Books, Books, Books!

December 14, 2017

The upcoming winter break gives students more free time to sit down, pick up a book, and read. In order to help students crack open the best books, here are a few recommendations from CHS English teachers, as well as some outside-the-school resources:

Lori Lackland, senior English teacher

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: “Don’t watch the show until you’ve read the novel! It’s a quick read, it’s harrowing, and it’s changing. We do have a few of these texts in the book room, but it’s highly relevant texts to issues of today.”

Yes Please by Amy Poehler: “Her account of her path she followed is inspiring, hopeful, hilarious, and totally enjoyable. If you like Parks and Recreation, read this book!”

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: “It’s considered a historical fiction, but it’s actually a fictionalization of characters from the Old Testament. Diamant’s interpretation of what life as a woman was like during Biblical times is interesting in a sociological way.”

Samuel Hicks, freshman and senior English teacher

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

The Reivers by William Faulkner

Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition by Nisid Hajari

Jeanne Jarvis, freshman and senior English teacher

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Sarah Widdop, junior AP Language English teacher

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Nothing To Envy by Barbara Demick

Americana Chimanda by Ngozi Adiche

In the library, a couple of new books have arrived, and librarian Johna Christenson suggests some of these new titles, along with some other fine novels.

Dairy Queen by Jaclyn Moriarty

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds Brendan

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

Gone by Michael Grant

At Powell’s City of Books, staff members pick books to highlight:

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Revenger Alastair Reynolds