Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is 21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics and was submitted by Lisa of Hopewell. Which books (published no earlier than 1/1/01) do you think are so amazing and timeless that they will be taught in college classic lit courses and read and analyzed by elementary and high school kids someday in the future? The Sherlock Holmes, Pride & Prejudice, Time Machine, or The Great Gatsby of the future, if you will.
I thought this sounded like a really fun and interesting topic, which is why I put it on the schedule, but it’s also a really really hard one for me because I don’t like many of what would be considered today’s classics. lol. I’ve never read Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte. I read a lot of classics in school and absolutely hated them (Of Mice and Men, The Outsiders, Treasure Island, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Fahrenheit 451, etc.). My teachers would assign huge packets of essay questions that I had to answer. To me, “classic” has always meant boring. So of course the books I read would not fall into this category! I don’t read boring books. But would they classify as classics? I don’t think teachers and professors will want to pull a bunch of deep thoughts out of their students on my beloved romcoms and historical romances. I’d love a class like that, but there’s this stigma surrounding any books that are read for pure entertainment. Those are looked down on and as “fluff” or “guilty pleasures”. I would love to see a stuffy, bespectacled professor discussing the merits of Lisa Kleypas, Christina Lauren, or Tessa Dare someday!
For now, I will share a few books I’ve read that made an impression on my heart and have remained in my mind long after I finished them. These are books that either teach a lesson, prompt discussion, or are just really unique and beautiful. I can see them being studied and analyzed in the future.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Beautiful and powerful.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Someday when all of this is possible, people will get a kick out of what we though was sci-fi.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
This is such a unique thriller, with some hidden messages and symbolism.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Stunning, unique, amazing. And mythology!
Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier
A beautiful romance with a sweet moral of the story and so many layers.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A dystopia that’s very close to reality in some ways, and with a lot of things to talk about.
Which books do you think will become classics someday?
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