Books mentioned in the vid - 0:53 The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1:52 The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - Ursula K. Le Guin 3:13 I Have More Souls Than One - Fernando Pessoa 3:54 The Pearl - John Steinbeck 5:15 The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway 7:34 The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger 10:08 A Separate Peace - John Knowles 12:35 The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka 13:17 Animal Farm - George Orwell 15:01 Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin Leave a like if this helped you.👍
I found a copy in my moms' book collection. We went through all her books as part of her decluttering in preparation for her to enter memory care. She has Alzheimer's and can't read anymore. Just picture books at this point. I haven't read it yet, but I loved a farewell to arms and I can't wait to get to this one. ❤
Aw, nice to see you mention 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Always in my top 10. Strangely, when I read it in high school, I felt like I finally found a character I relate to. That, 'The Stranger' and 'Siddhartha'.
I’ve been searching for short classics literally today because I want to know the authors’ style before reading their longer books, so this video is perfect!❤
You gotta be careful as some authors style changes depending upon what they write. For example, Of Mice and Men might be a good feel for John Steinbeck, but his non-fiction works won't give you a good precursor of what East of Eden would be like. Personally, I don't think The Pearl is a good fit for what his longer books would be like. Same with The Death of Ivan Ilych and Tolstoy.
Yes, I will also comment that the short form writing is usually not representative of the authors longer books, eg for Tolstoi, his short stories are very different than Anna Karenina or War and Peace, the short stories were very fast paced in comparison. My favorite which is Father Sergius to me was more similar to Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky rather than Anna Karenina (I didn't like the death of Ivan Ilych, btw, although it did have a hilarious scene which was very Tostoi-like😂)
I just finished east of Eden, and I really can’t say enough good things about it. Just really beautiful life-affirming literature. I feel like I’ve lived my life alongside the generations in the book. Incredible. I hope to read more. Thanks for talking about the pearl :)
I read ‘A Separate Peace’ during freshman year of high school and again during my senior year. I absolutely adore this book and highly recommend it. I plan to re-read it some time this year. So glad you included this in your list! 💕
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse should definitely be on this list. I really resonated with the philosophical themes of the book and discovered that the key to spiritual fulfilment cannot be taught, it must be learned. Carolyn, I urge to read Siddhartha whenever you can! 😊
Carolyn turning into a Holden Caulfield stan is such an unexpected twist. I love it Bonus recommendation: There are Smiles by Ring Lardner. It is the short story Holden references when talking about authors he likes
Eugene Onegin, The Catcher in the Rye, The Old Man and the Sea, Animal Farm absolutely my favorites ❤❤❤ I have read them more than twice. The authors are geniuses
I love The Old Man And The Sea Too! Here’s some background to the writing of The Old Man And The Sea (TOM&TS) that to my understanding is correct. Hope you find it interesting! Hemingway thought that his book, Across The River And Through The Woods was a masterpiece. But when it was published, the critics tore it up. It had some sales but the critics views hampered the sales. Hemingway told one of these harsh critics, “I’ll have to write a book that you CAN understand.” He was criticizing the critics saying that they weren’t bright enough to understand his masterpiece. The next book he wrote was TOM&TS. It’s a symbolic story ABOUT HEMINGWAY HIMSELF. The old man is Hemingway, who has worked for decades to master his craft. He goes out to perform his craft (fishing, writing) and through his great intelligence and experience he catches the greatest fish (or writes the greatest book). He even bears the marks of Christ on his palms (the fishing rope causes his palms to bleed, like Christ’s palms bled from the nails while on the cross) which shows the suffering he endured to produce his masterpiece fish/book! But then! Sharks (or the critics) get a whiff of his masterpiece and proceed to attack the beautiful fish/book until there is nothing left but measly shreds of carcass on bone. The fisherman brings the greatest fish in to shore, but all the villagers see is a horrific tragedy. They turn away in disgust. Just like people turned away from Hemingway’s book after the critics got done tearing it up.
Well, certainly that fits well: no one can dispute that. To me the more important question is from what perspective to accept it. Should we say that the story of the fisherman is the story of Heminway, or is it (as I believe) more proper to say Hemingway is one of the toiling artist/craftspeople who fits the avatar of the Old Man who fishes in the Sea off of Cuba. I hope that isn't too muddled? My only point being one way of looking at makes the story a metaphor, while the other way makes the story an essential or original. [clearly I haven't thought through the language here - sorry about that].
The Pearl managed so much in so short a book. Heartbreaking, beautiful, overflowing with applicable lessons… I was not prepared for it at all & deeply appreciate it. Highly recommend the audio as well.
I liked reading "One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Solzhenitsyn when I was growing up. But it isn't easy, because there are no breaks in the action. He doesn't get a break from his day in the gulag, so neither do we.
