Adam
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
You are mistaken if you think Shakespeare is just something you read to make it through high school English class. His plays deal with scenarios and themes that are still talked about and written about today. In Twelfth Night you get a taste of Shakespeare’s signature comedy style (which might be considered dark comedy by today’s standards), plus some classic Shakespearean tropes like unrequited love, cross-dressing, and a band of clueless buffoons. Not only will you be entertained by the story, comedy, and twists of Twelfth Night, but you’ll also discover something new in Shakespeare’s language every time you read it. So pull up your yellow socks, find a clown friend, and sing a love song to your favorite English playwright.
To Read: Jane Eyre by Til We Meet Again by Ray and Betty Whipps
Chloe
I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
I am a memoir lover, and this story holds all the elements that I consider necessary to make a compelling memoir. It is a story of adventure and challenge, and at the heart, a story of friendship. Patrick and Justin are lifelong best friends and have done everything from going to school together to travelling the world. Early in adulthood, Justin is diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease that renders him incapable of using his arms and legs. Far from hindering his positive attitude and adventurous spirit, the disease does not stop Justin from dreaming of hiking the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trek through Spain. When Justin mentions the idea to Patrick, Patrick responds without hesitation, “I’ll push you.” This book chronicles their incredible journey, and paints a beautiful picture of selfless love and surrender.
To Read: The Brothers K by David James Duncan; White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Joy
The Circle by Dave Eggers
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge. Technology is changing the way we think and interact with others. I am fascinated by Eggers’ fictional account of how our world might change if we were to surrender our identities to computer operated systems. I hope this novel encourages people to carefully consider how their digital behavior might be affecting their emotional, spiritual, and physical well being.
To Read: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
