i’m literate. >:(

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2)

R. F Kuang · 2020

The Song of Achilles: A Novel

Madeline Miller · 2012

A New York Times Bestseller<br/>“At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art….A book I could not put down.” —Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House<br/>A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe<br/>A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.<br/>“A captivating retelling of The Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it’s a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity.” — Donna Tartt, The Times

If We Were Villains

M. L Rio (author) · 2017

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

R. F. Kuang · 2022

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War   “Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out.” -- Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of The City of Brass From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire. Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide… Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

The Secret History

Donna Tartt · 1992

<b><b><b><b>ONE OF <i>TIME MAGAZINE</i>'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • </b>INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A contemporary literary classic and "a<b>n accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (<i>Village Voice</i>)</b>, f<b>rom the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of <i>The Goldfinch.<br><br></i></b></b></b>One of <i>The Atlantic</i>’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years</b><br><br>Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality.<br><br><b>“A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment . . . Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.” —<i>The New York Times</i></b>

My Friends

Fredrik Backman · 2025

Powerless

Lauren Roberts · 2023

A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance Book 1)

Naomi Novik · 2020

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic. FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD • “The dark school of magic I’ve been waiting for.”—Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life. Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans. I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world. At least, that’s what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does. But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either. Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one. With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a school bursting with magic like you’ve never seen before, and a heroine for the ages—a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come. The magic of the Scholomance trilogy continues in The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves “The can’t-miss fantasy of fall 2020, a brutal coming-of-power story steeped in the aesthetics of dark academia. . . . A Deadly Education will cement Naomi Novik’s place as one of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time.”—BookPage (starred review) “A must-read . . . Novik puts a refreshingly dark, adult spin on the magical boarding school. . . . Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion’s relationship, the fantastically detailed world, the clever magic system, and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Six of Crows

Leigh Bardugo · 2015

The House in the Cerulean Sea

TJ Klune · 2020

A Magical Island. A Dangerous Task. A Burning Secret. Linus Baker Leads A Quiet, Solitary Life. At Forty, He Lives In A Tiny House With A Devious Cat And His Old Records. As A Case Worker At The Department In Charge Of Magical Youth, He Spends His Days Overseeing The Well-being Of Children In Government-sanctioned Orphanages. When Linus Is Unexpectedly Summoned By Extremely Upper Management He's Given A Curious And Highly Classified Assignment: Travel To Marsyas Island Orphanage, Where Six Dangerous Children Reside: A Gnome, A Sprite, A Wyvern, An Unidentifiable Green Blob, A Were-pomeranian, And The Antichrist. Linus Must Set Aside His Fears And Determine Whether Or Not They're Likely To Bring About The End Of Days. But The Children Aren't The Only Secret The Island Keeps. Their Caretaker Is The Charming And Enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, Who Will Do Anything To Keep His Wards Safe. As Arthur And Linus Grow Closer, Long-held Secrets Are Exposed, And Linus Must Make A Choice: Destroy A Home Or Watch The World Burn. An Enchanting Story, Masterfully Told, The House In The Cerulean Sea Is About The Profound Experience Of Discovering An Unlikely Family In An Unexpected Place-and Realizing That Family Is Yours--

Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle)

Tracy Deonn · 2022

The Burning God (The Poppy War, 3)

R. F Kuang · 2021

The Poppy War: A Novel (The Poppy War, 1)

R. F Kuang · 2019

<p>“I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang’s] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin.” -- Booknest</p><p>A Library Journal, Paste Magazine, Vulture, BookBub, and ENTROPY Best Books of 2018 pick!</p><p>Washington Post "5 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel of 2018" pick!</p><p>A Bustle "30 Best Fiction Books of 2018" pick!</p><p>A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.</p><p>When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.</p><p>But surprises aren’t always good.</p><p>Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.</p><p>For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .</p><p>Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.</p>

Just for the Summer

Abby Jimenez · 2024

Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, 2)

