Great Expectations is the story of Pip, an orphan boy adopted by a blacksmith's family, who has good luck and great expectations, and then loses both his luck and his expectations. Through this rise and fall, however, Pip learns how to find happiness. He learns the meaning of friendship and the meaning of love and, of course, becomes a better person for it.

After a description of the spring, Chaucer the narrator introduces each of the pilgrims one by one. The form of the General Prologue is an estates satire: Chaucer is describing characters from each of the three medieval estates (church, nobility, and peasantry) with various levels of mockery.

The frame story of the General Prologue is a religious pilgrimage: all of these characters have come together to go to the cathedral at Canterbury. Chaucer describes each of the pilgrims’ physical appearance very carefully, and this description often gives much insight into each of their characters.

The novel begins with Mr. Thomas Gradgrind sternly lecturing a room full of school children on the importance of facts. He believes that facts, and not imagination or emotion, are the key to a good education, and he educates all the children of the school and his own children, Louisa and Tom, according to this philosophy. When one of his worst students, Sissy Jupe, is abandoned by her father (a circus performer), Mr. Gradgrind takes in Sissy to educate her along with his children according to his sacred system of facts.

Since their hearts and imaginations have been utterly neglected, Louisa and Tom grow into deformed human beings—inwardly, not outwardly. They know neither how to love nor how to be happy, and sense that there is something very wrong with the way they are living their lives. At Mr. Gradgrind's request, Louisa dutifully marries his older friend, Mr. Josiah Bounderby, who is a blustering manufacturer in Coketown. She agrees to marry Bounderby not because she loves him, but because she thinks it will help her brother Tom, who is apprenticed to Mr. Bounderby. Tom is the only person she cares for and, knowing this, Tom wheedles her into the marriage. Now both Louisa and Tom live with Mr. Bounderby, and Sissy stays back with Mr. and Mrs. Gradgrind and Jane, the youngest Gradgrind.

The year is 1775. On a mission for his employer, Tellson's Bank, Mr. Jarvis Lorry travels to Dover to meet Lucie Manette. On his way, Mr. Lorry receives a mysterious message and replies with the words "Recalled to life." When they meet, Mr. Lorry reveals to Lucie that her father, Dr. Alexandre Manette, who she thought was dead, is still alive. Dr. Manette had been secretly imprisoned for 18 years in the Bastille, but his former servant Monsieur Defarge, who now owns a wine shop in Paris that is a center of revolutionary activities, has smuggled Dr. Manette out of prison and hidden him in the store's attic. Meanwhile, Defarge's wife, Madame Defarge, secretly encodes the names of the Revolution's enemies into her knitting. Mr. Lorry and Lucie arrive in Paris to find Manette compulsively making shoes in a dark corner—prison has left him insane. Lucie lovingly restores him to himself and they return to London.

The year is 1780. In London, Charles Darnay stands trial for treason as a spy. Lucie and Dr. Manette attend, having met Darnay during their return from France. The defense lawyer is Mr. Stryver, but it is his bored-looking associate, Sydney Carton, who wins the case. Carton points out how much he himself resembles Darnay in order to ruin the main witness's credibility.

Orsino, the Duke of Illyria, is sitting in his palace and enjoying himself by listening to music. He is in love and is in a whimsical, romantic mood, luxuriating in the various emotions which the music evokes. But he impulsively decides that he has heard enough, and after sending the musicians away, he expounds on the subject of love. Curio, one of his pages, asks his master if he wouldn't like to hunt; perhaps exercise will cure his master's soulful, philosophical moodiness. Orsino replies that he would like to hunt — but he would like to hunt the lovely Olivia, to whom he has sent another of his pages, Valentine, as an emissary. At that moment, Valentine enters. But he brings such bad news that he begs "not [to] be admitted": Olivia's brother has died, and she has vowed to mourn her brother's death for seven years. Surprisingly, the news does not dampen Orsino's spirit. He rhapsodizes on how a girl with such sensitivity can express her emotions; if she "hath a heart of that fine frame," he says, then she would be even more devoted and loyal to a lover.

The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, written in 1599, is a gripping historical tragedy that unfolds against the backdrop of ancient Rome. The play dramatizes the events leading to the assassination of Julius Caesar and the aftermath of the conspiracy. It investigates themes of political power, honor, and fate versus free will. The central characters include Caesar himself, Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony, each representing different facets of political ideology and personal conviction. The play’s famous lines, such as “Beware the Ides of March” and Mark Antony’s funeral oration (“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears...”), have become iconic in the world of literature.

