10-Year Reading Syllabus

 2025: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I chose to assign Fahrenheit 451 to myself this year mostly because I’ve attempted to start it about 4 times already, failing each time. This time, however, I plan to read it through fully. I think it’s especially important for me to read this because, as someone stated in a GoodReads review, this book acknowledges how “humanity constantly repeats mistakes made throughout history and never seems to learn from them.” 

2026: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As this classic novel details protagonist Elizabeth Bennett’s complicated quest for a husband, I believe it will serve me well in my first year of college. Inevitably, with arguably the biggest change in environment in my life thus far, college will have me questioning my purpose and my future. I will relate to this novel in that sense and, hopefully, be figuring out how to be content and present around the same time Elizabeth Bennett is. 

2027: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

“A Little Life is the best novel of the year. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.” This was the first headline I saw when I searched this book up, so of course, I was curious. Between the complicated plot and the visceral details, this novel is supposed to be emotionally damaging, which is something I’ve never experienced with a book. 

2028: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Alcott portrays the role of sisterhood in the development of the March girls’ lives. This classic novel is said to feel like a “warm or comforting embrace”, but still tackles issues such as gender equality, war, and financial struggles. As I begin to enter true adulthood around this time, I’m hoping Little Women will demonstrate the importance of unconventional relationships. 

2029: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

This novel is considered a must-read for many people, as it dramatically draws attention to the possibilities of a terrifying future. Although dystopian and set in the future, this novel is also able to point out issues of bodily control in today’s world.

2030: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I honestly don’t quite understand the plot of this novel at this moment, but Toni Morrison’s Beloved surprisingly became one of my favorite novels, so I’m assuming (hoping) I’ll like this one as well.

2031: Normal People by Sally Rooney

After watching this series on Hulu, I felt empathetic for Marianne, the protagonist who gets romantically involved with an arguably careless boy at her school. Her lack of self-respect is weaponized against her in an obvious and, honestly, pathetic way. I’m hoping the book will give me the same warning the show did. 

2032: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I put The Kite Runner on this syllabus because my friends read it for class this year, and it opened up conversations in our hangouts about the duality of reality. While some people swim in their overwhelming abundance of privilege, others drown with the lack of any. This novel would serve as a humble reminder of this. 

2033: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

When I watched the movie Flipped for the first time, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional turmoil it would send me in. I haven’t watched it since, so it’s uncertain whether I was just extra vulnerable at that time or it was genuinely that good. I’ve had the book sitting in my nightstand for a year now, untouched, but by 2033, I’ll finally get to see if the story is really that exceptional, or if I was simply a sensitive 10th grader. 

2034: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Lastly, I want to end this syllabus with the daunting task of finishing the fifth book of the Harry Potter series. After reading books 1-4 in elementary school, I wasn’t prepared for the almost 900 pages that came with the fifth book. What kind of 5th grader has time for that? I assume by 2034, I’ll have some more free time and will read a little faster than I did as a 10 year old.