Katie's Book Recommendations w/Descriptions in Bell, Book and Candle

I haven't been a history buff growing up. And so the books I liked and like reading are of the horror/supernatural variety. A friend of mine is much more literary and is a history buff. She's starting to make me like the classic books she loves. I'm currently reading Jane Eyre with her and every 3-4 chapters we give our reviews of them to each other. Its my 1st time reading it. I love it!

The books on the list below of course I heard of but just never gave them a second thought cause I wasn't into those kinds of books, and a bunch of the books on the list I've only seen the movies :-) and just never thought about reading the books. I do love reading though! And I don't like to close myself off to anything. Whereas in the past growing up I might not of been interested in changing my book interests, I'm now willing to change.

I'm like a sponge drinking up new book experiences! Curious about this new journey I'm about to take on!

DONT LIMIT YOURSELF TO NEW EXPERIENCES

Macbeth - Shakespeare - tragedy . A general receives a prophecy from 3 witches that he'll become king of Scotland. Helped along by his wife, he murders the king, and takes the throne but then becomes a tyrant, which results in more murders and madness.

Othello - Shakespeare - tragedy. Othello, a general marries a senators daughter (Desdemona). Iago (a man who hates Othello for promoting another man over him), believes Othello had an affair w/his wife. As payback for both things he convinces Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with the lieutenant ( the one Othello promoted ). Othello becomes obsessed with finding out the truth.

Hamlet - Shakespeare - tragedy. Hamlet, a danish prince, is told by his father (now a ghost) that his uncle (fathers brother) murdered him to marry hamlet's mother and gain the throne. Throughout the story hamlet leads the many characters to believe he's insane in order to discover/reveal the truth about his fathers death and uncle .

The Phantom of The Opera - Gaston leroux

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Dracula - Beam Stoker

The Picture Of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert louis Stevenson

A Christmas Carol - Charles dickens

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte. A woman named Helen arrives in a small village w/her son to stay in a home called wildfell hall. Despite the fact that she is the gossip and rumors, a man ( gilbert Markham ) becomes friendly w/her and eventually falls in love w/her. Because of this Helen is forced to confess the truth about herself.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen. The mother of 5 daughters is determined to get her kids married off into society. It seems like she'd be successful w/the new neighbor Mr. Bingley moving in. But with the constant disapproval of the family by his friend, Mr. Darcy, the disapproval of Mr. Darcy by the daughter Elizabeth and many more events that take place, any marriage that could take place may not happen at all.

Sense and sensibility - Jane Austen. After the father of Elinor and Marianne dashwood dies, the home goes to their brother and they, with their mother and younger sister, move into a cottage. While there Elinor meets Mr. Ferrars and Marianne meets the very handsome mr,. Willoughby. But things don't seem to turn out the way that they hope it will with different twists in the story.

Persuasion - Jane Austen. Anne Elliot was persuaded to refuse the proposal of Frederick Wentworth years ago because he didn't have the income that was considered acceptable for her. Wentworth eventually appear in Anne's life again, by chance, and he's now a successful sea captain. But he's moved on and Anne is forced to live with the fact. Katie's thoughts: " this is Jane's most serious novel. Not much humor as the other books. A lot of ppl find it dull because of this reason, I think. "

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain. Based on mark Twains childhood, friends, family, and life in Missouri. Katie's thoughts: " I know kids read this, but I feel it is meant for adults and would be more appreciated by adults because they're already been kids and they would just appreciate what happens in the story more"

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - mark twain. Sequel to tom sawyer but a much different book. Much different in tone and more serious and " adult" even though huckleberry Finn is a boy. He is tom Sawyer's best friend. He decides to runaway from his unwanted life at home. When he does so he goes along the Mississippi river with a runaway slave named Jim. The story follows all of the situations they encounter along the way.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott. This is based on Alcott's life but she made it about the 4 march sisters Jo(Alcott), meg, Amy, and beth while their father is away at war(civil war).

A Long fatal Love Chase - Louisa May Alcott. A young woman named Rosamond desperately wants to escape her life. That's when a mystery man ( Philip tempest) takes her away. While with him she discovers what he's really like and becomes trapped all the while trying to leave him.

The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane. About a private in the union army who runs away from the civil war, but wants to then receive an injury during battle to redeem himself.

The Last Man - Mary Shelley. Set in 2100 ( but written in 1826 ), this focuses around one man and his survival during a plague that is set to destroy all life on earth.

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas. A man is betrayed and thrown in a dungeon to spend the rest of his life. This tells of his life in there, his escape and his life after the escape .

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell. A southern English woman is forced to move with her family to northern england. Over time she does become sensitine to the poor, working-class ppl. She becomes more involved with those lives because of the way she disagrees with the one mill owners treatment of his employees.

The Scarlett pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy. The foppish man Percy blakeney lives a double life as the Scarlett pimpernel. He, along with others that are part of "the league", save ppl from the guillotine during the french revolution.

The House Of Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne. About several generations of a family in Salem ( one of which was accused of witchcraft in the 1600s ). The family suffers throughout the years until one man tries to reverse the curse of the house.

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins. A teacher encounters a ghostly woman by a grave. He then discovers his 2 students have connections to her too, and the story eventually involves mistaken identity and murder.

A Room With A View - E. M. Forster. A young woman travels to Italy with her aunt where she encounters a man that she's drawn to but can't connect with as she has a completely different life back at home in england.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens. During the french revolution an aristocrat is arrested and awaits his execution. Lucie Manette, his wife, seeks help from an English lawyer, Sydney carton, to help them, which he does as he's in love with her.

Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens. Nickleby is left penniless after his father's death and goes to his uncle for help for himself, his mother, and sister. But because of his uncle's intense hatred for him, his life is affected by it no matter what events take place.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens. Edwin has been engaged to Rosa since childhood through a contract. After they break it off Edwin disappears and his uncle jasper becomes a suspect because of his jealously for Edwin over Rosa. Katie's extra info: Dickens died before he could finish this story. So it is incomplete and It really is a mystery.

Maria - Mary Wollstonecraft ( Mary Shelley's mother ). This is about a woman who is locked up in an asylum by her husband.

The Mysteries of Udolpho - Ann Radcliffe. The story about a woman who is trapped in a medieval fortress by her devious guardians and her own dark visions and thoughts.