{"id":4921,"date":"2026-04-01T00:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/?p=4921"},"modified":"2026-03-18T13:27:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:27:26","slug":"classic-book-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/4921\/arts-entertainment\/classic-book-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Book Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the U.S., less than half of adults read at least one book per year. Many people want to read more as a new year\u2019s resolution, but it\u2019s rare for them to follow through on it. Reading comes with so many benefits outside of just enjoying a good story, from vocabulary expansion to stress reduction. Classics, in particular, can help us understand crucial periods of intellectual and cultural development. To help you start reading more this year, here are some classics and other books I\u2019ve read that I would recommend!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I don\u2019t read a lot of non-fiction, but every time I do, I\u2019m always shocked by how fascinating real, historical events are. This book covers a very important yet understated part of history, and I would recommend it to everyone, but especially everyone who wants to pursue medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02. East of Eden<\/span><\/p>\n

    This book is very popular in the classic literature community, and for good reason. It took me an entire summer to read, so make sure you\u2019re prepared for it, but I loved the characters and the writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03. Crime and Punishment<\/span><\/p>\n

    Another long read, but it\u2019s also famous for a reason. There was a lot of long dialogue and ranting, but the story was very captivating and prompted some interesting questions about guilt and redemption. I also love reading books from a long time ago sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a04. Mountains Beyond Mountains<\/span><\/p>\n

    This is another non-fiction book that I would highly recommend for people who want to pursue medicine\u2014Paul Farmer is so inspirational and this made me rethink so many issues surrounding global health, politics, and international aid.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05. The Secret Garden<\/span><\/p>\n

    Possibly my all time favorite book. I just love how immersive the story is and it makes me crave the English countryside. If it\u2019s spring or you\u2019re in the mood for a relaxing read, this is the perfect book for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. To Kill a Mockingbird<\/span><\/p>\n

    I used to think this book was overhyped before I read it, but I actually really enjoyed the story. I love Atticus Finch and how the theme of being empathetic toward people who are different from you was written from the perspective of a child.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a07. The Picture of Dorian Gray<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you want a dramatic, scary, gothic story set in Victorian England, this book is for you. Oscar Wilde is such a good author and you\u2019ll find some beautiful quotes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a08. Flowers for Algernon<\/span><\/p>\n

    I\u2019m including this book because it\u2019s very popular in the sci-fi world and written in a way that\u2019s approachable and engaging to follow, but it actually wasn\u2019t my favorite. However, if you\u2019re interested in pursuing research or neuroscience, I think this is an important read.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a09. Grapes of Wrath<\/span><\/p>\n

    I kind of dreaded reading this because it sounded boring, but it\u2019s considered an American classic and has themes that are a really good representation of American culture regardless of the time period.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a010. The Bell Jar<\/span><\/p>\n

    This book isn\u2019t one of my favorites, but it\u2019s a short read and an interesting representation of mental illness and gender in the 1960s, especially since it\u2019s semi-autobiographical. The fig tree metaphor is also pretty iconic.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    This is your sign to find your next read and start reading again! Happy reading.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In the U.S., less than half of adults read at least one book per year. Many people want to read more as a new year\u2019s resolution, but it\u2019s rare for them to follow through on it. Reading comes with so many benefits outside of just enjoying a good story, from vocabulary expansion to stress reduction….<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":4922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[347],"staff_name":[217],"class_list":["post-4921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","tag-april-26","staff_name-nina-zhu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4923,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921\/revisions\/4923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4921"},{"taxonomy":"staff_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memorialswordandshield.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff_name?post=4921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}