Wondering how to keep busy over the extended winter break? Worried you might forget all the things you’ve been studying so hard to remember? Keep those synapses firing while you take a breather by picking up some classics you might not have grabbed until now. Here are seven classics (and a special bonus!) to look into while you recuperate over the next few weeks.   

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 

This one is a little obvious, especially since the 2019 remake of Alcott’s most famous novel directed by Greta Gerwig revamped the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. The four sisters navigate their way through Civil War-era America and the following years while helping out their mother since their father is helping the union soldiers as a chaplain.  

2. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 

Louise Erdrich is a prolific Ojibwe Native American author, and this is just one of her many books that you should snatch if you can. The Plague of Doves follows a family and a community as a young member seeks the truth about the area’s history. Picking up different threads and perspectives, Erdrich gives you a round view of the world she’s created and the pieces that are still missing from this small, long-suffering community. 

3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 

Take a walk through the S. Morgenstern’s classic tale of true love and high adventure in Goldman’s abridgement of The Princess Bride. Florin and Guilder are at risk of war once again, while Prince Humperdinck convinces the heartbroken Buttercup to marry him after her true love is lost at sea. Meet the characters of the movie we’ve all seen: the gentle giant Fezzik, the quick-witted Vizzini and the deadly duelist Inigo Montoya along with the rest of an unforgettable cast of characters. You won’t be sorry you picked this one up. 

4. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas 

This may be the greatest story you’ve never read, so now is the time. Follow the timeless heroics of the legendary Three Musketeers. Porthos, Aramis and Athos take in the devoted d’Artagnan and show him what it really means to belong to their elite ranks while being pitted against Cardinal Richelieu. Along the way they meet countless other damsels, foes, lovers and enemies. Things are never what they seem to be in this piece. 

5. The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Emmuska Orczy 

Set during the French Revolution, one man risks his life to save innocent people who have been sentenced to the guillotine through secrecy and deception. He is known as The Scarlet Pimpernel to everyone; no one knows who he really is. Follow the legend of a man as he traverses life as a hidden hero and as a man who finds love in uncertain circumstances. 

6. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson 

David Balfour writes his memoirs: the time he was kidnapped, when he was cast away to die and the day he met a famous Jacobite. The young man relives his most extraordinary life and all he suffered at the hands of a monstrous uncle. One of Stevenson’s best works, it can often be overlooked by his more well-known novels. But trust me, you won’t be sorry to go on this wild ride. 

7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

A happy dystopian novel that follows a man raised outside of the maintained world of his peers, Brave New World is one of the most accessible pieces in the subgenre. The main character must come to terms with a world wherein people are bred for different levels of intelligence to serve a role in society. He may be one of the only natural-born humans in this world order. 

8. Bonus: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan 

Rand al’Thor is a normal boy living his normal life in the small village of Two Rivers when terrifying half-man, half-beast creatures attack. To save their village, Rand and several friends and acquaintances flee, unsure of what the next move should be. The novel is the first of a series and is a classic in the world of fantasy. Jordan develops his world with stunning clarity and uncanny twists. You won’t be willing to put this one down—I loved them so much I own the whole series.  

There are six weeks in the coming break for those returning in the spring, so grab a book and go on a blind date with a new character in a world unknown. Don’t see your favorite classics? Let us know!

Article by Cheyenne Heavener