School Is Back In Session
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!
Even though you'd think this book would be perfect for me, I actually just wasn't reading it this week. So, I decided to make my own list keeping the assigned topic in mind but giving it my own twist.
Top Five Required Reading Books I Never Had To Read
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I have since read this book, but I always remember hearing people talk about being required to read this book in high school. I'm really not sure how I managed to avoid reading this American classic.
2. Of Mice and Men / The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - I feel like most people had to read at least one Steinbeck novel. Not me! I have, however, added a copy of Of Mice and Men to my shelves so one day I'll fix this hole in my literary education.
3. Animal Farm / 1984 by George Orwell - Again, I somehow never had to read anything by Orwell. I think it was on a list one year where you got to choose what you wanted from that list, and I was seriously not interested in talking animals or controlling governments. But that's just a guess.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - This is one of those required reading books that I have no desire to read. I feel like my reading experience might be similar to when I had to read The Lord of the Flies, which was one of the only required books that I absolutely hated with a passion.
5. A Separate Peace by John Knowles - I actually choose this from a required reading list one year and later changed my mind. I have no idea what I ended up reading, but I've always meant to actually give this one a chance.
Top Five Required Reading Books I'm Glad I Had To Read
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - I might never have picked this book up without my AP English class during my senior year, and that makes me sad to think about because I absolutely adored this book. Even though, yes, there were some boring parts.
2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - So, so, so good. Thank goodness this was required and sparked so much class discussion! I've been meaning to reread this one.
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I loved this one so much I think I picked to read it twice. I'm not sure how it happened - or even if it was allowed - but I'm not one bit sorry. That book was so incredible!
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Do I even need to explain?
5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I feel like this is a book I might not appreciate as much upon rereading, but my teacher absolutely helped me see the beauty in this classic. I remember reading whole pages just to soak it all in. It's a classic that so benefited from having a skilled teacher leading us through it.
OMG To Kill A Mockingbird!! One off absolute favorites!! I have a goal in life to read Anna Karenina at some point...Meh to Mice and Men. I have a friend who loves it but it was emotionally way too much for me.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree on To Kill a Mockingbird! GAH! That book <3
DeleteHope you like Anna Karenina! I loved it :) And haha love the meh to Mice & Men. We all have those classics that just don't cut it for us.
I like your list. You simply must try Animal Farm. It's good. Short, simple, and I found it easy to relate to. It's animals but it's more about group dynamics.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my siblings who don't love to read said the same thing. And if they enjoyed? I definitely need to give it a try!
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