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reading recommendations (2 Viewers)

amatterra

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I wanna improve my writing and vocab and all that so anyone got any reading recommendations other than shakespeare?

(serious) PLEASE im desperate to improve my terrible writing
 

vajayjay

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Read professional readings on your text. You can plagarise good ideas / sentences and you'll start incorporating the language.
 

jane1820

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ill give my opinion on some text ive already read and this is the recommended list for a year 10 student:
  • 1984 by George Orwells (traumatising, no character development, the ‘plot’ is in part 3, a lot of *scenes* - i mean the plot is love affair but no smut (not detailed at all), makes u think deeper abt the world)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (started reading)
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (too hard to interpret so it will be perfect to improve writing i guess)
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (20 pages of frankenstein’s description of living in the woods, ending made me cry (literally first and only book that made me cry))
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (couldnt finish bc it was overdue (library) but its interesting, independent child, how women are treated, respect, a whole new pov)
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (my sister said its psychological so might be hard to interpret)
 

amatterra

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Read professional readings on your text. You can plagarise good ideas / sentences and you'll start incorporating the language.
Sorry I don't understand what you mean by "on your text", sorryyy could you explain, please?
 

mvrcuriee

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ill give my opinion on some text ive already read and this is the recommended list for a year 10 student:
  • 1984 by George Orwells (traumatising, no character development, the ‘plot’ is in part 3, a lot of *scenes* - i mean the plot is love affair but no smut (not detailed at all), makes u think deeper abt the world)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (started reading)
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (too hard to interpret so it will be perfect to improve writing i guess)
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (20 pages of frankenstein’s description of living in the woods, ending made me cry (literally first and only book that made me cry))
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (couldnt finish bc it was overdue (library) but its interesting, independent child, how women are treated, respect, a whole new pov)
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (my sister said its psychological so might be hard to interpret)
I LOVEDDD HANDMAIDS TALE, i did it in y11 and it was the only book i actually read and enjoyed that i was forced to read for school
 

hellowellohehe

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Jan 11, 2024
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ill give my opinion on some text ive already read and this is the recommended list for a year 10 student:
  • 1984 by George Orwells (traumatising, no character development, the ‘plot’ is in part 3, a lot of *scenes* - i mean the plot is love affair but no smut (not detailed at all), makes u think deeper abt the world)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (started reading)
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (too hard to interpret so it will be perfect to improve writing i guess)
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (20 pages of frankenstein’s description of living in the woods, ending made me cry (literally first and only book that made me cry))
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (couldnt finish bc it was overdue (library) but its interesting, independent child, how women are treated, respect, a whole new pov)
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (my sister said its psychological so might be hard to interpret)
im a jane austen book hater
 

jane1820

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Jul 15, 2024
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920
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I LOVEDDD HANDMAIDS TALE, i did it in y11 and it was the only book i actually read and enjoyed that i was forced to read for school
OMG IMMA READ IT AFTER TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
 

amatterra

Active Member
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Jul 7, 2024
Messages
311
Gender
Female
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2026
ill give my opinion on some text ive already read and this is the recommended list for a year 10 student:
  • 1984 by George Orwells (traumatising, no character development, the ‘plot’ is in part 3, a lot of *scenes* - i mean the plot is love affair but no smut (not detailed at all), makes u think deeper abt the world)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (started reading)
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (too hard to interpret so it will be perfect to improve writing i guess)
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (20 pages of frankenstein’s description of living in the woods, ending made me cry (literally first and only book that made me cry))
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (couldnt finish bc it was overdue (library) but its interesting, independent child, how women are treated, respect, a whole new pov)
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (my sister said its psychological so might be hard to interpret)
what do you mean by *scenes*?
 

jane1820

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Jul 15, 2024
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920
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Female
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2026
But its like:
winston and julia immediately got in bed and fell asleep (literally no smut so all good but u can always skip it)
 

arcadian

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May 27, 2023
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I would recommend reading the paper every morning + a healthy dose of opinion pieces to get the nonfiction juices going early on especially from the nyt and the atlantic. it is so important to stay politically, culturally and socially engaged and informed beyond the realm of institutionalised english, because it will also help you form critical thinking skills that come in clutch for senior humanities and english.
 

amatterra

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2024
Messages
311
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
I would recommend reading the paper every morning + a healthy dose of opinion pieces to get the nonfiction juices going early on especially from the nyt and the atlantic. it is so important to stay politically, culturally and socially engaged and informed beyond the realm of institutionalised english, because it will also help you form critical thinking skills that come in clutch for senior humanities and english.
Ohh thank you! I will follow your advice, a really good one too. I appreciate it! 😊
 

Masaken

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I wanna improve my writing and vocab and all that so anyone got any reading recommendations other than shakespeare?

(serious) PLEASE im desperate to improve my terrible writing
a few that come to mind:
  • any book by kazuo ishiguro (never let me go is a good start for newcomers to his work, remains of the day or artist of the floating world if you're interested in how he shapes character through (unreliable) first-person narration)
  • the secret history by donna tartt because of the solid start to its story and its exceptionally gorgeous prose, and also if you want to see how characters interact with each other and how to write such natural dynamics
  • the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald, seconding the person who already recommended it but it's one of my favourite easy reads that's beautifully written, even if you don't care for the themes or the message, the kind of work that has every single word bringing you closer to the climax of the novel
  • a gentleman in moscow by amor towles, historical fiction set during the russian revolution which might not be your cup of tea but i'd say it's worth giving a try even if it isn't. the writing is so charming especially when it comes to its introspection, and really good when you want to see how writing can shape character (in this case, the count)
  • the death of ivan ilyich by leo tolstoy, i chose this for my multimodal back in year 12 and honestly i don't read that much tolstoy cos every time i try nothing seems to beat it because it hit me really hard when i finished reading it. while i read it in translated english, it's very, very good for show not tell when it discusses its overarching ideas (in this case, about morality and what it means to be satisfied with your life
 

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