Ranking Everything We Read This Year

Zev M-M

For what probably is my last post ever on this blog, I want to take a look back at what we’ve read this year in Language and Literature. This post will be somewhat of a book review combined with a ranking list. Remember that everything I say about these books (and other types of writing) is my opinion. I am not ranking them based on how well written they are, but simply how much I enjoyed them. I may have forgotten something we read, so if you notice anything missing from the list, or if you disagree with my rankings, please let me know in the comments.

Honorable Mention: The blogs. I have really enjoyed writing these blogs and there have been some posts from others that are well written and engaging. It was fun coming up with ideas and sharing them with other people, and a lot of the posts were genuinely interesting to read. Still, I couldn’t realistically rank any of our writings above the professional texts we read.

6) Poems: While I really liked some of these poems we read, there were others that I just found confusing. Although I appreciate the work put into all the minute details of a poem, I just don’t find most of them enjoyable to read. My favorite poems we read this school year were “Ozymandias,” “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord,” and Shakspeare’s Sonnets 18, 130, and 138. Also, I really enjoyed the assignment where we wrote our own poems.

5) The Scarlet Letter: This book got better as I read it, mostly because I became more familiar with the writing style.  Still, the excessively long sentences seemed to get in the way of the plot, and I’m not smart enough to appreciate the style. The other elements of the story like the characters and plot were good, but in my opinion, they didn’t make up for the negatives. I can understand why this book is considered so good, but it’s not a book I would read for fun. 

4) Short stories: Similar to poems, this is a broad category. I was planning on ranking these lower, but as I looked back at the stories, I was surprised by how many I remember. Though most of the stories were weird, I find it interesting that I could remember a two page story as well as a two hundred page book. I don’t have favorites, but some of the stories I found most memorable were: “A&P,” “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,””Dead Man's Path,” “Interpreter of Maladies,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

3) If I Ever Get Out Of Here: I will admit I forget some of the details of this book, but I do remember that I liked it. The characters were well developed, the story was unique, and the plot was varied and engaging. I liked the connections to music and pop culture and the contrasts between the different settings. The reservation, the school, and George’s house all seemed like different stories that twisted together in interesting ways. The road trip and the snowstorm added action to the story. I really liked the fast pace of this book; a lot happened in a short time. This is the book that I would be most likely to pick up and read on my own.

2) Purple Hibiscus: It was a tossup between Purple Hibiscus and If I Ever Get Out Of Here for second place. Ultimately, I felt that Purple Hibiscus was more memorable. Despite it being the second book we read this year, I feel like I still remember most of the book in good detail. This book was interesting to talk about because of all the complex characters and scenarios. The story itself was gripping and despite some of the heavy topics, it was still enjoyable to read.

1) Midsummer Night's Dream: We haven’t finished this story yet, and it seems hypocritical to rank it first when I complained about poetry and Hawthorne’s sentences. Despite the poetic sentences, I think that this story is still fast-moving and interesting, and the extended similes and metaphors are fun to read. I feel that the long sentences are not necessary, but are justified given the nuance they add. Ultimately, I just enjoy the story.