Hello! I discovered your channel just a week ago and as a russian native-speaker I must tell that I am so glad to find a person who loves and appreciates russian literature (as do I). Well, as the video here is about short classics, I personally would add the portrait of Dorian Grey as well as Pride and Prejudice. To kill a Mockingbird and Dead Poets society also could have had been mentioned :) that is just what I would have added but your video definitely has recommandable books in it! I enjoy watching your youtube videos a lot btw :))
Just a few I'd suggest: Shirley Jackson The Lottery Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest (not sure if that was in the first video) Nathaniel West Miss Lonelyhearts (dark) Flannery O'Connell A Good Man is Hard to Find (dark and disturbing) Shel Silvertstein The Giving Tree (really not a kid's book - so many layers and ways to interpret) Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Antigone George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion is one Carolyn probably would like Henry James The Turn of the Screw Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany's (not at all like the movie) Hermann Hesse Siddhartha (Nobel Prize winner) HG Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau (early SciFi, but don't let that discourage you) Yasunari Kawabata Snow Country (Nobel Prize winner) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (gotta have a Russian) J.D. Salinger Franny and Zooey (If Catcher is high school, this is collegiate; so much better than Catcher, IMO)
I've read most of all so it should be no surprise I feel it's a great list. Carolyn and Emma read "Turn of the Screw" with their Dark Academic club a year or two ago. Most of us enjoyed it a lot. O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find was part of a course I did more than 40 years ago and when I re-read it last year I was stunned again with how haunting it is. Prolly everyone should read Pygmalion at some point in their life tho perhaps the title is off-putting? idk Anyway, you have good taste. Thx for the post.
F&Z, is my most favorite book of ALL time. quite frankly FZ saved my life. i read it after my first year of college and... well... yeah. the book saved my life. i love that book.
I think it is how teacher's seem very poor at presenting literature to students in high school, they turn you off reading, instead of making you love it!
I've read three of those classics mentioned in the video which are excellent recommendations. It's rather difficult to narrow down one's favourite short classics to just ten titles. I also love Notes from Underground and Death in Venice. I have noticed reading a decent translation as opposed to a rubbish one can make a huge difference with regard to the enjoyment of the novel.
Hi Carolyn and Bikash, thanks so much Bikash for creating a list of the books mentioned in todays video. Since finding this channel, my love of reading has been reignited and I have also started collecting books, I’m particularly loving BARNES and Noble leather bound classics at the moment. I’ve bought quite a few as trophy books 🏆 I buy black spines or other paperbacks for annotating. It’s extremely strange but I get immense pleasure from just seeing them in my bookcase. So thanks to both of you today. Claire B
I read a few of these in highschool and I'd love to reread some of them, especially the Metamorphosis! Also I need to finally get my hands on some Pessoa poetry!! A lovely video btw 😊
I agree wholeheartedly about The Catcher in the Rye. I never really got the mass hate for it but I'm glad more people are starting to give it a chance because it was one of my favorites when I was younger. I don't get how adults miss some pretty traumatizing things that have happened to Holden. They call him whiny but he has a reason to be whiny, he's a traumatized teenager.
Wonderful video! I have so many books to add to my thr now. I recently have found myself in a reading slump so these recommendations are perfect to fall back in love with classics❤
the victorian chaise-longue by marghanita laski is an excellent short classic (i got mine from persephone books, i love their editions!) that really reminded me of the yellow wallpaper. i recently reread the yellow wallpaper actually and found it so much more creepy (pardon the pun) than i did when i was younger, what a masterpiece 💛
Read The Ice Palace this year and it was a very quick read! And absolutely amazing. The Stranger is an all-time favorite for me and also fits this category so I cannot wait to see what you think.
Thank you for the recommendations - it was a good reminder that I still want to read "Eugene Onegin". "The Great Gatsby" is still one of my favorite short classics (and perfect for the summer). Also "Sula" by Toni Morrison.
Thanks for this list of short classics! I’ve just added The Pearl and Old Man and the Sea to my “read soon” list 😄 Also, I’ve seen some comments below about which to read between Grape of Wrath or East of Eden, and if you haven’t read either I’d definitely recommend East of Eden first. It’s incredible and is my #2 classic of all time. Happy Reading!
The Ones who walk away from Omelas sounds so interesting. Definitely checking that one out And I grew up thinking I’d hate the catcher in the rye and it’s now a new favorite. Reading for yourself is so important
Not a short one, at just over 300 pages, but absolutely a great read is Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo,1939. Taking place during World War One in which Mustard Gas was used and caused horrific never before experienced war injuries, it is a reflection on the horrors of war. Not an easy read but very worthwhile.
What a lovely voice and good presentation skills. So clear and calm. If you liked Of Mice and Men, may I suggest The Cone Gatherers by Robin Jenkins. It is often described as the Scottish version of OMAM. Dare I say it, it is actually better; it has so many layers to it, and this is a common view. I have read it about three times and it is always wonderful. Two brothers are hired by the local aristocrat to gather the cones from pines that line a driveway. The trees are about to be felled/sacrificed for the war effort. The older brother looks after the younger one who is physically and mentally less able.
Just read, The Catcher in the Rye, Old Man and the Sea and The Pearl. My favorite was, The Old Man and the Sea. Loved Holden Canfield as the protagonist in Catcher in the Rye. Exposes “playing the game” for survival. The Pearl highlights greed. East of Eden is my favorite book. Reminds me of Cain and Abel. Hope you enjoy. Love watching you and Emma’s video(s). Keep up the great work. Adore Willow.
You've convinced me to read Pushkin. I read Of Mice and Men in junior high and high school, but I need to read it again because I did not appreciate the classics back then. I really want to read East of Eden though so I will probably read that first.
