Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? Here it does. Let’s discuss your favorite reads — or listens.
All tagged classics
A powerful, slow-burning portrait of Dust Bowl-era migration, “The Grapes of Wrath” explores poverty, resilience and injustice through the Joad family’s harrowing journey from Oklahoma to California. John Steinbeck’s writing is dense but rewarding, culminating in one of literature’s most haunting final scenes. A brutal yet brilliant American classic.
This novella has solidified my disinterest in Burroughs and, perhaps, in the Beat Generation as a whole. As for the film adaptation, I’ll take a pass – I’ve given this story enough of my time.
Though the author is best known for his searing critiques of race and sexuality, “Beale Street” is unique in his body of work. It’s his first novel (that I’ve read) centered entirely on Black love and the only one narrated by a woman.
A chilling exploration of power, oppression and the fragility of democracy – far from light reading, especially given today’s political climate – even those familiar with the series will find the novel a more visceral experience.
Named “the greatest American novel you’ve never heard of” by The New Yorker, John Williams’ “Stoner'' certainly earns that distinction with a simple, beautifully woven story about a Midwestern English professor living a remarkably unremarkable life.
This is a classic for a reason. Nothing I say about this novel will diminish its relevance, but I must be honest with myself and others when I say that I didn’t really enjoy it.
Expectation: A straight-forward re-imagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
Reality: A dark, engaging story that builds on the source material and delivers a highly entertaining read more attune to our modern sensibilities.
Expectation: To be wowed by this stalwart of American literature.
Reality: A bit let down, and not just because of the terrible racism. Essentially this is a story of vignettes with a very loose plot.
Expectation: An assortment of psychological thrillers buoyed by the author’s famous short story, “The Lottery.”
Reality: While each story has elements of intrigue, this was a rather boring outing. If you’re interested in “The Lottery,” skip the full collection and seek it out as a standalone.
Expectation: A heavy-handed young adult classic that prioritizes hijinks over meaningful character development and scenario exploration.
Reality: Thoughtful and engrossing, the story had me hooked from the first chapter. This is a fantastic historical fiction introduction to America’s racial injustices.
Expectation: A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story.
Reality: A religious-soaked, multi-layered family drama.
Expectation: An immersive story about one family’s experiences navigating the shifting social and political changes of a fictional Latin American village.
Reality: Some of the narrative choices — structure and naming of characters, mainly — made this difficult to follow, but the beauty of Gabriel García Márquez’s prose still shone through.
Expectation: Honestly, I had no idea what to expect having somehow missed all productions and required readings of this classic play for more than 40 years.
Reality: It’s easy to interpret Wilder’s words as cursory but that’s a lazy examination of the masterful story he told here.
Expectation: A classic whodunit of misdirection, mystery and murder.
Reality: An expertly plotted slow burn that holds up nearly 100 years after its publication.
Expectation: A light-hearted English mystery.
Reality: Darker than expected with a somewhat problematic undertone.
Expectation: A queer classic focused on a middle aged man trying to find connection with one of his students.
Reality: The day-in-the-life structure is as tedious as it is engrossing, but this rightly deserves to be in the canon of exceptional queer literature.
Expectation: A classic retelling of David and Goliath but set in a mental institution in the 1960s.
Reality: It has not aged well, and I barely finished it.
Expectation: An immersive and exceptional story about a dark period of American history.
Reality: Needlessly long and a little boring, I was completely turned off by Scarlett and Rhett and struggled to see why the characters are so popular.
My scope of what is deemed a “classic” has shifted over the years, and it has made diving into the back catalog of literature a lot more fun. Today, I view a classic as any novel published three decades ago that has developed a legacy. The classics I read this year - about 10 percent of my total reading - spanned the genres of science fiction, young adult and literary fiction by some authors well-known and lesser so.
Expectation: An exploration of second chances and following your passion.
Reality: A completely underrated, highly influential novel that introduces a wealth of ideas about regret and happiness.