Chloe Walsh · 2023

<p>The epic and unforgettable love story that began in Binding 13 continues with the follow-up in this duology, Keeping 13, from international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon Chloe Walsh.</p> <p>Falling in love was the easy part. What comes next is the test . . .</p> <p>Johnny Kavanagh has been living a different life since his injury sidelined him. He's never known life without his beloved number 13 jersey, and he feels lost. Luckily for him, there is a mysterious girl who is now taking up most of his thoughts.</p> <p>Shannon Lynch has always been good at keeping secrets. She has realized that evil men aren't only in stories. They are very real. After her traumatizing trip to Dublin, she is trying to find a way to protect her little brothers above all else. She is beginning to revert to her old self, hiding away so that she can try to contain the few scraps of her future she has left.</p> <p>There's only one boy who can pull her out of the shadows into which she is retreating. The boy who owns her heart. But what she doesn't know is that secrets are about to be revealed that could change lives forever. Will Johnny and Shannon's love survive?</p> <p>Following the beloved characters from Binding 13, Keeping 13 will cement your love for the Boys of Tommen universe. This book is perfect for readers looking for:</p> <ul> <li>New adult/YA crossover Irish romance</li> <li>Dual POVs</li> <li>Friends-to-lovers</li> <li>TikTok books</li> <li>Sports romance</li> </ul> <p>Readers can't stop gushing:</p> <p>"It has so much HEART, SOUL AND LOVE in it. The love is real."</p> <p>"I love them...my heart beats for them. You know, this is completely one of those books you wanna savor reading as well as finish reading all in a go and then want to reread it as soon as you finish."</p> <p>"This is definitely one of those books which will stay with me forever."</p> <p>"JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. It's perfect. It literally has everything I never knew I needed."</p> <p>"Thank you for changing my life Chloe Walsh."</p>

Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, 3)

Chloe Walsh · 2024

Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, 1)

Chloe Walsh · 2023

<p>An epic and unforgettable love story begins in Binding 13, the first in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.</p> <p>He wants to save her. She wants to hide.</p> <p>She's damaged. He's determined.</p> <p>Fate brought them together. Love binds them.</p> <p>Johnny Kavanagh is the definition of popular. He is an all-star rugby player with loads of friends, which means he should be enjoying the many perks of his life. But what people don't know is that he has been dealing with a painful injury that could halt the magnificent trajectory of his career. This means he has no time for distractions or mistakes. Especially not a girlfriend.</p> <p>Shannon Lynch has been bullied all her life. She is shy and would rather hide herself away to make it through school. But when she arrives at Tommen College for a fresh start, she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day in a not-so-romantic way. What follows is a complicated friendship that turns into undeniable chemistry. It seems that Shannon won't be able to hold onto the anonymous status she once hoped for. But maybe that's alright?</p> <p>Johnny won't give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.</p> <p>Filled with angst and an attraction like no other, Binding 13 will suck you into the bingeworthy Boys of Tommen universe. This book is perfect for readers looking for:</p> <ul> <li>New adult/YA crossover Irish romance</li> <li>Dual POVs</li> <li>Friends-to-lovers</li> <li>TikTok books</li> <li>Sports romance</li> </ul> <p>Readers are gushing:</p> <p>"You need this book in your life."</p> <p>"I'm beyond obsessed. no review could do this book justice but wow. I'm SPRINTING to Keeping 13!!!!!"</p> <p>"I NEED A JOHNNY KAVANAGH ❤"</p> <p>"Instantly became one of my top 5 books of all time."</p> <p>"This was so, so good. Excellent character building. Excellent relationship building. Just excellent all around."</p>

Happy Place

Emily Henry · 2023

Book Lovers

Emily Henry · 2022

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Funny Story. “One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming... Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute. If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

Beach Read

Emily Henry · 2020

<b><b>FROM THE #1 <i>NEW YORK TIMES</i> BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF <i>FUNNY STORY</i>!<br><br>A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.<br><br>As featured in <i>The New York Times Book Review</i> ∙ <i>Entertainment Weekly</i> ∙ <i>Oprah Magazine</i> ∙ Betches ∙ Shondaland ∙ Good Morning America ∙ <i>The New York Post</i> ∙ <i>Good Housekeeping</i> ∙ CNN ∙ and more!</b></b><br><br>Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. <br><br>They’re polar opposites. <br><br>In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.<br><br>Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley · 2006