My favorite short classics were Father Sergius by Leo Tolstoi --so fast paced , I feel like most of his short stories are fastpaced and very different than his novels, and Peter Pan !! The way Peter Pan was written mesmerized me..... I found it very poetic
A Separate Peace is my favorite to introduce boys especially (I have two) to reading. I read it in high school and I think it was the beginning of my love for WWII fiction.
i know this sounds crazy but when i started reading, the first classic i have read was the catcher in the rye. i don't know anything about it when I pick it up and read but it turns out loving it so much and then freak out at how much people hated it haha
I loved The Pearl and Of mice and men, and I want to get to read one of Steinbeck s big books, not sure if East of Eden or Grapes of wrath first. You also made me want to read Omelas, it sounds great !
Having read both, I think it depends upon the person. Grapes of Wrath is more political with social commentary (taken as Communistic, or at least Socialist, and hence 'banned' long ago), and East of Eden is more personal with family as the basis, with an obvious (re: the title) religious/Biblical bent. Both are deeper reads in their own way, not light reading, but you cannot go wrong with either.
I loved East of Eden! I read The Pearl in High School but I need to reread it because that was over 30 years ago. I just recently read The Pastures of Heaven and decided I just love Steinbeck.😄
Catcher in the rye is one of my all time favourite classics!! I can imagine readers being annoyed with Holden, but personally I love me an unreliable narrator :)
I wasn’t expecting to like The Old Man and the Sea but I really enjoyed it! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It’s short & chronicles his journey cross country with his poodle Charley 😊 There’s some outdated language (it was written in 1962 I think) which isn’t great but the story is great.
wait, Carolyn, you do know that one of Ernest great grand daughters is an illustrator right? there's Dree, model/actress and Langley Fox, good with a pencil
What a great rec list! I'm definitely going to check out The Yellow Wallpaper. Sometimes short tales just hit harder! I just finished a short sequel to Peter Pan - part 1 is published as a narration on my channel: I'd love it if you checked it out, Carolyn!
In today's political climate it's unnecessary for a man to comment on the Yellow Wallpaper. Nonetheless, I think maybe the feminist perspective is over-stated, as rest is a reasonable prescription for someone with an unclear disturbance. Of course, it's told from the sufferer's POV so we can safely say the author's alter-ego, the narrator, felt that women were not taken seriously when they were ailing. Of course, today, we would immediately think of several possible recognized maladies but perhaps when it was written the men in charge were insensitive.
my husband has bought me an enormous anthology of all UrsulaLe Guin's works. I am going right now to look up The Ones who walk away. It sounds so interesting
I loved The Pearl as well. I read it in 7th grade the first time and its always stuck with me. I remember my dad talking about Of Mice and Men, that one stuck with him.....Steinbeck is amazing.
Thank you for this great video. I have read The Old Man And The Sea, and Animal Farm. I would like to recommend two of my favorite short classics by John Steinbeck: Cannery Row and Travels With Charley in Search of America. I think you would enjoy them.
I am trying to read one classic a month. Some of them are ones we read in school. Others are famous ones I never had the chance to read before. I think reading a book under duress (ie when you have an essay on it due the next day) makes reading the classics not very fun. It’s much more enjoyable to read something at my leisure.
There is in American/English culture a genre called "the big fish story" which could describe Hemingway's OMATS. The old man describes his dramatic battle with the big fish, as if he were the great Yankee baseball hitter, "Joltin" Joe Dimaggio, but he is alone and perhaps if he sees himself the Cuban equivalent of an American superstar he exaggerates a bit? I don't know. It is a beautiful short novel, as there is a fictive world and more than one fully developed characters, along with a setting, plot, conflict and resolution. However, at least one professional I know feels it is not EH's best work. I've always liked it.
Likewise, I can honestly say that OMATS is the only Hemingway I did enjoy. I understand the 'theory' behind his sparse writing style, in contrast to verbose Victorian writers, almost as much as his content of bravado, licentious and loose men / women are in rebellion against the content of those same 'prudish' authors.
Jody Ondek, how very rude to criticise Carolyn’s beautiful hair, surely your your mother or your caregiver must have brought you up better than that 😔. Claire B
No it’s absolutely not because of the way I’ve been brought up, it’s my opinion, and made it clear. Btw i have hair just like Carolyn’s, it’s longer and has thinned out some, since I am now 66 y old. Have my whole life been complemented on my hair. While now it’s still long , ( when wet , goes past my bum, and now has greyed, since i never laid one bottle of dye to it, my color of hair golden brown, reddish and when put a gold ring next to my hair , it was same color as the gold in a finger ring. In my younger years, constantly being told how beautiful my hair and was and to this day I still get told that. What I am saying to Ms Carolyn is that I can definitely tell she uses a lot of products in her hair to get it to look like that, and that she should use less product and let more natural come out. That’s the point, also she loves her hair, and is quite filled with pride about it. Being told she has it, goes to the head, and the hair starts to become one of the main things. I never would brag about my hair, I would be humble and not ever say to anyone, let alone on a platform that I loved my hair. And another point I will make , is that all that product constantly in the hair will eventually damage the hair. My dear, i simply was airing my opinion, and in no way , shape, or form, did it come from the way I was “ brought up”. I speak from experience. She could be more natural with her hair. It does look like a lot of product is used, and to me , it does look like jherri curl, you don’t agree, so be it. Her hair would be more proof and kind of on the frizzy , I have hair like hers , I lived many years, I still use 1 product and don’t go through the many procedures or time that it takes to achieve that , it just in my opinion , more natural and less product and less maintenance and boasting, would be less vain, too much vanity , not pretty.
