Moby Dick by Herman Melville

I know this is a classic, but I really didn't like it.  It is sooo long and not very interesting.  My son was struggling to read it, so I read it with him.  We both managed to finish it, but I'm sure neither of us will be reading it again!  The particular copy I was reading had been written in at each chapter heading:  a yes or no according to whether the chapter pertained directly to the story or not.  When I was complaining about the book, my husband suggested I skip the chapters that said "no."  Unfortunately, I found the chapters that had no direct link to the story to be some of the most interesting chapters in the book!  The famous white whale in the story doesn't even appear until the very end.  I wouldn't recommend reading this book for entertainment purposes.  If you're required to read it, I'm very sorry, and I suggest you make the best of it and enjoy the extraneous chapters!  A very long read not worth the time it takes to slog through it!

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

It's been quite a while since I read this book, but it made quite an impression, and I still remember it.  It tells the story of Hester Prynne, who lives in a Puritan town and is forced to wear a red letter A on her chest to show she is an adulterer and is somewhat ostracized from the community because of having a child out of wedlock.  There is no man punished by the community, although the ending of the book gives some satisfaction to the reader who wishes for justice in the matter!  It is a compelling story that is well-written.  There's a reason so many of us have to read it in high school!  It's a pretty easy read and not super long.  It is easily worth the time!

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

This is one of Dickens's gems.  It is still very wordy and descriptive (after all, it Dickens!).  It is actually written at a more challenging level than most of Dickens's books, so it isn't the best for younger readers unless they're reading at 12th grade level.  This seems counterintuitive, since the subject matter is actually ideal for young Dickens' fans, but it is better read aloud by someone with more ability.  The story is about a young orphan boy who lives in the workhouse and is then placed with an undertaker.  He escapes to London and becomes involved with a street gang of criminals, all of whom are children and meets the adult criminal trainer who teaches them their skills.  As is usual for Dickens, it is largely a social commentary with dark humor and satire.  It is a great read, but it does take a great deal of time as well.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is one of my all-time favorite books.  I love Jane Austen's wit and her clever writing, and this book is her masterpiece.  I can read it over and over again, which is very rare for me.  (I'm usually a one and done kind of person.)  It tells the story of Elizabeth Bennett and her four sisters and their search for love and/or marriage in Regency England.  Elizabeth is imminently likeable and her family is very amusing.  Mr. Darcy, the hero, is the epitome of the "strong and silent" type as well as being tall, dark, and handsome.  It is also a fairly quick read.  It is definitely worth the time.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

I am not a big fan of satire.  It takes too much research and knowledge about the time to understand, so I had pretty low expectations for this book.  I didn't put in the effort to get all the satire, but there is actually quite a bit in this book that is easily understood just by being aware of the human condition.  Swift's outlook is pretty negative, which I didn't love.  (I am a naturally optimistic person.)  It reads quickly and easily and can be read as an imaginative children's tale if you're too young to understand its satirical properties.  Not a favorite of mine but worth reading anyway.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Like most of us, I was generally familiar with the story of Don Quixote before I read this book.  I had seen the musical The Man of La Mancha and had used the phrase "tilting at windmills."  I almost felt I had already read the book.  So, I was surprised to find so much more detail in this book that I never knew the story contained!  Regardless of how familiar you feel with the story, this book is worth the time.  It isn't a fantastically written book, but it speaks to the heart.

Heartwood by James Lee Burke

This book tells of Billy Bob Holland, a small-town lawyer and former Texas Ranger, and his experience with the big man in their small pond, Earl.  His relationship with Earl is complicated by the fact that Earl married his high school love, Peggy Jean.  Billy Bob is a new character to me in Burke's books, but he shares some common traits with Burke's other main characters.  Holland is haunted by his past.  He has a very violent streak.  He has a very strict sense of honor.  As with Burke's other main characters, these traits make Holland somewhat incomprehensible to me, but I still find him admirable.  I may not understand his particular brand of honor, but I still admire how he sticks to it!  The story is very involved, and I occasionally found myself having to double check who a particular character was.  I still really enjoyed this book, although it isn't Burke's best.  If you are new to Burke, read a Dave Robicheaux novel first to decide if you like his distinct style.  If you enjoy Burke's book, this is another great read. 

