January Reading Ladder

2016 – 2017 Reading Ladder

(August 29th – January 21st)

Reading List: In order of 1st – last book

1. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (171 pages)
2. Rules for 50/50 Chances – Kate McGovern (344 pages)
3. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (280 pages)
4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (323 pages)
5. Macbeth – William Shakespeare (192 pages)
6. I am Malala – Malala Yousafzai & Christina Lamb (368 pages)
7. Stars Above – Marissa Meyer (369 pages)
8. Red Queen – Victoria Aveyard (383 pages)
9. Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare (691 pages)
10. Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Samuel Taylor Coleridge (9 pages) (Poem)
11. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon (226 pages)
12. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (223 pages) J. K. Rowling
13. Those Were the Days – Jenny Bravo (35 pages) (short story)
14. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (251 pages) – J. K. Rowling
15. Dorothy Must Die – Danielle Paige (452 pages)
16. Gone Series: Plague – Michael Grant (482 pages)
17. Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen (379 pages)
18. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe (209 pages)
19. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad (72 pages)

Total Pages Read: 5459 pages
5459 pages/21 weeks = Approx. 260 pages per week
260 pages/7 days a week = Approx. 37 pages per day

Reflection: I am satisfied with my reading rate because I’ve read all the requirements, and still have read other books along with it. I’m very grateful to be in this class because it was my first time to read intellectually, rather than for entertainment. I’ve read the novel studies we had to read in previous grades, but I have never really struggled to read them. This class gave me the opportunity to challenge myself in reading and in writing as well.

Top 3 Book Reviews:
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley: This novel was the first book I struggled to read in the previous summer. It was a very challenging novel because of its higher level of diction and vocabulary. After I finished reading it in the summer, I did not really like the book in general because horror was not really a genre I usually read. I did not enjoy reading about the gore and the darkness of human nature embedded in this book. However, after the semester, I have come to appreciate this novel because it introduced me to a new level of analysis we did in class.
Dorothy Must Die – Danielle Paige: I personally am fond of fairy tales, and I especially like twist-ups of famous stories, like this one. This novel told the story of how Dorothy came to rule the Land of Oz with tyranny. I really liked how the author used the theme of abusive power in this fictional story! I love this book so much; I read it in two days…
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe: As one of the last novels we got to study in class, I was saddened by the fact that I would not be in this class for the second semester. 🙁 However, I quite enjoyed reading this novel, compared to Heart of Darkness. I really loved how the author delved into the culture of the Igbo people, and Maryam’s presentation really helped me understand the surface of this intense culture. Overall, I enjoyed the plot, and I liked how the diction was easy to read.

Goals: I will read all the requirements, and I will choose from All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, the Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling, The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, and any other books I find during the second semester.

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