Also Claire Bott, I don’t want to watch Caroline Marie anymore, but she keeps coming up in my RUclips feeds. I do quite like her friend though, *emmie* , that’s Emma, also my new now favorite is the lovely Ruby Granger, my what a very special soul she is!!! And have you watched anything from Benjamin McEvoy? He’s got it too! But for now, the Carolyn just rubs me the wrong way, it’s her strong way of patting herself on the back sort of thing , on many things she does and talks about and shares, the way she gloats over herself, just kinda turns me off , so to speak, ( I wanted to phrase that differently, but this was the kinder way of expressing it. But I have praises for others , especially those ones that i have said mentioned. That Ruby Granger , is such a unique, special, beautiful, soul! You have to watch a few, to catch and get the groove, but wow, what a special person she is. She’s been UTUBEing since a young age, now I believe she is 23. What a unique individual , and of a humble spirit as well. * emmie * is great too, and genuine, as Ruby is too. Benjamin McEvoy, ditto, all different, but all shine, of their own accord, but no braggers, which are a better fit for me, ( check out Ruby Granger though, if you haven’t yet, watch a few, then a few more, and maybe even some more after that, ) she’s something special. 💖
Also the way Carolyn outlines her hair , in her thumbnails , is quite the outing of her, in some of what I’m talking about, “ o look at me, look at my beautiful hair “ ( remember in Charlie Brown Christmas, the girl character that says “ …… my beautiful natural curly red hair……”?! Lol . But come on , outlining herself , her hair, see how she wants and purposely is trying to draw attention to her hair? Let not your hair define you, amongst all the other ways, she points out good about herself, and how she hints through her post office box, and even reading her description that she draws up herself, about sending her something. no, no thank you, I find it sickening
I know you are so proud of your hair, ( not really said here to be a compliment) but, it looks like you are using too much product, it doesn’t look natural, it looks Jherri curled. Best look , more natural and less product, imho, in which I can have, but probably should not comment on publicly, but I did, shame on me, i sorry.
Books mentioned in the vid -
0:53 The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
1:52 The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - Ursula K. Le Guin
3:13 I Have More Souls Than One - Fernando Pessoa
3:54 The Pearl - John Steinbeck
5:15 The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
7:34 The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
10:08 A Separate Peace - John Knowles
12:35 The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
13:17 Animal Farm - George Orwell
15:01 Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin
Leave a like if this helped you.👍
Thank you :)
Thx, this is helpful. It's too bad you can't pin it to the top.
The Old Man and the Sea made me emotional in so many ways. Absolutely adore the story.
It’s just so wonderful!
There’s something about Hemingway’s choppy prose that is so effective at tugging on emotions.
I found a copy in my moms' book collection. We went through all her books as part of her decluttering in preparation for her to enter memory care. She has Alzheimer's and can't read anymore. Just picture books at this point.
I haven't read it yet, but I loved a farewell to arms and I can't wait to get to this one. ❤
I homeschool my 13 yr old. This yr The old man and the sea was his favorite.😊
Aw, nice to see you mention 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Always in my top 10. Strangely, when I read it in high school, I felt like I finally found a character I relate to. That, 'The Stranger' and 'Siddhartha'.
Another short classic that I really enjoyed and recommend is "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.
Ooo I’ve been meaning to read it for so long!
Yeah.. I can't believe they did not include it in their Tolstoy vs Dickens bookclub :) 😅
I’ve been searching for short classics literally today because I want to know the authors’ style before reading their longer books, so this video is perfect!❤
I’m so glad!! 😊
You gotta be careful as some authors style changes depending upon what they write. For example, Of Mice and Men might be a good feel for John Steinbeck, but his non-fiction works won't give you a good precursor of what East of Eden would be like. Personally, I don't think The Pearl is a good fit for what his longer books would be like. Same with The Death of Ivan Ilych and Tolstoy.
Yes, I will also comment that the short form writing is usually not representative of the authors longer books, eg for Tolstoi, his short stories are very different than Anna Karenina or War and Peace, the short stories were very fast paced in comparison. My favorite which is Father Sergius to me was more similar to Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky rather than Anna Karenina (I didn't like the death of Ivan Ilych, btw, although it did have a hilarious scene which was very Tostoi-like😂)
I just finished east of Eden, and I really can’t say enough good things about it. Just really beautiful life-affirming literature. I feel like I’ve lived my life alongside the generations in the book. Incredible. I hope to read more. Thanks for talking about the pearl :)
So happy to hear this!
I am reading East of Eden now. It is a beautiful book. I love it.
I read ‘A Separate Peace’ during freshman year of high school and again during my senior year. I absolutely adore this book and highly recommend it. I plan to re-read it some time this year. So glad you included this in your list! 💕
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse should definitely be on this list. I really resonated with the philosophical themes of the book and discovered that the key to spiritual fulfilment cannot be taught, it must be learned. Carolyn, I urge to read Siddhartha whenever you can! 😊
The Yellow Wallpaper is amazing, I will never get bored of it. Tuck Everlasting is one of my favorite short classics. 😊
have to say i read both the catcher and the rye & a separate peace in high school and i LOVED a separate peace and despised catcher and the rye!!
