Lillian Beach
Staff Writer
“Fahrenheit 451”: My absolute favorite book is “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. I always come back to this book when I need something to read, and every time, I seem to discover something new when reading it. The story follows Guy Montag, a firefighter living in the future whose job is not to put out fires, but to start them. He burns books, as they are obsolete and are considered dangerous. Montag struggles between his role as a firefighter and his curiosity towards books. Life moves too fast in the future, and Montag wants to slow it down.
“The Stand”: Ironically, I started reading this book right before the pandemic started. “The Stand” by Stephen King is about a viral outbreak that wipes out most of the population except for a few “chosen” people. The story follows survivors of the plague who are either “good” or “evil” and who must face each other at the end of the world. Even though this is a long read (over 1000 pages), I would highly recommend this book. The plot is captivating, and the black and white of good and evil is painted instead as shades of gray that make you question whether there is really such a clear distinction between the two.
“The Secret History”: This book is beautifully written. “The Secret History” by Donna Tart follows students at a small liberal arts college who make up the classics department. The students are very close knit to an almost uncomfortable degree, and they become obsessed with the Greek language and culture that they are studying. The book is a reverse mystery, where you know what is going to happen but not how the events unfold. Each facet of this book is fantastic and got me interested in the classics. It’s one of those books that really draws you in.
“The Sound and the Fury”: My high school friends would definitely bash me for this being on the list, but I enjoyed reading this book. “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner is the story of a family and their downfall. Granted, this book makes for a confusing read. It is almost entirely written in a stream-of-consciousness flow, which made the story harder to follow, as the events are told out of chronological order. However, that is also what made this book so appealing to me. I found it entertaining to piece together the order of events, and behind it all is actually an interesting story.
“Pet Sematary”: I had to put another Stephen King book on here. Admittedly, I could have put only Stephen King on this list, but hey, we need more variety. “Pet Sematary” is a creepy book about reanimating the dead. Our main character is a father who finds out that the pet cemetery behind his new house has the power to bring anything buried there back to life. This leads to a series of bad decisions. This book has really stuck with me since I read it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good creepy read and cats.