Novel Ideas for September 2014: Back to School

Novel Ideas

September 2014 Newsletter

	Did You Know?

	The 'classics' have been taught in high schools for decades, but there is no official criteria or checklist to consider when categorizing a book as a 'classic'. This category of literature is any book deemed noteworthy and exemplary either by the Western canons (body of books that have influenced Western civilization) or by the reader's own opinion.

English Class 101

Summer's over and it's that time of the year again...back to school. Across the country, kids are groaning, parents are rejoicing and number 2 pencils and wide ruled notebooks are flying off the shelves.

There's something about this time of year that makes me sit up straighter and yearn to get my hands on some sort of intellectually stimulating book. A classic maybe, or Greek play...something by Mark Twain, Shakespeare or one of the Bronte sisters. I have an urge to get a highlighter and mark up the book, choosing passages that speak to me. Even now, decades after my high school graduation, September calls to my inner student.

Remember the books on your required reading list for high school English class? Books like...

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Animal Farm or 1984 by George Orwell
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

Anyone over the age of 18 has read at least one of these books (or used Cliff Notes to get through it). And if you haven't, you really should. They are taught over and over again for a reason. They speak of days long past, of love and relationships, of trials and tribulations that still ring true today. Their influence can be found in popular books of today.

So if you are feeling nostalgic for high school English class or just want to expand your mind and see if reading these books triggers some new viewpoint years later, check out this list of popular high school English books on Goodreads. Then pick up a copy (and a few highlighters) today!

	What's Happening This Month?

	September 1 - Labor Day. The unofficial end of summer doesn't mean that the lounging and relaxing with a good book needs to end! You just may need to turn those beach reads into something else. September 6 - Read a Book Day. Needs no explanation! September 13 - Positive Thinking Day. If you are working on adding more positive thinking to your life, new books come out this month for encouragement: What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey, Daily Love: Growing into Grace by Mastin Kipp, Living Courageously: You Can Face Anything, Just Do It Afraid by Joyce Meyer and You Can, You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner by Joel Osteen. September 19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day. If you need some work on your 'Arrr!' and 'Avast!', me mateys, you can catch up on the pirate lingo in these books: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.

	If You Liked...

	If you enjoy reading books on the English class lists, consider pairing them with a current book and see how they balance the same themes, lessons and controversies. Books like: Lord of the Flies by William Golding with Mazerunner by James Dashner Night by Elie Wiesel with The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee with A Time to Kill by John Grisham Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare with West Side Story by Irving Shulman

	About Us

	Find these books mentioned above and more at your local Book Rack bookstore! The Book Rack http://www.thebookrack.com mbuglio@thebookrack.com

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