Carolyn turning into a Holden Caulfield stan is such an unexpected twist. I love it
Bonus recommendation: There are Smiles by Ring Lardner. It is the short story Holden references when talking about authors he likes
Eugene Onegin, The Catcher in the Rye, The Old Man and the Sea, Animal Farm absolutely my favorites ❤❤❤ I have read them more than twice. The authors are geniuses
So glad you love them too!
The short classics I would recommend are:
A Room With a View
The Little Prince
Silas Marner
Fahrenheit 451
Our Town
😊
I don't know Silas Marner at all but the other four are wonderful thoughtful pieces.
I love The Old Man And The Sea Too! Here’s some background to the writing of The Old Man And The Sea (TOM&TS) that to my understanding is correct. Hope you find it interesting!
Hemingway thought that his book, Across The River And Through The Woods was a masterpiece. But when it was published, the critics tore it up. It had some sales but the critics views hampered the sales. Hemingway told one of these harsh critics, “I’ll have to write a book that you CAN understand.” He was criticizing the critics saying that they weren’t bright enough to understand his masterpiece.
The next book he wrote was TOM&TS. It’s a symbolic story ABOUT HEMINGWAY HIMSELF. The old man is Hemingway, who has worked for decades to master his craft. He goes out to perform his craft (fishing, writing) and through his great intelligence and experience he catches the greatest fish (or writes the greatest book). He even bears the marks of Christ on his palms (the fishing rope causes his palms to bleed, like Christ’s palms bled from the nails while on the cross) which shows the suffering he endured to produce his masterpiece fish/book!
But then! Sharks (or the critics) get a whiff of his masterpiece and proceed to attack the beautiful fish/book until there is nothing left but measly shreds of carcass on bone.
The fisherman brings the greatest fish in to shore, but all the villagers see is a horrific tragedy. They turn away in disgust. Just like people turned away from Hemingway’s book after the critics got done tearing it up.
Well, certainly that fits well: no one can dispute that. To me the more important question is from what perspective to accept it. Should we say that the story of the fisherman is the story of Heminway, or is it (as I believe) more proper to say Hemingway is one of the toiling artist/craftspeople who fits the avatar of the Old Man who fishes in the Sea off of Cuba. I hope that isn't too muddled? My only point being one way of looking at makes the story a metaphor, while the other way makes the story an essential or original. [clearly I haven't thought through the language here - sorry about that].
The Pearl managed so much in so short a book. Heartbreaking, beautiful, overflowing with applicable lessons… I was not prepared for it at all & deeply appreciate it. Highly recommend the audio as well.
I completely agree!!
That cover for A Separate Peace is gorgeous. I swear, they don't make book covers like they used to!
It really is such a beautiful cover!
Thank you
Carolyn! Have a Great day!
I liked reading "One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Solzhenitsyn when I was growing up. But it isn't easy, because there are no breaks in the action. He doesn't get a break from his day in the gulag, so neither do we.
Hello! I discovered your channel just a week ago and as a russian native-speaker I must tell that I am so glad to find a person who loves and appreciates russian literature (as do I). Well, as the video here is about short classics, I personally would add the portrait of Dorian Grey as well as Pride and Prejudice. To kill a Mockingbird and Dead Poets society also could have had been mentioned :) that is just what I would have added but your video definitely has recommandable books in it! I enjoy watching your youtube videos a lot btw :))
*adds to reading list*
👏
Just a few I'd suggest:
Shirley Jackson The Lottery
Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest (not sure if that was in the first video)
Nathaniel West Miss Lonelyhearts (dark)
Flannery O'Connell A Good Man is Hard to Find (dark and disturbing)
Shel Silvertstein The Giving Tree (really not a kid's book - so many layers and ways to interpret)
Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Antigone
George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion is one Carolyn probably would like
Henry James The Turn of the Screw
Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany's (not at all like the movie)
Hermann Hesse Siddhartha (Nobel Prize winner)
HG Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau (early SciFi, but don't let that discourage you)
Yasunari Kawabata Snow Country (Nobel Prize winner)
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (gotta have a Russian)
J.D. Salinger Franny and Zooey (If Catcher is high school, this is collegiate; so much better than Catcher, IMO)
I've read most of all so it should be no surprise I feel it's a great list. Carolyn and Emma read "Turn of the Screw" with their Dark Academic club a year or two ago. Most of us enjoyed it a lot. O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find was part of a course I did more than 40 years ago and when I re-read it last year I was stunned again with how haunting it is. Prolly everyone should read Pygmalion at some point in their life tho perhaps the title is off-putting? idk Anyway, you have good taste. Thx for the post.
F&Z, is my most favorite book of ALL time. quite frankly FZ saved my life. i read it after my first year of college and... well... yeah. the book saved my life. i love that book.
I think it is how teacher's seem very poor at presenting literature to students in high school, they turn you off reading, instead of making you love it!
Agree❤
'Chess Story' (or sometimes also called 'The Royal Game') by Stefan Zweig would be one of my picks! Highly recommended.
