High school is filled with lots of boring books that you had to read in English class. However, it took me a long time to realize not all of them are so bad. Here’s my list of the best and worst books you might read here at Stamford High.

(Both lists are in no particular order)

The Best Ones:

1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Freshman Year): This book was one of the first books I actually read and liked of my entire High School career. The story of Lennie and George was nice and hopeful. Stuck working for a mean man, and Lennie being the sweet, lovable and dangerous character that he is,  you couldn’t help but root for the two of them to get their farm.
2.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Junior Year): Gatsby was the last book I read in Junior year and let me tell you, it isn’t a classic for nothing. Although most of the characters were unlikable, the whole idea of Gatsby and his undying (albeit obsessive) love for Daisy was really amazing to watch unravel. Although the story is about Nick Carroway, I was reading this book obsessively for Gatsby’s tragic story.
3.  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Senior Year): I have no words for this book. This book was so good that I ended up finishing it was earlier than it was due. It was a real story about one man trying to be good again. I honestly can’t even talk about this book properly; I loved it too much.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (Sophomore Year): This is the book I like to call “A cynic’s journey nowhere”. This book is completely pointless, but it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The hopeless journey of Holden was weirdly captivating and sort of relatable. It was a book that I was glad I read years after I had already read it.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Freshmen Year): One of the better books of high school, the story of little Scout and her friend Dill was so awesome. I loved her reaction to her teacher when she told them she already knew how to read. I felt everyone needed a father like Atticus Finch, the brave lawyer standing up for the wrongly accused black man. Do not skip this book in class. If you already have, get a copy and read it.

The Worst Ones:

1. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Junior Year): What wasn’t wrong about this book? It was so difficult to read because Jim’s vernacular was completely impossible to understand. Huck Finn is also one of the stupidest characters I’ve ever read. He’s gullible and dumb and honestly I never want to pick that book up ever again.
2. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Freshmen Year): The worst thing about Romeo and Juliet is the characters Romeo and Juliet. The two of them are slightly, most definitely insane and the relationship is completely inappropriate. Romeo is in his 20’s and Juliet is 14! And Romeo is probably the worst character because he was in love with someone not two second before seeing Juliet. It’s not love at first sight it’s lust or infatuation.
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Senior Year): Jane Eyre is meant to be the feminist novel of that century, and although it is rather feminist for the era it was written in, we shouldn’t be calling it that. The book is boring more often than it was exciting, and its premise is completely dumb. Girl falls in love with unattainable guy (whom she won’t marry even when he admits his feeling for her!).
4. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Junior Year): This book is an outdated novel that is unnecessary to teach. Although it is one of the shortest books I’ve read in school, it was one of the most ridiculous and boring I read. It was so hard to get through because literally no one cared about these ridiculously sad characters who wanted to kill themselves all the time, but don’t (because suicide is a sin)!
5. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Sophomore Year): It’s the summer book of sophomore year that we all know and hate. It was so dull and dry that no one wanted to even try and get through it. This book about World War One was so completely atrocious it should just be taken out of the curriculum for good.