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Persuasion by Jane Austen
***
I had read this years ago and remembered loving it.  I also loved all things Jane Austen years ago.  Sadly, I think technology and my attention span have shortened and I need more action in my reading.  While this is a good story, I don't see it being a favorite for students in any class.  That being said, it is a very short book and it is a good way to look at what was going on or considered of importance for people of a certain class in the early 1800s.

The book is about a family who was once wealthy and has now found themselves facing financial troubles and having to move.  The story takes place in Bath, England.  Anne Eliot originally fell for Frederick Wentworth and they were engaged, but family persuaded her to break her engagement because he was not good enough.  He went off to fight in the Napoleonic wars and when he returns Anne's family is not as financially well-off as they had been and He and Anne have a chance at love again.

Like other Austen novels, it is witty and enjoyable, but it is pretty slow-moving.

I own this book, but it is also available on Project Gutenberg

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D.H. Lawrence

Summary: The story follows two sisters Gudren and Ursula during the early 1900's as they make decisions about love versus independence and true love versus complacency leading up to WWI. It also looks at the role of friendship and abusive relationships from both females and males.

Review:  This would have been cutting edge at the time and very obscene in some sense which would trigger great discussion.  I struggled with it because it was a bit slow and I could not find a way to like any of the characters.
4/5 stars

Strategy:  This would be a great one to teach in English for a literary circle as a contrast to the Great Gatsby.  Compare and contrasting two works written from the same time frame would be a common core activity.

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The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary: This book was about a wealthy guy named Jay Gatsby and his love Daisy Buchannan. It is set in Long Island in the 1920's. The story is told by his neighbor Nick Carraway, cousin of Daisy, and details Gatsby's extravagant parties and love of Daisy.

Review: 5 stars. I really like this book (and the new Leo version of the movie) because I really like the 1920's era.

Strategy for the Classroom: Definitely would work in English and History classes to depict social life of the 1920's.

I had the book at home in paperback.

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The Great Gatsby

Summary:  Story of rich Jay Gatsby and the love of his life Daisy.  Story is told by Nick, Gatsby's neighbor and cousin of Daisy.  Set in the 1920s Long Island.

Review: 5/5 stars.  I love the book so much more than the movie.  It brings the Roaring 20s to life.  However Daisy is annoying most of the time! :)

Strategy: Would work great with learning about the era of the 20s.

I borrowed the book from our collection at the school.

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Summary: This is the story of the wealthy Jay Gatsby and the love of his life, Daisy Buchannan, as told by Nick Carraway, who is Gatsby's neighbor.  It chronicles the lavish parties on Long Island while following the 8 main characters.
Review: 4/5 stars.  I thought this  book lived up to its reputation of being one of the great classic books of 20th century literature.
Strategy:  Would work great for all levels of English classes. I would have them write down vocabulary, as some is very high level.  This boo does a good job at portraying life in America during the 1920"s.

I rented this from the public library.

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Wuthering Heights

A young girl, a young man, brother, sister, incest, love triangle, jealousy, necrophilia, ghosts. All of this from a young woman who only lived to be 30  and who rarely left her small Yorkshire home. Catherine and Heathcliff grow up together and although they are not biologically related, they are raised as siblings. Except Hindley, Catherine's biological brother, makes Heathcliff's life miserable.  But revenge is a dish best served cold. Heathcliff eventually gets his revenge and when Catherine marries the neighbor and abandons Heathcliff, he also gets back at her. Only hurting Catherine only hurts himself too. Is there redemption in this tale of woe? Eventually.

Review: 5/5 stars. One of the greatest books ever written. Emily Bronte's genius is subtle. Her story is so forbidden, even by modern day standards, that her craftsmanship is truly ingenious. Her use of multiple narrators provides a protective frame for the reader.

Classroom: English for sure. Not sure where else it would fit. Maybe conflict resolution and what not to do!

I have read the book digitally as well as paper.

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Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Summary: The book follows the Joad family during the dust bowl. They are a farming family who are taking the long road to travel to California.

Review: 3/5 stars. I admit that this is a personal choice. This book is a beautiful piece of art, and I appreciate it, but I would not choose to read this for fun or for some light reading. It is dry and heavy.

Strategy for the Classroom: Obviously this would work for an English class, but I also think it would be PERFECT for a history class. The book does a great job at portraying the dust bowl and could also be used to teach the impact of the depression.

Read a paper version

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Time machine by H G Wells

** It was ok but very dated.  If you want to read a book that is very really sci-fi this my be your book.

Time Traveler tests his device with a journey that takes him to A.D. 802,70. The explorer faces a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth.  There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks.
Strategy for the classroom - If you were doing a comparison of sci-fi throughout history this would be a good place to start.

I read a paper version, not sure if there is a digital version.

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Dracula - By Bram Stoker
Review: *** it was ok but it was dry or hard to follow in some areas.

Summary: The book is about Dracula but the point of view is from letters and journals of the main characters, it does not have a traditional running dialog. It is about Dracula moving to England and a small group led by Van Helsing trying to stop Dracula.

Strategy for the Classroom: it would be really cool to do a classic and modern comparison. Either looking at other Dracula books or use the classic book and a modern movie and see how the story has stayed the same or how it has been changed and what that says about our society now.

Read the digital version.