Watson. In the first class period he told us about what he called ‘junk food’ books. Theses are books are easy reads that are, while entertaining, do not challenge your mental capacity. “These books aren’t bad,” he said, “but they do not push you to your limits. They don’t force you to think.” I took it upon myself to create a list of 20 or so classic novels, in which I plan to read 10-15 by the end of the semester. This list contains the books that that I have so far read, which are; "Diaries of Adam and Eve” by Mark Twain, “The Princess Bride” by S. Morgensterns, “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas and “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. Just as my professor said, these books caused me to stop and thin. They weren’t necessarily challenging reading, but their concepts had more substance than I had read in awhile. But with these books I have recognized my comprehension soar as I now read other things.
It’s an incredible thing, a book. You can travel the world without ever setting foot on a ship, or even explore the heavens without ever leaving the ground. As a kid I loved Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, where he surprises Belle with an palace of novels decorating the ancient shelves. Sometimes I wish I could spend my days among mountains books, swimming in the vast knowledge they contain. It’s incredible how one’s life can be changed by the collection of words and simple truths.
“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” ~James Bryce
“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” ~Oscar Wilde
No comments:
Post a Comment