The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

 From Goodreads.com
   According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and has to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

   I was required to read The Outsiders in seventh grade. For me, already a bookworm, it was no problem. At the time I mostly read R.L. Stine books and this was something completely different. My only problem was trying not to read ahead (which I failed at.) Since seventh grade I have read this countless times. I haven't tired of it and I don't think that I ever will. I have so many post-it notes in my copy it borders on ridiculous. Why?
   I don't know what made me fall so hard when I was 12 years old. Maybe it was Ponyboy's daydreamer thoughts, getting lost in books and sunsets, when the life he had wasn't quite everything he wished it would be. He's different from everyone around him, not quite fitting in.
   As I've gotten older The Outsiders has only sunk deeper into my soul. If you're looking for a love story, there isn't one here, at least not your typical romantic love story. This is a book about the love of family, about friendship.
   I recommend this book to everyone. Seriously, everyone. It may have been required reading for you in school as well, and if it was I urge you to read this again as an adult. If you've never read it, I don't think it's ever too late to fall in love with The Outsiders.

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

From Goodreads.com:
   The old wood-carver Geppetto decides to make a wonderful puppet which can dance and turn somersaults, but by chance he chooses an unusual piece of wood. The finished puppet can talk and misbehave like the liveliest child. But Pinocchio is brave and inquisitive as well as naughty. After some hair-raising adventures, he earns his hearts desire.

   A children's classic, Pinocchio is much darker than I would have thought. I could tell it was written in a different time. The morals were not as veiled as some are now, as is made obvious by the above quote, and there are many more as Pinocchio continues his quest to become a real boy. This book is much darker than the story I remembered.
   I vaguely remembered watching the Disney movie when I was younger, but reading this I kept thinking, "boy, I don't remember this happening in the movie." Well I watched the movie again and was surprised it actually followed the book relatively well, minus a key recurring character that was a large part of the book, the Fairy.
   If you like to read classics don't miss out on Pinocchio. If you're looking for a scary bedtime story for your little boy, this would be perfect! Seriously, it would be if you're into that. I kept thinking, "this is a children's book!?" I really enjoyed reading Pinocchio though, and I think you would too.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

From the paperback:
  When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objetivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. This edition contains a special Afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff, which includes excerpts from Ayn Rand's own notes on the making of The Fountainhead. As fresh today as it was then, here is a novel about a hero-and about those who try to destroy him.

   The Fountainhead was our first randomly drawn Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge book. It was a great way to kick off such a list. It was told in four parts each concentrating on a different character type. I admit it was slow going during a couple of them, reading this took a little longer than I anticipated.
   I loved Roark. I love his courage to unflinchingly stick to his beliefs. I love that he has no care of most people's opinions. I love that he's so incredibly sure of his self and his passion. I think that one of my favorite things about this classic is that our hero is actually an atheist, but an atheist with a belief in something. A belief so strong that he lives his entire life while staying true to this uncommon and misunderstood belief.
   A person's beliefs are extremely personal, no matter what they may be. I like that Ayn Rand created this strong, nearly perfect man, who does not conform to a more traditional belief system. I think that belief in something is important, to have some guide for your personal morals and I liked that Roark's wasn't based on a belief in a higher power. Instead it was something he felt within his self to be right.
   There's a great reason this book has become a classic. I'm sure it could be and has been dissected in a hundred different ways, but as a pleasure reader I liked most of the characters, and loved to hate one particular character. I enjoyed going along with Roark on his life journey.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

From Goodreads.com
   What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?
   As a boy William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.
   Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
   What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
   In short, it's about everything.

   I did not watch this movie growing up. A tragedy, as I understand it. But not watching gave me a fresh view on the book. First I must say, the story inside a story, inside a story (that's right three!) was a little strange at the beginning. It really threw me off. The part of the synopsis that says Goldman claimed to love his father reading The Princess Bride is a part of the story. After a little research, a friend and I realized S. Morgenstern never existed except in the mind of William Goldman.
   William Goldman created something like I've never read. It is written like he is telling S. Morgenstern's tale to his grandson. He interrupts the story of The Princess Bride, telling us what has happened in the pages left out of his father's telling, with the occasional interruption of his grandson. To complicate matters more, at the end of the book Stephen King pops up, in discussions of the making of the film's sequel. It definitely left me wondering how much was actually true.
   The tale itself is quite entertaining. It's about a girl, who loves a man, very deeply, with every fiber of her being. He leaves to make his fortune only to meet disaster on the sea. Hopeless of ever loving anyone again, Buttercup becomes betrothed to a prince, and is kidnapped by an odd trio.
   I watched the movie after reading The Princess Bride. So many details of both Fezzik's and Inigo's background were left out (of the movie.) I'd recommend this book to those who grew up loving the movie. If you're a fan of Fezzik or Inigo you won't be able to help but fall more in love with them through the original book.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

From Goodreads.com:
   At the age of eighteen, Mary Shelley, while staying in the Swiss Alps with her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, conceived the tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster he brings to life. The resulting book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is a dark parable warning against the risks of scientific and creative endeavor, the corrupting influence of technology and progress, and the dangers of knowledge without understanding. Frankenstein was an instant bestseller on publication in 1818 and has long been regarded as a masterpiece of suspense, a classic of nineteenth-century Romanticism and Gothic horror, and the prototype of the science fiction novel. Though it has spawned countless imitations and adaptations, it remains the most powerful story of its kind.

   This year for Halloween I decided to read a classic horror novel that I've never read before. I was surprised by Frankenstein. I liked it but found myself sympathizing more with the "monster" than the human, that was unexpected. He doesn't want to be cruel, but feels he has no choice because he will never be accepted into society. He just pulled my heartstrings.
   The synopsis tells us this is a cautionary tale against technology and knowledge without knowing the effects. I think it also has a little nature vs nurture. The monster claims he only killed because without love, he could only cause fear.
   This book does not have a lot of dialogue. Dr. Frankenstein is telling a story, the story of his life. I would recommend this book as an audio book. I read it but the whole time I was thinking, this would be better to listen to. I rarely listen to books, I have only done it once or twice, but I'd audio this one if  I wanted to read it again.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

From the Paperback:
"Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything, until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do..."

" 'You weren't there, you didn't see,' he said. 'There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing.' "

 This was/is required reading in some high schools, not mine though. I've just read it recently and I wonder if I had read it in high school, would it have had the same impact on me as it does now? In this future books have been banned, not just some books, all books. If you're caught with a book your house is burnt by firemen. It starts by banning one book because of offensive content and escalates quickly. Within two generations most people forget they can think for themselves. It's a world of people just going with the flow, Guy can't even remember how he and his wife met.
   I think the implications of Fahrenheit 451 are obvious and something to be cautioned against. While reading this I wondered how anyone could just accept the thoughts they were fed and adopt them as their own. Guy only begins thinking for himself when he meets Clarisse who challenges him with questions and ideas he has never considered before.
   This book should be read by people who cherish the written word. Fans of dystopian novels will also enjoy this book. I imagine I'm a little behind on reading this one, but if you're like me and haven't read it before, now is the time.