Be intellectual, impress your friends, be able to pass the Coffee Kingdom entrance exam. As a result of my socially introverted lifestyle, I've had ample time to read many books, by many authors. Some good, some bad, but strangely, I always finish books. Even if I hate them, I just can't stand the chance that it might just improve. And now, in no particular order, books to help expand your mind (or just kill a few hours).
10. Demian, by Hermann Hesse. A tale of trying to find identity, meaning, purpose, in a senseless world.
9. The Age of Reason, by Jean Paul Sartre. Another tale about looking for the meaning of existence in a senseless world. Hmm, is there a pattern emerging?
8. Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert. French authors are good, always. A tale of adultery, betrayal, death, lust.
7. The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. A classic. Dostoevsky has an eerie way of showing the inner workings of the human experience. Everyone should read this book at some point in their life.
6. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. A look at the absurdity that is war.
5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey. A look at the twisted world of a mental hospital, and the humanity that somehow manages to survive there.
4. Tar Baby, by Toni Morrison. A great look at the intricacies of racial relationships, by one of the predominant woman authors of our time.
3. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. A classic war satire. Impress your friends by understanding the phrase "a catch-22".
2. The Stranger, by Albert Camus. Most people read this in high school, but if you haven't. Another trying to find meaning in life type of book.
1. On the Road, by Jack Kerouac. Leave your life behind and go for a nice long trip. Or live out your fantasy to do so.
Other recommended authors: Tom Robbins, Charles Bukowski, Henry Miller, Jeanette Wintersen, any of the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen.
Hopefully my break will be spent finding more books to write about in the near future. I'm not going to bother writing about anything that will be going on next weekend because if the past is any indicator, this campus will be about 90% empty by, oh, 5:30 Thursday night. But for all of you who are sticking around after finals, Thursday night, the Clyde Unity Theatre will be performing the play " A Little Older" by John Binney, at 8 p.m. in Riley Commons. I saw this play last year when M.W. Rep performed it and it was interesting, lots of twists and turns in it. And the bonus of this production is that the actors who were in the original production in Scotland are going to be performing it here. And it's free with a W.P.I. i.d. Have a happy, safe, break. Three terms left. . only three.
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