To introduce you to the values that Toltec inspires, Ruiz describes a young man who was captivated by the words of a guru. This young man had a strong urge to invite the guru to his home. Once the guru accepted his invitation, the man got to work and got the finest food, clothes, and wine to offer him. However, to his disappointment, the master — guru — did not show up. Instead, three strangers, on three different occasions, came knocking. And on each occasion, the young man fed and clothed them with the food, wine, and clothes he had prepared for the master. At the end of the day, the man realized that the propensity to give out what he had prepared for a special guest to total strangers was, in fact, an act of kindness that the master would have expected from an astute student like him. As such, the young man’s disappointment disappeared, and he reveled in the fact that he had put words into actions. In essence, he had become a master since the words of the guru lived in him, and he had learned to act on them.

In today’s world, we have two types of people. Introverts and extroverts. On the surface, society views extroversion as the ideal, they are social, outgoing, and thrive as leaders and in positions of power. Introverts, on the other hand, are seen as socially awkward, quiet, and shy away from leadership and power. But why does society value extroverts over introverts? For centuries, business leaders of the western world have been seen as domineering, bold, and making rash decisions. However, as Susan Cain presents, extroverted leaders have their downfalls as well. In today’s world, it’s important to recognize the differences in the two temperaments, and it’s even more important to understand one another.

When Breath Becomes Air opens a window into the life of Dr. Paul Kalanithi. The son of first-generation immigrants, Kalanithi grew up in Kingman, Arizona. From an early age, his life was cluttered with nature, literature, and a burning ache for knowledge. Kalanithi’s mother, dissatisfied with the curriculum at his public high school, helped ameliorate the syllabus, a factor that aided in Kalanithi’s Stanford acceptance letter. After earning a B.A. and M.A. in English literature and a B.A. in human biology from Stanford, Kalanithi received an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. At this time, Kalanithi realized that he desired “direct experience”; “it was only in practicing medicine,” he writes, “that I could pursue a serious biological philosophy.” By pursuing a path in medicine, Kalanithi hoped to answer “the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.”

I read Educated in just a few sittings, the words tumbling over one another as the author's life tumbled chaotically through childhood and into adulthood. The writing is stellar, the story harrowing and revealing, showing the reader graphically the ambivalence Westover feels toward her family. Readers see love, pain, and Westover’s realization of the incongruity of her upbringing. She is raised so near others who learn mathematics and history along with self-advocacy and ambition, while she is told her place as a female and daughter of a fanatic. I was both captivated by the writing and repulsed by the conflict.

In 12 Rules of Life, I gathered the following: say what you mean, so that you can find out what you mean. Act out what you say, so you can find out what happens. Then pay attention. Note your errors. Articulate them. Strive to correct them. That is how you discover the meaning of your life. That will protect you from the tragedy of your life.

The Modern Break up is wonderfully written and a brilliant self-help book full of helpful knowledge about dating, relationships, and breaking up, but laid out in an intriguing, clever story, told from many different perspectives, not just the main character’s viewpoint on dating and love.

In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.

This has to be my second favorite read after Of Mice and Men. The author's penetrating and profound account of the Nazi death camps. Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Wiesel was a teenager in 1944 when he and his family were taken from their home into Auschwitz and later to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony as to what happened in the camps and repeats the important message that this unforgettable horror must never be allowed to happen again.

Of Men and Men reflects a period of economic devastation in the United States, Of Mice and Men demonstrates the damaging effects of the Great Depression upon ordinary working men. This is one of my favorite literary reads. It delves and touches not only on the Great Depression but also the friendship that the two men have for one another.

I last read this book when I was in 10th grade. At the time, my experience was probably shaped by the recognition that reading it is a must, an academic rite of passage that every high schooler, at some point, has to endure. However, when I reread it, It deals with the heavy themes of racism, structural violence, and socioeconomic inequality—and it still managed to be hilarious and emotionally tender. The narration was at times young adult-y, at others high literary.

The House on Mango Street is a bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) of a young Chicana (Mexican-American) girl named Esperanza Cordero. The book is told in small vignettes which act as both chapters of a novel and independent short stories or prose poems. The story encompasses a year in Esperanza’s life, as she moves to a house on Mango Street in a barrio (Latino neighborhood) of Chicago, Illinois. The house on Mango Street is an improvement over Esperanza’s previous residences, but it is still not the house she or her family dreams of, and throughout the book Esperanza feels that she doesn’t belong there.