I've read three of those classics mentioned in the video which are excellent recommendations. It's rather difficult to narrow down one's favourite short classics to just ten titles. I also love Notes from Underground and Death in Venice. I have noticed reading a decent translation as opposed to a rubbish one can make a huge difference with regard to the enjoyment of the novel.
great video! i have read many of these, the pearl and yellow wallpaper are for sure one of my favourites
Thank you! Yes, both are such amazing reads :)
"Let not a poet's soul be frozen..."Onegin is such a beautiful work!🏵️
🥹 it is!!
Oh awesome, I'll definitely check some of these out
Great video. Thanks for all the recs!
Hi Carolyn and Bikash, thanks so much Bikash for creating a list of the books mentioned in todays video. Since finding this channel, my love of reading has been reignited and I have also started collecting books, I’m particularly loving BARNES and Noble leather bound classics at the moment. I’ve bought quite a few as trophy books 🏆 I buy black spines or other paperbacks for annotating. It’s extremely strange but I get immense pleasure from just seeing them in my bookcase. So thanks to both of you today. Claire B
I read a few of these in highschool and I'd love to reread some of them, especially the Metamorphosis! Also I need to finally get my hands on some Pessoa poetry!! A lovely video btw 😊
I agree wholeheartedly about The Catcher in the Rye. I never really got the mass hate for it but I'm glad more people are starting to give it a chance because it was one of my favorites when I was younger. I don't get how adults miss some pretty traumatizing things that have happened to Holden. They call him whiny but he has a reason to be whiny, he's a traumatized teenager.
Wonderful video! I have so many books to add to my thr now.
I recently have found myself in a reading slump so these recommendations are perfect to fall back in love with classics❤
I’m surprised you didn’t include Ethan Frome in this list! 😁
I believe I included it in my first video 😊
@@CarolynMarieReads oh that makes sense!! love that one ❤️ ur recs always hit!!
the victorian chaise-longue by marghanita laski is an excellent short classic (i got mine from persephone books, i love their editions!) that really reminded me of the yellow wallpaper. i recently reread the yellow wallpaper actually and found it so much more creepy (pardon the pun) than i did when i was younger, what a masterpiece 💛
Read The Ice Palace this year and it was a very quick read! And absolutely amazing. The Stranger is an all-time favorite for me and also fits this category so I cannot wait to see what you think.
Ooo thank you for the wonderful recommendations :)
A Flicker in the Water. (Inside the Tales) Foreword by Mariel Hemingway.
The 39 steps by John buchan. It’s fabulous
East of Eden is also in my TBR for this year. We can do it!
Thank you for the recommendations - it was a good reminder that I still want to read "Eugene Onegin". "The Great Gatsby" is still one of my favorite short classics (and perfect for the summer). Also "Sula" by Toni Morrison.
Thanks for this list of short classics! I’ve just added The Pearl and Old Man and the Sea to my “read soon” list 😄 Also, I’ve seen some comments below about which to read between Grape of Wrath or East of Eden, and if you haven’t read either I’d definitely recommend East of Eden first. It’s incredible and is my #2 classic of all time. Happy Reading!
The Ones who walk away from Omelas sounds so interesting. Definitely checking that one out And I grew up thinking I’d hate the catcher in the rye and it’s now a new favorite. Reading for yourself is so important
I've read Eugene Onegin in March and I loved it so much!!! We're still in June and it's already one of my favourite readings of the year
I’m currently reading all the books I read in high school. I’m on To kill a mockingbird now and really enjoying it now. It’s going to be a favorite
That’s so exciting! To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favorites as well :)
I highly recommend Chess
Yes, it's a good story. Sometimes the title is translated as The Royal Game.
Not a short one, at just over 300 pages, but absolutely a great read is Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo,1939.
Taking place during World War One in which Mustard Gas was used and caused horrific never before experienced war injuries, it is a reflection on the horrors of war. Not an easy read but very worthwhile.
I loved A Separate Peace.
What a lovely voice and good presentation skills. So clear and calm. If you liked Of Mice and Men, may I suggest The Cone Gatherers by Robin Jenkins. It is often described as the Scottish version of OMAM. Dare I say it, it is actually better; it has so many layers to it, and this is a common view. I have read it about three times and it is always wonderful. Two brothers are hired by the local aristocrat to gather the cones from pines that line a driveway. The trees are about to be felled/sacrificed for the war effort. The older brother looks after the younger one who is physically and mentally less able.
Just read, The Catcher in the Rye, Old Man and the Sea and The Pearl. My favorite was, The Old Man and the Sea. Loved Holden Canfield as the protagonist in Catcher in the Rye. Exposes “playing the game” for survival. The Pearl highlights greed. East of Eden is my favorite book. Reminds me of Cain and Abel. Hope you enjoy.
Love watching you and Emma’s video(s). Keep up the great work. Adore Willow.
How long is considered short? Well I had to share about charlotte's web, beautiful, sweet and wonderful story.
I decided to check out The Yellow Wallpaper based on your recommendation and I really enjoyed it!
love & appreciate your book recs 💖
Thank you so much 😊
I love this! So helpful and inspirational! Thank you, Carolyn!❤
I’m gonna nerd out but I read the pearl for school and it was amazing! We had to do a skit and I played Kino lol
The Prime of. Miss Jean Brody was fantastic! ( Muriel Spark)
yay it's you!💚📚💚
You've convinced me to read Pushkin. I read Of Mice and Men in junior high and high school, but I need to read it again because I did not appreciate the classics back then. I really want to read East of Eden though so I will probably read that first.
