"Time Enough For Love?"

Kevin Coolidge

So many books, so little time: it seems hard enough to keep up with all the new books coming out, not to mention the book that you still didn’t read for that tenth grade English class. I wonder if it’s too late to hand in my book report? Maybe I’ll do it at the next class reunion. I mean, twenty years should just be a tardy, right? Why doesn’t work doesn’t just hand out tardy slips? It sounds so much better than late.

Better late than never. Sure, you want to read a classic of literature, but lately all the time you have to read after working all day, putting your kids to bed, and trying to figure out where your fuzzy bunny slippers are, is that five minutes before you go to bed, get up and do it all over again.

So, here’s a list of short, classic works that won’t take a lifetime of 5 minute readings to finish, and just might keep you up past your bedtime….

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: The author’s only book, and winner of the Pulitzer. Hey, if you are going to write only one book, it might as well be a classic. Even forty years of civil rights and affirmative action, does not make this book an anachronism.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding: William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. It just goes to show you that it really is all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

1984 by George Orwell: Orwell's classic continues to deliver its horrible vision of totalitarian society. Once considered futuristic, it now conjures fear because of how closely it fits the reality of contemporary times. Is it paranoia if someone actually is watching you?

Animal Farm also by Orwell: The rise and fall of Communism explained in a fun-to- read allegory with animals. And you thought animals were our friends.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Don't let the ease of reading fool you. It’s an eloquent and funny plea against butchery in service to authority. Something we should always remember, and never forget.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: A coming-of-age story, filled with teenage angst and loss of innocence. Great for parents, so you can remember that your kid will probably grow out of it if you don’t kill them first.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Details the eternal battle between censorship and freedom of expression and continues to be relevant today. First books are banned, then burned, and can bodies be far behind?

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck: Actually not technically a novel but a collection of four short stories about a ten year old farm boy growing up on a ranch. It’s vivid, strong writing and will make you glad you never got that pony for your birthday.

There are lots of books I could add, but I really have to get started on that book report. Hmmm, 500 words, I wonder how many times I can get away with “very”???