Now more than ever: Aldous Huxley's enduring masterwork must be read and understood by anyone concerned with preserving the human spirit<br/>"A masterpiece. ... One of the most prophetic dystopian works." —Wall Street Journal<br/>Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New World likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.<br/>"Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English." —Chicago Tribune

Dawn

Octavia E. Butler · 2023

Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins · 2025

<p> </p> <p>“Sunrise on the Reaping is a propulsive, heart-wrenching addition to The Hunger Games, adding welcome texture to the cruel world of Panem . This is the project of dystopian fiction: to shine a light in tyranny's greasiest corners and show how people - ordinary, determined human beings - might take it apart” - New York Times</p> <p>“Collins is an excellent writer, and there are moments of surprising lyricism . Sunrise on the Reaping contains enough both to snare new readers and to satisfy the most bloodthirsty fan” - Guardian</p> <p> When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for? </p> <p>As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honour of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.</p> <p>Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.</p> <p>When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.</p> <p>As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.</p> <ul> <li>Four books, five films and one worldwide phenomenon, The Hunger Games original trilogy changed the face of global YA and <i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i> was an instant number one bestseller (Nielsen Bookscan, May 2020).</li> <li>All four of the Hunger Games novels have been made into major feature films, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Peter Dinklage.</li> <li>A feature film for Sunrise On the Reaping - the fifth book in the Hunger Games series - is slated for November 2026</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES</p> <ul> <li>The Hunger Games</li> <li>The Hunger Games illustrated edition released in October 2024</li> <li>Catching Fire</li> <li>Mockingjay</li> <li>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</li> </ul> <p> </p>

Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 3)

Suzanne Collins · 2010

Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 2)

Suzanne Collins · 2010

The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 1)

Suzanne Collins · 2009

This Special Edition of <i>The Hunger Games</i> includes the most extensive interview Suzanne Collins has given since the publication of <i>The Hunger Games</i>; an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series; and an engaging archival conversation between Suzanne Collins and YA legend Walter Dean Myers on writing about war. The Special Edition answers many questions fans have had over the years, and gives great insight into the creation of this era-defining work.<p></p>In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury · 2012

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full-Color Collector's Edition)

C. S. Lewis · 2000

The Giver (Giver Quartet, Book 1)

Lois Lowry · 1993

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community. Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late? Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs. The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don't miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

The Call of the Wild

Jack London · 1990

The Wind in the Willows (Penguin Classics)

Kenneth Grahame · 2005

Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics)

Jane Austen · 2002

Austen's most popular novel, the unforgettable story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy<br/><br/>Few have failed to be charmed by the witty and independent spirit of Elizabeth Bennet in Austen’s beloved classic Pride and Prejudice. When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows us the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. This Penguin Classics edition, based on Austen's first edition, contains the original Penguin Classics introduction by Tony Tanner and an updated introduction and notes by Viven Jones.<br/><br/>For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Puffin Classics)

Mark Twain · 2008

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain · 2020

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harperperennial Modern Classics)

Harper Lee · 2014

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson · 2019

A new edition of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Gothic novella, originally published in 1886. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll and the evil Mr. Edward Hyde. Although the book had initially been published as a "shilling shocker," The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was an immediate success and became one of Stevenson's best-selling works.<br/><br/>Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, most remembered today for writing Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, and A Child's Garden of Verses.<br/>Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life, but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands, his writing turned away from romance and adventure toward a darker realism. He died in his island home in 1894.<br/>A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018 he was ranked, just behind Charles Dickens, as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Signet Classics)

Baroness Orczy · 2000

The Great Gatsby: The Original 1925 Edition (A F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic Novel)

F. Scott Fitzgerald · 2021

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby<br/>The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, the novel depicts narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.<br/>A youthful romance Fitzgerald had with socialite Ginevra King, and the riotous parties he attended on Long Island's North Shore in 1922 inspired the novel. Following a move to the French Riviera, he completed a rough draft in 1924. He submitted the draft to editor Maxwell Perkins, who persuaded Fitzgerald to revise the work over the following winter. After his revisions, Fitzgerald was satisfied with the text, but remained ambivalent about the book's title and considered several alternatives. The final title he desired was Under the Red, White, and Blue. Painter Francis Cugat's final cover design impressed Fitzgerald who incorporated a visual element from the art into the novel.<br/>Gatsby continues to attract popular and scholarly attention. The novel was most recently adapted to film in 2013 by director Baz Luhrmann, while contemporary scholars emphasize the novel's treatment of social class, inherited wealth compared to those who are self-made, race, environmentalism, and its cynical attitude towards the American dream. The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary masterpiece and a contender for the title of the Great American Novel.<br/>A True Classic that Belongs on Every Bookshelf!