With over two million copies sold, authors Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler came together to produce a true masterpiece compiled with new research, case studies, and resources that will lend readers a dire perspective on approaching difficult and crucial conversations. As Martin Luther King Jr. notes “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I encourage you to give yourself a chance to get lost in this undeniably page-turning read.

Meg Jay delves deep into relationships, career, and family where she urges and thoroughly explains that people in their twenties should strive and thrive in all the aforementioned aspects. From her gathered research, data, and interviews, Dr. Jay notes that our twenties is the decade where it defines our lives and how we should make the most of it. Highly recommended, guaranteed to lend you that perspective that you haven’t known before. Grab yourself a copy if you haven’t.

Life itself is already a great pressure. Family is the only people we feel safe, and comfortable, and return to at the end of the day. However, at times, we could run into bickering or miscommunication. This book will teach you how to let go of the little things between family.

Richard Carlson writes other series of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. I encourage you to check them. His books are very insightful and a quick read.

Cheryl Strayed offers helpful and thoughtful advice to the Dear Sugar column on topics such as love, family, trauma, regrets, suffering, and letting go of the past. Tiny Beautiful Things is an exchange of heartfelt conversations filled with true stories written by individuals across the states.

Freedom Writers Diary is a compilation of Wilson High School’s students from Ms. Erin Gruwell's Freshmen-Senior English class. Class 203 was known to be a below-average level student with poor backgrounds in violence, crime, and drugs. Ms. Gruwell was the light and hope for the students. She goes beyond and above for her class. They made an impact and created a history that caused a ripple effect in the education system. The lasting impression made by Ms. G besides her work ethic and the historic event she created is that we all have the power to write our own stories. Evidently, room 203 students’ lives changed when they met Ms. G. We can never underestimate the power of writing. We have the tools to revise and edit our lives just like class 203.

Authors Jon Gordon and Damon West collaborated in writing meaningful wisdom about life lessons designed for all ages. The Coffee Bean is an inspiring tale that invites readers to have a breeze in reading and to absorb the advice embedded in the story.

Author Daniel Jones compiled moving and heart-wrenching love stories in the digital modern-day world. The New York Times "Modern Love" column debuts in 2004. Some of the stories are unconventional, while others hit close to home. Some reveal the way technology has changed dating forever; others explore the timeless struggles experienced by anyone who has ever searched for love. But all of the stories are, above everything else, honest. Together, they tell the larger story of how relationships begin, often fail, and--when we're lucky--endure.

Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: a therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed by Lori Gotlieb gives us an in-depth perspective about her professional work and her patients’ stories. Each chapter is embedded with imperative messages that we can all learn something from.

Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, Mary Norris serves readers with the functionality of comma usage. At first glance, before my eyes reached to the bottom cover of the book, I thought it was going to be a book about ordinary romance. It still didn’t disappoint. It’s such a phenomenal book for those who wonder about the power and meaning behind a simple curvy symbol.

Brené Brown is a member of the research faculty at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, where she studies how shame affects the way people live, love, parent, work, and build relationships. She has published countless books and I encourage everyone to take a dive through her significant words. I guarantee you will walk away discovering something about yourself and understanding others in another way that you never knew you could before. The Gifts of Imperfection was one of the first books that I read by Brené Brown. Her meaningful messages and researched information resonate to this day. One of my favorite quotes from this book is:

“Only when we are brave enough to explore our darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

It is in our deepest struggle that we discover our power and our strength.

is a fictional story that depicted a solid friendship between two completely opposite women who grew up together and surfed the turmoil of life? Heartbreaks, unwanted terminal health, family relationships, and the trauma that comes with it. I had read this book in 2010. It is still one of my memorable and favorite books to this day. Firefly Lane was adapted into films and can be streamed on Netflix. A great fit for advanced-level students.

is a life-changing and inspiring story between a beloved Professor Morrie and a student, Mitch. During Morrie’s last stage of battling with ALS, he offers to teach about life Mitch, who later produced this book from all that Morrie has provided with his wisdom.

Trish Hall provides invaluable information on writing and ways that you can convince people to be on your side. Brilliantly short and full of informative details for anyone who’s interested in improving their writing skills. This is the book that will offer helpful persuasive writing tips that you need.

Have You Eaten Grandma? is an insightful guide for punctuation usage. One misplaced comma can change the whole sentence's meaning. So where do you think the comma goes in the title? Care to take a guess?