As an English major, I read approximately 10,000 books per year. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but you'll have to forgive me. I am an English major. In all seriousness, each English class I take averages four books per class. If I am taking two major classes in one semester, that's eight literary novels my brain has to process in four months! I am by no means bragging about how well-read I am. I am simply stating that I've read quite a few books. And now that I've analyzed them to death and written about them extensively in my classes, there's not much else I can do with them besides carry their knowledge around with me in my head. But I can also take what I know and spread it around. So, here are some of my favorite books I've read in class. I recommend them to you, reader.

1. "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson

"Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods—until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiosity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89724.We_Have_A...

2. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

"On a hot summer day in 1934, 13-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives—together with her precocious literary gifts—brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the 20th century, "Atonement" engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6867.Atonement?...

3. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Díaz

"Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd, a New Jersey romantic who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fukú—the ancient curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love––Oscar, still dreams of his first kiss. That is, until the fateful summer that he decides to be its last."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297673.The_Brie...

4. "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon

"Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America––the comic book. Drawing on their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men. With exhilarating style and grace, Michael Chabon tells an unforgettable story about American romance and possibility. "

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3985.The_Amazin...

5. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

"As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have re-entered her life, and for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special—and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_...