Ten Years of Reading

 

1. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Struck me because of the relation between the story and my life as well as many others. The transition between having a life that is supported by your family and others, to being thrown into a brand new environment where you have to learn to adapt is important and this book centers around that idea. I definitely will read this in the near future as I’m very interested as to how the story turns out.

2. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

The contrast between having the most money and being the most depraved, yet having the chance to embark a great journey is rather strange. On top of this, the condition to taking this amazing journey is a mystery in its own which tells the question, does the title show any hints in the story? Interesting read that I hope to tackle at some point.

3. The Martian by Andy Weir

Once again tying to the relation between story and my life, being in a situation where you have to adapt in order to survive is a massive part of this story. Additionally, the character uses his engineering skills and resourcefulness to make sure he can survive which is coincidental because I am planning on majoring in the engineering field. I am interested to see how it plays out.

4. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The comparison between morals in gangster mobs and regular people makes this story a massive hit. It basically questions the ideals of people, whether they feel they are right or wrong, and almost plays with the reader which I find to be very different from a lot of other books. While it may seem controversial, it’s purpose gave a new light to how we perceive others and I think the read will help me grow.

5. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

The importance of having a teacher guide you is so significant in this story. When you don’t have a figure that tells you how to go about your life and how to be successful, it becomes a lot more difficult to figure things out on your own especially at a young age. I think that finding that person is part of the journey to becoming who you want to be.

6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

This reminds me of my family. It brings an important lesson that I will remember. Never forget what your family did for you to get to where you are. With the coming of college and moving into dorms, it’s easy to just forget about the first 18 years of your life that you spent being fully supported by your parents. I think this book is a good reminder of that connection and I will make sure to keep this book in my list of reading to remind me of the importance of family.

7. Gānāmrutha Varna Mālikā

This is not an actual story book or a non fiction book. In the simplest terms, it’s a basic educational book for Carnatic musicians. And as a student in the Carnatic world, it has a very personal connection to my life. I’ve been learning for many years, and as much as I know, I haven’t even come close to learning everything it has to offer. I hope that my passion for music grows as I make the next step into college and that I’ll be able to learn more.

8. Thyagaraja Hridayam 

If you read my last blog post, you may recognize the name on this title. It goes into depth the works of Thyagaraja, a very important religious figure that has to do with Carnatic music. I plan to read this book at some point to get a grasp of the knowledge that he had and how he was able to lead his life. It is important to learn from your teachers and he is a teacher to all Carnatic musicians so I will definitely read the book at some point in the near future.

9. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

An emotional story that I find to be very influential in taking things the right way. It teaches the idea of growth from sorrow, becoming a better person by going through painful things. This idea of taking the easy route for everything doesn’t work. The book teaches strength and perseverance and it will be a good reminder and lesson for me.

10. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I really only put this book on the list because I have never read it before and it’s about time I do, but I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about the idea of Frankenstein. This is possibly because of all the alternate versions of the character. The monster is more searching for self understanding and what it is. That idea of identity seems rather intriguing which is another reason why it’s on this list.