Fourth Day by Zoe Sharp

In this eighth installment of the Charlie Fox thrillers, Charlie volunteers to infiltrate a cult.  In a short time, she finds she is drawn to the organization's leader and feels he is helping her with her challenges.  Of course, her boyfriend Sean can't understand her choice and feels she is brainwashed.  As usual in the Fox novels, there is a great deal of action, and the story ends in a cliffhanger.  Also as usual for these books, it is well written with an involved story and a well-developed main character.  It is longer than some of the earlier books in the series, but is still worth the time.

The Forgotten by David Baldacci

This book features John Puller, an army CID warrant officer, who previously appeared in Zero Day.  In this book his aunt writes a letter to her brother, John's dad, claiming there are strange happenings at night and that people aren't who they seem to be in Paradise, her Florida town.  Puller goes to investigate, only to find his aunt has drowned in an apparent accident in her backyard.  While Puller investigates, the reader knows she was killed and is told of the human slavery ring that is behind her death.  Baldacci manages to keep your interest, in spite of the fact that there is no mystery for the reader.  He also manages to make it suspenseful in parts as well.  I really liked this book, but I am also a pretty big Baldacci fan.  He did have a few books where I felt he was mass-producing too much and the quality really suffered, but he seems to be coming back in his latest books, including this one.  I wouldn't say it's one of his very best, but it is a good, easy read that goes really quickly.  It's worth the time.

Deliverance by James Dickey

This book tells the story of a group of four middle-aged men who decide to canoe a river through a wilderness area before a dam is finished that will flood this same area.  The area is unknown and the men, except one, are inexperienced with canoeing, camping, and survival skills.  The beginning of the book tells shortly how they came to go on the trip.  Then the majority of the book tells of the three days of the canoe trip and the surprising experience the men have.  The end again briefly tells how life goes on after the trip.  The whole book is told in first person by Ed, an advertising executive whose experience and the consequent connection he feels to the river changes his life and makes it suddenly seem tolerable to him, in spite of its conventional nature.  The book does have some violent parts, including a rape, so it may not be suitable for younger readers.  It is not very long but is surprisingly powerful.  It is easily worth the time.

Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson

The writing in this book is mediocre at best.  The plot is totally predictable and completely unbelievable.  Sometimes it is a little preachy.  And yet, as a whole it is strangely entertaining.  A beautiful young CIA operative is assigned as security for the royal family of the fictional country Meridia.  Her cover is being the fiance of the younger prince.  Do you see where the plot is going?  It's complete intellectual fluff, but it is also a quick, easy read.  Worth the time but don't expect a life-changing experience or even to remember the book a week later!

Animal Farm by George Orwell

This book is, of course, a political satire.  Happily for me, it is a very obvious satire that doesn't take a lot of study to understand.  (I generally find satire's deeper meaning a little challenging.)  It reads kind of like a children's book and isn't one of my favorites, but it reads really quickly and easily as well.  It is worth the time, but only because it doesn't take a lot of it!

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I know this book is very highly ranked in Modern Library's list, and I can see its goodness and value, but I don't love it.  It could be just because I am not a fan of this type of "future" book that depicts utopian societies (or the opposite of utopia, as the case may be).  Brave New World takes place in the year 2540 and tells the story of a "savage" who is found and brought into civilization.  Of course the savage is actually the more civilized and helps teach at least one of the modern characters what they are missing in their new society.  The title comes from Shakespeare and is ironic in nature.  It is a quick read and is interesting, so it is worth the time, although not my favorite.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

This book is based on an interesting premise.  A small group of American astronauts visit Mars, where they discover an advanced civilization.  All of the astronauts die soon after landing.  When a second group is sent years later, they discover two of the crew had a baby who did not die and has been raised by and as a Martian.  They bring this adult Earthling/Martian back to earth with them and this is the story of his experience adjusting to earth and the "strange" ways here.  The beginning of the book is very interesting and brings up some unusual points.  Then it just gets really odd, and I didn't like the end part of the book at all.  I don't have a problem with Heinlein considering another civilization superior to ours, I just didn't see much actual evidence of its superiority in the actions of the Mars man and his followers in this book (other than telepathy) who seem to mostly practice promiscuity and occasional cannibalism--very strange.  I would say this particular Heinlein book is not worth the time it takes to read.

