Assignment 2 - Thomas Noll

Over the summer I was finally able to find the time to read a bit, these are some of my favorites: 

The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum) - The book itself was actually a combined trilogy of the stories. I had always known about the original movie, but with the newer movie and the Broadway musical I was curious to see just how much more to the story there was. What surprised me is the scope of the imaginary universe, comparable to Narnia or Middle Earth. 

The Epic Of Gilgamesh - I read this after Mr. Wise mentioned it in class one day and it is my favorite on the list. The translations are rough and the entire story relies on repetitive devices... lots... and lots... of repetition. However you can see aspects of writing and culture that still exist today, and the viewpoint of an ancient civilization that is similar to ours.  It also has some excellent humor (intended or not).

Animal Farm (George Orwell) - I reread this book for the fun of it, man does it hold a different context after learning about Russian history. The writing is very short, only a two or so hours read, but each word holds a deliberate importance. I admire how every individual part of the story is so unassuming, but by the end of the book the message is dead clear without it ever being stated.