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)

Frances Hodgson Burnett · 2010

Animal Farm

George Orwell · 1996

Lord of the Flies

William Golding · 2003

Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

Mary Shelley · 1994

'I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion.' A summer evening's ghost stories, lonely insomnia in a moonlit Alpine's room, and a runaway imagination -- fired by philosophical discussions with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley about science, galvanism, and the origins of life -- conspired to produce for Mary Shelley this haunting night specter. By morning, it had become the germ of her Romantic masterpiece, &quot;Frankenstein.&quot; Written in 1816 when she was only 19, Mary Shelley's novel of 'The Modern Prometheus' chillingly dramatized the dangerous potential of life begotten upon a laboratory table. A frightening creation myth for our own time, &quot;Frankenstein&quot; remains one of the greatest horror stories ever written and is an undisputed classic of its kind.

The Sea-Wolf by Jack London

Jack London · 2020

Love in the Time of Cholera (Vintage International)

Gabriel GarcÍA MÁRquez · 2014

Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel

Zora Neale Hurston · 2009

The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne · 2000

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain · 2009

The Fall

Albert Camus · 1991

Notes from Underground (Vintage Classics)

Fyodor Dostoevsky · 1994

<b>Award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky give us a brilliantly faithful rendition of this classic novel, in all its tragedy and tormented comedy. In this second edition, they have updated their translation in honor of the 200th anniversary of Dostoevsky’s birth.</b> <br><br>One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator of Dostoevsky's most revolutionary novel is a former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In full retreat from society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man’s essentially irrational nature.

All the Kings Men

Robert Penn Warren · 1997

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll

The Brothers Karamazov (Bicentennial Edition): A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue

Fyodor Dostoevsky · 2021

Winner of the Pen/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize<br/><br/>The award-winning translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel of psychological realism.<br/><br/>The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the “wicked and sentimental” Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons―the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.<br/><br/>This award-winning translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky remains true to the verbal inventiveness of Dostoevsky’s prose, preserving the multiple voices, the humor, and the surprising modernity of the original. It is an achievement worthy of Dostoevsky’s last and greatest novel.

The Waste Land and Other Writings

T.S. Eliot · 2009

Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)

John Milton · 2003

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Signet Classics)

· 2009

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE UPCOMING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE THE GREEN KNIGHT—STARRING DEV PATEL<br/><br/>An epic poem of honor and bravery written by an anonymous fourteenth-century poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is recognized as an equal of Chaucer’s masterworks and of the great Old English poems, including Beowulf.<br/><br/>It is Christmas in Camelot, and a truly royal feast has been laid out for King Arthur and his knights. And though there is plenty of good cheer to go around, the festivities hardly begin before a monstrous, axe-wielding, green-skinned knight barges in. He has come to see the famous Knights of the Round Table and offer them a simple but deadly challenge—a challenge taken on by the brave Sir Gawain—a challenge that will force him to choose between his honor and his life....<br/><br/>Includes a Preface by Burton Raffel<br/>an Introduction by Brenda Webster<br/>and an Afterword by Neil D. Isaacs

The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics)

Geoffrey Chaucer · 1996

Carefully selected to be read aloud, this recording of Chaucer's poem gives the listener a merry feast of the voices and characters from which The Canterbury Tales continues to draw its enduring power. 6 cassettes.

The Aeneid (Penguin Classics)

Virgil · 2010

The Iliad (Penguin Classics)

Homer · 1991

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

William Shakespeare · 2017

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare in 1595/96. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.