Dune by Frank Herbert

An epic science fiction tale!  It's been a while since I read this book, and I'm thinking I really ought to read it again because it was so good.  If you didn't love the movie, don't worry about it.  The book is (as usual) much better and the special effects are easier to envision and believe in your imagination than on the big screen.  Dune  tells the story of Paul, a young man whose family runs a desert planet where "spice," the most valuable resource there is, is harvested.  Paul becomes involved with the natives of the planet as he learns more about spice and his role in the universe.  This is easily one of the best books I've read in the science fiction genre.  It is very entertaining in a non-intellectual way.  There are also a bunch of sequels available, but I haven't read any of them.  It is a fairly long book, but it is still worth the time it takes to read.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is a great book.  Typically for Fitzgerald, it is a bit sad and also accurately depicts the "roaring 20's."  Gatsby is a wonderful, sympathetic character.  Daisy is baffling, but usually in a that good Fitgerald-esque way.  The story is touching, which is a little unusual for Fitzgerald, and makes it his best book.  It's also a pretty quick read, so it is easily worth the time.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

When I started this book, I didn't expect to like it.  The narrative style is omniscient third person and jumps around.  Due to the "stream of consciousness" type narrating and the non-consecutive story, I struggled for the first few chapters.  Then I got very involved in the story, which follows Captain John Yossarian and his air force squadron during World War II.  "Catch-22" has, of course, become a common phrase in the English language and the un-resolvable dilemma it represents recurs throughout the novel.  I ended the book a big fan and join with other fans in saying, "Yossarian lives!"  A short book you will think about long after, it's definitely worth the time.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the strong characters, especially the architect, and the story really drew me in.  Then suddenly at the end, the architect makes a choice and does something that I couldn't agree with (since I don't share most of Rand's strong political and social views), and it really bothered me!  That is a sign of a good book, when you are emotionally invested in the characters and their actions and really care what they do.  It is fairly long, although Rand has written longer!  It has less straight political and social commentary than Atlas Shrugged, although her views are of course still very present.  The main female character isn't particularly likeable and seems somewhat worthless, especially when Rand's usual standards of value are applied, but she also seems very real.  The newspaperman is also an interesting character as he is somewhat a "gray" character when Rand's characters are almost always black or white.  Worth the time.

1984 by George Orwell

Somehow I had never read this book before I started reading the Modern Library's list. (I don't know how I missed reading it in high school.)  I, of course, knew basically what is was about and was familiar with the term "Big Brother," so I wasn't looking forward to it.  I am not generally a fan of fiction about future "utopian" societies that are actually really terrible social structures, so I didn't have very high expectations when I began reading.  Due to the human element and the somewhat surprising ending, I actually really liked it.  (It certainly isn't an optimistic, happy book,  though, so be prepared to be sad.)  It is a quick, easy read as well.  It's definitely worth the time.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

An absolutely wonderful book!  I often wish Harper Lee had written another.  This is the story of a young girl, Scout, and her experience one summer when her lawyer father, Atticus, defends a black man in a rape case against a white woman.  It deals with big issues in a clear way and yet is also humorous and compassionate.  A fantastic and easy read and definitely, definitely worth the time.

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

I didn't actually finish this book.  It's too graphic for my sensibilities.  It tells the story, mostly the sexual exploits, of a "starving" writer in Paris.  Miller doesn't write consecutively, so it isn't a story you can just read straight through.  He has some fantastic quotes and great lines.  I would recommend reading him more in the style of just opening the book to wherever and reading a bit.  Not worth my time!