My favorite short classics were Father Sergius by Leo Tolstoi --so fast paced , I feel like most of his short stories are fastpaced and very different than his novels, and Peter Pan !! The way Peter Pan was written mesmerized me..... I found it very poetic
A Separate Peace is my favorite to introduce boys especially (I have two) to reading. I read it in high school and I think it was the beginning of my love for WWII fiction.
i know this sounds crazy but when i started reading, the first classic i have read was the catcher in the rye. i don't know anything about it when I pick it up and read but it turns out loving it so much and then freak out at how much people hated it haha
I loved The Pearl and Of mice and men, and I want to get to read one of Steinbeck s big books, not sure if East of Eden or Grapes of wrath first.
You also made me want to read Omelas, it sounds great !
Yes, I’m having the same dilemma about East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath.
Yesss, it really is great!
Having read both, I think it depends upon the person. Grapes of Wrath is more political with social commentary (taken as Communistic, or at least Socialist, and hence 'banned' long ago), and East of Eden is more personal with family as the basis, with an obvious (re: the title) religious/Biblical bent. Both are deeper reads in their own way, not light reading, but you cannot go wrong with either.
@@CarolynMarieReads I recommend East of Eden for your first big Steinbeck read.
@@kurtfox4944 Oh thank you for the info! Makes me want to start with east of eden then
And “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.
Also “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy.
Both great. Both short.
When I went to high school the catcher in the rye was a banned book, which is why I read it
I loved East of Eden! I read The Pearl in High School but I need to reread it because that was over 30 years ago. I just recently read The Pastures of Heaven and decided I just love Steinbeck.😄
Dostoyevsky's Notes From the Underground ought to be on this list.
I strongly recommend Franny & Zooey :)
I enjoy your videos! I just reread Good-Bye Mr. Chips. It's short and sweet. Thanks for all you do!
I’m so glad! Thank *you*
one of my favorites is Olivia by Dorothy Strachey!
Catcher in the rye is one of my all time favourite classics!! I can imagine readers being annoyed with Holden, but personally I love me an unreliable narrator :)
The Yellow Wallpaper is about post-natal depression.
Camus. I know The Stranger is coming up in Game of Tomes (and it is great), but I personally prefer The Fall.
Ooo okay, I’ll keep that in mind :) thank you for the recommendation!
@@CarolynMarieReads Also very intrigued by The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas from your recommendations
I wasn’t expecting to like The Old Man and the Sea but I really enjoyed it!
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It’s short & chronicles his journey cross country with his poodle Charley 😊 There’s some outdated language (it was written in 1962 I think) which isn’t great but the story is great.
Thank you for the great recommendation! I have Travels with Charley on my shelf, so I’ll hopefully read it soon! (So glad you enjoyed it) 😊
wait, Carolyn, you do know that one of Ernest great grand daughters is an illustrator right? there's Dree, model/actress and Langley Fox, good with a pencil
Aaah I also had to read the short story by Ursula K. Le Guin --- so so so GOOOOOD
I can add The Stranger by Albert Camus, The eternal husband by Dostoïevski, and some Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes books. They're short.
Lovely recommendation, I’ll definitely check it out! ❤
😊
What a great rec list! I'm definitely going to check out The Yellow Wallpaper. Sometimes short tales just hit harder! I just finished a short sequel to Peter Pan - part 1 is published as a narration on my channel: I'd love it if you checked it out, Carolyn!
In today's political climate it's unnecessary for a man to comment on the Yellow Wallpaper. Nonetheless, I think maybe the feminist perspective is over-stated, as rest is a reasonable prescription for someone with an unclear disturbance. Of course, it's told from the sufferer's POV so we can safely say the author's alter-ego, the narrator, felt that women were not taken seriously when they were ailing. Of course, today, we would immediately think of several possible recognized maladies but perhaps when it was written the men in charge were insensitive.
Hi, CarolynMarie, thank you for sharing, I know some of them and am curious about the others. Love, Monika❣
my husband has bought me an enormous anthology of all UrsulaLe Guin's works. I am going right now to look up The Ones who walk away. It sounds so interesting
Your channel should totally be called Carolyn's Classics!! I really had no interest in reading classics until I watched your channel.
Aw that would be a great name 😊 I’m so glad to hear that!
Have you ever thought of doing a recommendation video of classics by POC? Thank you
I loved The Pearl as well. I read it in 7th grade the first time and its always stuck with me.
I remember my dad talking about Of Mice and Men, that one stuck with him.....Steinbeck is amazing.
Thank you for this great video. I have read The Old Man And The Sea, and Animal Farm. I would like to recommend two of my favorite short classics by John Steinbeck: Cannery Row and Travels With Charley in Search of America. I think you would enjoy them.
Piggybacking on all the people recommending Siddhartha by Hesse. Maybe my favorite book ever
I am trying to read one classic a month. Some of them are ones we read in school. Others are famous ones I never had the chance to read before. I think reading a book under duress (ie when you have an essay on it due the next day) makes reading the classics not very fun. It’s much more enjoyable to read something at my leisure.
