If you are signed up for AP Literature for your senior year, you might be wondering what books you should read over the summer.

For the summer reading, you get to choose one book from each of the different categories.

Antigone:

You have to read this play, since it’s the only one it its category, but, to be honest, this was my favorite out of all of the summer reading. It’s incredibly short, easy to understand, and a pretty decent storyline for a Greek tragedy.

This only took me about two hours to read completely through, so that in itself makes it more enjoyable to read. Antigone is a really interesting character, and she has quite a lot of depth that makes it a very interesting play to read.

Candide:

You have to read Candide too, but this is also an extremely short book. However, it is pretty complicated and tends to be more on the random and weird side. Again though, it’s not that bad just because it’s short. I would highly recommend spark-noting each section as you read — it is very helpful, trust me. Don’t wait until the very end, because at that point you’ll be very confused. I was, at least.

Oedipus:

Again, another short book. This book goes with Antigone, so I would recommend reading Antigone directly after reading Oedipus.

~Then, you have a choice for the rest of the books. I’ll talk about the ones I did read because I can’t really give my opinion on the ones I haven’t read, but, overall, from what people have told me, I think I chose the best books.~

Wuthering Heights vs Pride and Prejudice:

This category has more than these two books in it, but these are definitely the better of the choices. You’ll have to write an essay comparing a book you read during the summer in this category with Frankenstein, and you’ll have three different prompts, depending on the book you read over the summer.

Personally, I think Pride and Prejudice is a better book, as Wuthering Heights was pretty dry and boring, but when it came to the essay, Wuthering Heights had a much easier prompt, in my opinion. Wuthering Heights took me a while to get through; I read a few chapters a day for about two weeks, but once I finished, I realized how interesting it was. There were also a lot of comparisons I could make between the novel and Frankenstein.

When it comes down to it though, if you want to read the better book, go with Pride and Prejudice, but if you want the easier prompt, go with Wuthering Heights.

Poisonwood Bible:

I would highly recommend the Poisonwood Bible, even if you’re not taking AP Lit. It’s not short, but it’s not very long either. I read it in about three days, and I really enjoyed it. It’s in first person, and each of the characters have several chapters in their perspective, which really adds to the story. It’s written in modern language, so that makes it an easier read as well.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest:

I read this for AR junior year, but this is a really good book for summer reading. This book is a little bit strange, but it is a pretty easy read, and is easy to comprehend, which is what was most important to me.

I have never read them personally, but I heard that Heart of Darkness and One Hundred Years of Solitude, aren’t very enjoyable, and that Sophie’s World and The Stranger are really good.

I would definitely recommend taking notes about the plotline and characters from the books you read because you will forget them by the time the AP test comes around. If you have time over the summer, I would make little study guides for books you read junior year as well, like: The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Catcher in the Rye, etc. Also, sparknote the books that you’ve read periodically throughout the school year just to keep your memories fresh. You won’t regret this. There’s not much studying involved in the preparation for the AP test, and doing this throughout the year will cut your studying in half.

Before you decide which books to read, go to Barnes and Noble and read the first couple chapters to see if you like the books, because if you don’t enjoy them, it makes the summer reading so much harder.