Sophocles, The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone

Sophocles · 2002

Cyrano de Bergerac

Edmond Rostand · 2021

Hamlet ( Folger Library Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare · 1992

Much Ado About Nothing (Folger Shakespeare Library)

William Shakespeare · 2004

Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library)

William Shakespeare · 2004

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Alexander Solzhenitsyn · 2009

The Complete Persepolis: Volumes 1 and 2

Marjane Satrapi · 2007

The Diary Of Anne Frank

The classic text of the diary Anne Frank kept during the two years she and her family hid from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic is a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

Up from Slavery (Dover Thrift Editions)

Booker T. Washington · 2012

Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914 – 1918

Louis Barthas · 2014

The Red Badge of Courage (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

Stephen Crane · 1990

An Artist of the Floating World

Kazuo Ishiguro · 1989

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day<br/><br/>In the face of the misery in his homeland, the artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art solely to the celebration of physical beauty. Instead, he put his work in the service of the imperialist movement that led Japan into World War II.<br/><br/>Now, as the mature Ono struggles through the aftermath of that war, his memories of his youth and of the "floating world"—the nocturnal world of pleasure, entertainment, and drink—offer him both escape and redemption, even as they punish him for betraying his early promise. Indicted by society for its defeat and reviled for his past aesthetics, he relives the passage through his personal history that makes him both a hero and a coward but, above all, a human being.

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe · 1994

All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque · 1996

The masterpiece of the German experience during World War I, considered by many the greatest war novel of all time—with an Oscar–winning film adaptation now streaming on Netflix.<br/><br/>“[Erich Maria Remarque] is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank.”—The New York Times Book Review<br/><br/>I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. . . .<br/><br/>This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army during World War I. They become soldiers with youthful enthusiasm. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught breaks in pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches.<br/><br/>Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another . . . if only he can come out of the war alive.

Night (Night)

Elie Wiesel · 2006

Alert: This product may be shipped with or without the inclusion of the Oprah Book Club sticker. Please note that regardless of the cover, the books are identical. Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author's original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man.<br/><br/>Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be.

Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel (Modern Library 100 Best Novels)

Kurt Vonnegut · 1999

Slaughterhouse-Five is a satirical novel by Kurt Vonnegut about World War II experiences and journeys through time of a chaplain's assistant named Billy Pilgrim. It is generally recognized as Vonnegut's most influential and popular work. Vonnegut's use of the firebombing of Dresden as a central event makes the novel semi-autobiographical, because he was present then.

The Confessions of St. Augustine (Dover Thrift Editions)

St. Augustine · 2012

On Liberty (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)

John Stuart Mill · 2002

The Prince | Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli · 2021

The ends justifies the means.<br/><br/>The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewis · 2009

Meditations: A New Translation

Marcus Aurelius · 2003

Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book

Walker Percy · 2000

Amusing Ourselves to Death

neil postman · 1985

The Republic of Plato

· 2016

The definitive translation of Plato's Republic, the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy<br/><br/>Long regarded as the most accurate rendering of Plato's Republic that has yet been published, this widely acclaimed translation by Allan Bloom was the first to take a strictly literal approach. In addition to the annotated text, there is also a rich and valuable essay -- as well as indices -- which will enable readers to better understand the heart of Plato's intention.<br/><br/>This edition includes an introduction by renowned critic Adam Kirsch, setting the work in its intellectual context for a new generation of students and readers.

Project Hail Mary: A Novel

Andy Weir · 2021

James: A Novel

Percival Everett · 2024

The King's Men (All for the Game)

Nora Sakavic · 2016

Neil Josten is out of time. He knew when he came to PSU he wouldn't survive the year, but with his death right around the corner he's got more reasons than ever to live. Befriending the Foxes was inadvisable. Kissing one is unthinkable. Neil should know better than to get involved with anyone this close to the end, but Andrew's never been the easiest person to walk away from. If they both say it doesn't mean anything, maybe Neil won't regret losing it, but the one person Neil can't lie to is himself. He's got promises to keep and a team to get to championships if he can just outrun Riko a little longer, but Riko's not the only monster in Neil's life. The truth might get them all killed—or be Neil's one shot at getting out of this alive.

The Raven King (All for the Game)

Nora Sakavic · 2016

The Foxhole Court (All for the Game Book 1)

Nora Sakavic · 2013

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Novel (Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, 1)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi · 2020