Search This Blog
2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (2)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (3)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (3)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (8)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (2)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (2)
International:
- Australia (2)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (3)
- China (1)
- England (20)
- France (1)
- Ghana (1)
- India (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (1)
- Russia (1)
- Scotland (3)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge
2024 52 Club Reading Challenge
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge
2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: School Daze, Reading Haze
7:08 AM
I almost skipped participating in TTT today because I didn't think I'd be able to come up with much for today's prompt: Top Ten Books I Was Assigned to Read in School. I'm sure I was required to read plenty, but I just can't remember specifics, especially before college. At Brigham Young University, I studied English, and those years are a little bit clearer. Still, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with ten.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Books I Was Assigned to Read in School (and how I felt/feel about them)
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee—TKAM is my favorite novel of all time. I believe I first encountered it in college. I've read it many times since and I love it more each time I read it. It's a classic that's timeless, approachable, and always inspiring.
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis—I'm thinking this children's classic was probably something one of my elementary school teachers read aloud to us rather than assigned us to read ourselves. I remember being enraptured by the story. Some of the magical images it conjured in my young head still linger there quite vividly.
3. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather—All I remember about this book is that I was bored to tears by it when I was assigned to read it in high school.
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams—I vaguely recall being assigned to read this in one of my college lit classes. Although I know I enjoyed it, I have no recollection of what it's about except that it involves rabbits...
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck—This is another one of those books that put vivid images into my head. I believe I first read it in high school.
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald—I disliked this classic when I first read it in high school (possibly college) and I despised it even more when I reread it a few years ago with my son, who was studying it in a high school English course. He was likewise flummoxed by it and kept asking, "What is this book even about?" Seriously!
7. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson—This hilarious holiday book wasn't assigned reading, but I remember so well the day my stern, never-cracked-a-smile 3rd grade teacher was reading it aloud to our class and started laughing so hard that she had to hand the book off to a student to read for her. We were all so terrified of her that it was absolutely shocking to watch her lose control like that!
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger—I was assigned to read this book in college and absolutely hated it.
9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle—This is another children's classic that was either assigned reading or a teacher read aloud from elementary school. Again, the vivid images it conjured up in my mind back then are still there. I've reread the novel a few times in the ensuing years and, while it's not a big favorite of mine, it's always a nostalgic read.
10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—I believe I read this novel in high school. Other than the book burnings, I don't remember much about the story except that I liked it.
There you go, ten books that I read or that a teacher read aloud to me in school. Have you read any of them? What did you think when you first encountered them? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here, although I am a week or so behind at the moment.
Happy TTT!
18 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Listening
In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar
Followin' with Bloglovin'
Followin' with Feedly
-
-
-
Follett, Ken "The Armour of Light"15 hours ago
-
-
-
Top Ten Tuesday...17 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Out of the silence by Marie Theodore19 hours ago
-
TTT – Books I Was Assigned To Read In School20 hours ago
-
-
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman1 day ago
-
A Dark and Secret Magic1 day ago
-
The Bones Beneath My Skin1 day ago
-
-
Sunday Salon: October 13, 20242 days ago
-
83. The Phantom Patrol4 days ago
-
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!!4 days ago
-
A couple of autumn/winter reads4 days ago
-
Reading Recap September 20241 week ago
-
-
-
WIP Wrap-up for September 20241 week ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Review: The Duke and I1 month ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus2 months ago
-
Sunday Post2 months ago
-
-
-
The Music of 2024: Q23 months ago
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
I hated The Great Gatsby, too.
ReplyDeleteWatership Down was good. I liked reading about the rabbits’ adventures and looking for the symbolism in it.
With the exception of A Wrinkle in Time, I've read all of these ! :D
ReplyDeleteGrapes of Wrath was an interesting book -- one thing I remember our class being intrigued by was Steinbeck's pans away from the family to focus on a turtle on the highway.
I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451.
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday.
The Great Gatsby has really, really never appealed to me, and I think I've been quite lucky that it doesn't seem to be a popular choice for school reading where I live.
ReplyDeleteThe Best Christmas Pageant Ever!! Yes!!!!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading The Catcher in the Rye for school too! I didn't hate it, but I also didn't quite see why it was considered a classic and a must-read on a school reading list...
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of similar titles on our list this week. I read A Wrinkle in Time in 6th grade and it was my favorite childhood book by far.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: Books I Should Have read in School
I did not have to read any of these for school. I have since read A Wrinkle in Time (audiobook), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe (audiobook).
ReplyDeleteI read Watership Down by myself from the school library if that counts. I don't really remember a lot about it though.
ReplyDeleteI managed to come up with 9. It was hard to remember 🤣 I only left secondary school in 2008 so I should have done better really 🤣
Have a great week!
I have read all of these! Though some I read on my own and not because I had to for school. The one I hated the most? Catcher in the Rye. What an overrated book!
ReplyDeleteI asked the same thing about Gatsby too! Lol! Funnily enough I forgot about Catcher in the Rye and how much I loathed that book! Why it was such a favorite among my peers I'll never understand. Lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my TTT!
I don't remember anything about the plot of The Catcher in the Rye, the only thing I remember is the feeling that the protagonist bothered me a lot.
ReplyDeleteWrinkle in Time and Fahrenheit 451 are two of my favorite books, though I don't recall them ever being assigned reading. I've reread The Great Gatsby and I still don't understand the appeal of that book.
ReplyDeleteTKAM made my list too!
ReplyDeletehttps://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/10/top-ten-books-i-was-assigned-to-read-in.html
I didn't have to read Gatsby for school but I read it of my own accord as an adult and really hated it! I don't get it at all.
ReplyDeleteI've read six of the books from your list! I absolutely love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe that students today are still reading some of the same books we did! 😂 There are some well loved classics and others that need to be retired! ~Carol @ ReadingLadies
ReplyDeleteStrangely, I was never assigned To Kill a Mockingbird, but I did read it on my own
ReplyDelete