Just found your chanel,love the atmosphere a lot❤
This may have been covered in another video, but where did you get your colorful Kazuo Ishiguro editions that are in your video background?
There is in American/English culture a genre called "the big fish story" which could describe Hemingway's OMATS. The old man describes his dramatic battle with the big fish, as if he were the great Yankee baseball hitter, "Joltin" Joe Dimaggio, but he is alone and perhaps if he sees himself the Cuban equivalent of an American superstar he exaggerates a bit? I don't know. It is a beautiful short novel, as there is a fictive world and more than one fully developed characters, along with a setting, plot, conflict and resolution. However, at least one professional I know feels it is not EH's best work. I've always liked it.
Likewise, I can honestly say that OMATS is the only Hemingway I did enjoy. I understand the 'theory' behind his sparse writing style, in contrast to verbose Victorian writers, almost as much as his content of bravado, licentious and loose men / women are in rebellion against the content of those same 'prudish' authors.
One Hundred Years of Solitude. Is it short? 🥸
Great novel, but I wouldn't exactly call it short :D
Great picks, Carolyn. I recommend First Love, by Turgueniev.
Thank you :) Yes, First Love is such a great story!
I am just curious, did you ever read sweet valley?
Have you read “The Book of Disquiet” by Fernando Pessoa?
I was going to recommend Omelas to my sister, but now she's the mother of twin babies, not sure, might be too close to the bone...
Jody Ondek, how very rude to criticise Carolyn’s beautiful hair, surely your your mother or your caregiver must have brought you up better than that 😔.
Claire B
No it’s absolutely not because of the way I’ve been brought up, it’s my opinion, and made it clear. Btw i have hair just like Carolyn’s, it’s longer and has thinned out some, since I am now 66 y old. Have my whole life been complemented on my hair. While now it’s still long , ( when wet , goes past my bum, and now has greyed, since i never laid one bottle of dye to it, my color of hair golden brown, reddish and when put a gold ring next to my hair , it was same color as the gold in a finger ring. In my younger years, constantly being told how beautiful my hair and was and to this day I still get told that. What I am saying to Ms Carolyn is that I can definitely tell she uses a lot of products in her hair to get it to look like that, and that she should use less product and let more natural come out. That’s the point, also she loves her hair, and is quite filled with pride about it. Being told she has it, goes to the head, and the hair starts to become one of the main things. I never would brag about my hair, I would be humble and not ever say to anyone, let alone on a platform that I loved my hair. And another point I will make , is that all that product constantly in the hair will eventually damage the hair. My dear, i simply was airing my opinion, and in no way , shape, or form, did it come from the way I was “ brought up”. I speak from experience. She could be more natural with her hair. It does look like a lot of product is used, and to me , it does look like jherri curl, you don’t agree, so be it. Her hair would be more proof and kind of on the frizzy , I have hair like hers , I lived many years, I still use 1 product and don’t go through the many procedures or time that it takes to achieve that , it just in my opinion , more natural and less product and less maintenance and boasting, would be less vain, too much vanity , not pretty.
Also Claire Bott, I don’t want to watch Caroline Marie anymore, but she keeps coming up in my RUclips feeds. I do quite like her friend though, *emmie* , that’s Emma, also my new now favorite is the lovely Ruby Granger, my what a very special soul she is!!! And have you watched anything from Benjamin McEvoy? He’s got it too! But for now, the Carolyn just rubs me the wrong way, it’s her strong way of patting herself on the back sort of thing , on many things she does and talks about and shares, the way she gloats over herself, just kinda turns me off , so to speak, ( I wanted to phrase that differently, but this was the kinder way of expressing it. But I have praises for others , especially those ones that i have said mentioned. That Ruby Granger , is such a unique, special, beautiful, soul! You have to watch a few, to catch and get the groove, but wow, what a special person she is. She’s been UTUBEing since a young age, now I believe she is 23. What a unique individual , and of a humble spirit as well. * emmie * is great too, and genuine, as Ruby is too. Benjamin McEvoy, ditto, all different, but all shine, of their own accord, but no braggers, which are a better fit for me, ( check out Ruby Granger though, if you haven’t yet, watch a few, then a few more, and maybe even some more after that, ) she’s something special. 💖
Also the way Carolyn outlines her hair , in her thumbnails , is quite the outing of her, in some of what I’m
talking about, “ o look at me, look at my beautiful hair “
( remember in Charlie Brown Christmas, the girl character that says “ …… my beautiful natural curly red hair……”?! Lol . But come on , outlining herself , her hair, see how she wants and purposely is trying to draw attention to her hair? Let not your hair define you, amongst all the other ways, she points out good about herself, and how she hints through her post office box, and even reading her description that she draws up herself, about sending her something. no, no thank you, I find it sickening
I will not re-read Johnny traimane
I can't focus because of your pretty eyes...
I know you are so proud of your hair, ( not really said here to be a compliment) but, it looks like you are using too much product, it doesn’t look natural, it looks Jherri curled. Best look , more natural and less product, imho, in which I can have, but probably should not comment on publicly, but I did, shame on me, i sorry.
Also the Stranger by Albert Camus
That would've been one of my picks as well, love that one!