EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

I have a friend who has only read a couple of books in their lifetime but wants to start reading classic literature. Do any of you have recommendations for classics that have a powerful message, are entertaining and also easy to read (considering this person isn't just new to classics but is new to reading all together)?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as narrated by Patrick Fraley is excellent. If they're determined to actually read text, they can read along with Fraley. But this narrator does a remarkable job of keeping the dialects true, but also making them understandable. And the story is poignant, exciting, and funny. I read it a couple of times in my teens, but I got so much more out of it when I listened to Fraley that I always recommend his edition.

Animal Farm by George Orwell. I read this several times in my youth, and again just yesterday. Short, powerful, influential, and still relevant.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Another favorite from my youth. I have not yet read "Lord of the Rings" or seen the movies, but I do like this somewhat shorter epic about Bilbo's earlier adventures.

It would help us, maybe, if we know what kinds of movies or TV this person likes... or possibly how old they are if you think that might make a difference....

Flowers for Algernon. There is some 'mature themes' and so I wouldn't give this to an innocent or sheltered young person, but it's a book that makes me cry every time I read it.

All my recommendations are for fairly fast reads, and for books I've reread more than once. Normally I am *not* a re-reader, so these books are very highly recommended!

Another thought. Do you think this person might like non-fiction? Maybe science, or history, or memoir?

Powerful message, new reader, hmm...

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Millennium: A Comedy of the Year 2000 by Upton Sinclair
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

These books are a mix of powerful messages/ideas and fun stories that can be easily enjoyed by beginners, in my opinion!

I'm not sure about non-fiction, it would be very selective on the topic, preferring to stay with fiction at the moment. Wants to improve their vocabulary, reading level and comprehension etc etc. This person is 27yrs, really deep thinker but also likes light-hearted funny material as well. Movies/books that are enjoyable but have deep meaning and purpose to it. In the past 2 weeks i have recommended both the magician's nephew from the Narnia chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 (though the language of this book was a little harder for them to get use to) and they have read both in the last two weeks and really enjoyed both books. Off the recommendations i've given them, they are planning to read to kill a mockingbird next and then flowers for Algernon after that (that is my favourite book!). But need recommendations for after they get through those two books! Hope this helps!

I would second Animal Farm by George Orwell. Orwell is a fascinating writer, forces you to think. Interesting observations of human behavior. One of my favorite books.

I you want something more light-hearted fun but with a powerful message, would suggest A Christmas Carol by Dickens but that's more seasonal...

It could be something fun like The Three Musketeers, Emma, The Little Prince, Little Women or A Christmas Carol.

Jules Verne can be fun, but also make you stop and think.
Around the World in Eighty Days or Journey to the Center of the Earth would be my suggestions.

I also think you can never go wrong with Agatha Christie (if they like mysteries) or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for either Sherlock Holmes or The Lost World.

If they would be interested in short stories:
Edgar Allan Poe can be good if they are interested in classic horror- either The Tell-Tale Heart or The Fall of the House of Usher are good.

Also, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. Short story with some very interesting, make you think themes.

Cheryl wrote: "The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Another favorite from my youth. I have not yet read "Lord of the Rings" or seen the movies, but I do like this somewhat shorter epic about..."

I would agree with The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Kaseadillla wrote: "I would second Animal Farm by George Orwell. Orwell is a fascinating writer, forces you to think. Interesting observations of human behavior. One of my favorite books.

I ..."

I would also agree with Animal Farm by George Orwell. Its a good book with plenty of meaning in it.

I agree with a lot of the above, especially works by Jules Verne, Agatha Christie, George Orwell, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr..

A few additional contributions:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Watchmen by Alan Moore
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle (note: about dinosaurs, but not the same thing as Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park series)

Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear.
Your friend could watch the movie, which I still remember as wonderful (need to watch again sometime) *after* reading this concise and powerful SF story in which an alien and human (read, if you like, Liberals & Conservatives, or Hutu & Tutsi, or whatever...) have to learn to work together.

I'd hold off on Emma, Frankenstein, Little Women, and Vonnegut for now. They're not the easiest reads to appreciate, due to unfamiliar cultural context and challenging writing style.

As someone who doesn't generally like classics yet have tried to read it multiple times, I can recommend The Importance of Being Earnest and The Great Gatsby as two of the only classics I've actually liked much. The first is a very quick and easy play that's a little silly, but with a proper message. Gatsby is a brilliant novel and I'd 100% recommend the movie as well.

You can also try Of Mice and Men. Also short but very powerful.

Gatsby I find a little hard to get into initially but it's wonderful!
I'd recommend 1984 and Of Mice & Men :)