The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I have never reviewed this one because I read it before Goodreads existed and never thought to go back and cover my bases. This was required reading my junior year, and is one of the few required books I actually read. (I have always been a bookworm but argue that there's a difference between reading what I want and required reading, so I often skipped out on anything beyond CliffsNotes for schoolwork.)
When I read this in high school, I loved the language. It was gorgeous, so descriptive I could picture it all. After struggling through dry, long books, this felt refreshingly contemporary. Since that initial reading, I've re-read it several times and always find something new to appreciate. Even now, reading critiques of the book along with spins and retellings, I keep noticing qualities I never noticed on my own.
I'm proud to have my own version of this story (in a way, since it uses some of the original language) out in the world. At least, it's coming soon - on April 10, 2025, the 100th anniversary of the original.
