It’s understandable that your experience with reading “The Hunger Games” in school wasn’t enjoyable. It seems like the lengthy timeline for the novel study and the relatively simple projects and vocabulary tests may have contributed to your negative opinion of the book. While it’s unfortunate that this experience ruined the book for you, it’s important to remember that personal preferences can vary, and it’s possible that others may have enjoyed studying it in a different context or with different teaching methods.
The Harvard Classics collection is indeed well-known and respected. It is worth mentioning that the selection of works included in the collection is subjective and based on the editors’ criteria, which may explain the absence of Alexandre Dumas’ works.
As for finding an affordable paperback version, full sets of the Harvard Classics can be quite expensive due to their quality and collectability. However, you can explore secondhand bookstores, online marketplaces, or library sales for potential bargains.
Alternatively, the Kindle version offers a more affordable option, which could be worth considering if convenience and cost are major factors for you. While your personal preference may lean towards physical books, the digital format allows for easy access to the collection’s material.
PS, excuse the self plug, but I copy pasted and searched your entire post in Thought Portals (my site) (https://thoughtportals.com), and the most similar thought on there was: ‘Bookstores, a happy chaos of stories waiting to be unraveled’. It’s basically a site where you can type any thought and find similar thoughts from others, but I’m adding heaps of different features to make it more suited towards keeping track of and growing your thoughts. Can be good to find people who are in similar situations to you in a direct manner. All the best.