English Major Spotlight:
What Are English Majors Reading for Fun?
August 16, 2021
By Dianira Piceno, Senior English Major.
Pictured above: Emily Perry, SOU English Major.
Looking for a great read over the summer? In this post, some of our majors share some of their favorite books and authors of all-time. When SOU English majors are not busy in class reading assigned course texts, they are reading for fun! Many of these books are the reason why some students became English majors in the first place.
Emily Perry enjoys reading fantasy, science fiction, graphic novels, and memoirs. Emily shares some of her favorite books and gives some insight on why she chose to become an English major in the first place.
Image above: Cover of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
The Macksey Undergraduate Research Symposium provides hundreds of students across all fields of the humanities the opportunity to present their work in a three-day professional conference. Due to COVID-19, the symposium was shifted to an online format which allowed for attendees to participate in virtual panels, attend a live virtual keynote, and have the chance to publish in the Macksey Journal.
In a brief interview, all three students answered questions about their submissions to the symposium.
Pictured above is English Major Rachel Harris, ’22.
Rachel Harris is passionate about young adult fantasy and fanfiction. She became an English major because of her love for reading, writing, and analyzing literature. When asked about her favorite books, Rachel said that The Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S Pacat was one of her favorites. She explains why:
Image above: C.S Pacat’s Captive Prince Trilogy.
“Pacat’s writing is stunning. Her characters are compellingly and beautifully flawed, her relationship dynamics are so intricate, and her plots are like chess games. Just about every other scene in her Captive Prince trilogy—which gets better with every reread—makes me want to claw my face off because of how good it is”.
“Pacat’s writing is stunning. Her characters are compellingly and beautifully flawed…”
— Rachel Harris
Pictured above is English Major Alexandra Giardinelli, ’22.
From a young age, Alexandra Giardinelli excelled in her English classes and even won a few writing awards. Alexandra says that English was always her best subject in school and suggests that “she feels very fortunate to have found a passion so young.” She credits her English teachers for her desire to pursue a career in writing and publication.
Image’s above: John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath(left), and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby(right).
Alexandra shares that some of her favorite books are F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath.
“F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck both use fantastic imagery. I am one of those lucky people who sees a movie in their heads when they read and details really do it for me. Steinbeck writes simple, relatable characters that take unexpected turns. I can imagine myself in their shoes since they’re just so normal. Fitzgerald writes larger-than-life colorful characters that are so much fun to follow. His books seem like straightforward reads at first glance but as you get through them you start to realize how many Easter eggs he wove in. You’ll find a new one every time you reread his work. He sucked as a person, but was a master of writing a good story!”
Pictured above is English Major Brice McCoy, ’21.
Although she does not have time to read for fun during the school year, English major Brice McCoy’s all-time favorite book and author is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Brice says that she enjoys the way Salinger “makes you feel like you are a part of the story.” Her love for books is why she decided to become an English major.
Image above: Book cover of the literary classic “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.
“I chose to become an English Major because I want to teach kids why books are amazing and why language can be a form of art. I have always loved escaping in a book but struggle with mild dyslexia and ADHD. I wanted kids who even struggle with reading to know that there are ways to get into reading, and that we all learn at different paces.”
Happy Summer reading from the SOU English Program!
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Interested in the English program at SOU? Learn more about the programs offered below:
English Home Page | English BA/BS | English Minor | TESOL Certificate Program
