Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Required Reading

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today our topic is anything school related, so I decided to highlight my favorite required reading. I've had a mixed bag with required reads. I hate being forced to read something that I'm not in the mood for, and sometimes I just want to read instead of analyze and those lines are definitely blurred when it comes to school.

My schedule at college is pretty reading-heavy (I'm taking three English classes, a gender studies class, a Spanish class, and a philosophy class), so I'm sure that this list will be different by the end of the year! I am planning on being an English major, so I'm not doing any science or math heavy classes anytime soon.

Nevertheless, here are my top nine books I've had to read for school!


9) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I thought this book was..fine. There wasn't anything that I really liked about it, but not anything I minded either. It was a solid three star read, and I completely understand why it's a required reading in a lot of schools. The symbolism of the green light, the morally gray characters, the American dream, all of it!

8) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Now this is a required reading that I really liked, but probably shouldn't have read at such a young age. I read this in seventh grade (when I was 12) and though I liked it, I think I was too young to really grasp the importance of everything that was happening. Plus, I was spoiled. So when characters died, I wasn't all that fazed by it.


7) Macbeth by Shakespeare
This is by far my favorite of Shakespeare's plays that I have read. I halfway read Hamlet, read Romeo and Juliet as a freshman, and read Midsummer's Nights Dream when I was 13 (but barely remember it). I actually really liked reading this one! I think it helped that my class read it together and out loud. While not everyone's reading was great, I was able to really comprehend the play better because of it. When you look at it, Macbeth is basically a fantasy novel (witches, prophecies, warring kingdoms, messed up families), you got it all there! No wonder I enjoyed it so much!

6) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is yet another book I don't think I read at the right time. I read this as a freshman in high school (14 years old) and as a 14 year old, I really didn't understand racism. Even now, four years later, there is still so much that I have to learn. As an adult, and just a less naive person, I would love to read this again.

5) 1984 by George Orwell
Like Macbeth, I read this dystopian for my senior year of high school.  I have always been curious about 1984, because so many people talk about about it. Though I didn't like it as much as another dystopian novel I had to read, this was still pretty good. The writing itself was pretty dense, and though stuff happened I never felt like they were until the last fourth of the book. I do like how the book ended though!

4) The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
I read The Devil's Arithmetic in fifth grade for a school project. It wasn't strictly required (I had options), but I'm so glad I chose this one. I still think about this book 10 years later, which is saying a lot for how impactful and moving it is. I for sure need to reread this one!

3) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I had to read this for my senior year in high school, and was surprised at how much I liked this. At first, I had a really hard time trying to get into the story and understanding everything, but once I did really enjoyed the book. For me, all the characters are unlikable in the best way possible. I didn't empathize with them, but I always wanted to know what would happen. I think a reread of this is in the future, and I would definitely comprehend it better!

2) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
My number two pick is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I didn't LOVE this, but I really enjoyed it. I knew the twist before reading the book, but it was interesting to see how everything all played out. Much like Brave New World, it took some time getting oriented and understanding everything. Once I did I really liked it! The book is pretty short too, which is always a plus when it comes to required reading. :)

1) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This is definitely my favorite book I have read that was required for me to read. The Glass Castle is a memoir about Jeannette Walls' crazy childhood. Her parents are nomadic and free spirits. They travel a lot, and Jeannette never is in one place for too long. It doesn't help that her father, Rex, is an alcoholic that can't hold down a job or that her mother doesn't provide for them at all. As someone who has had an amazing childhood and upbringing, it was really interesting to see someone who lived in the complete opposite way. This did get a movie adaption, but I don't know if I want to see it...

So, those are all my favorite required readings! Do we share any picks?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

26 comments:

  1. Nice picks! I think I only read 3 of these during my school days, which are the 6-9 picks.

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. Those are quite popular required reads, so I'm not too surprised! What did you think of them? I'll be sure to check out your Tuesday post!

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  2. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is my favourite book, followed by "The Great Gatsby" and "1984"/ "Animal Farm". I do tend to like modern classics more than classics, as they are more relatable to today`s society.

    Carmen / Carmen`s Reading Corner

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    1. I tend to like modern classics more as well! There easier for me to understand. It took me so long to understand what the heck was happening in Hamlet when I read it last year. I haven't read Animal Farm yet, but I hope to soon! Thanks for dropping by Georgiana!

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  3. I never had to read any of these during my school years (obviously) but I'm interested in some of them especially The Great Gatsby, I loved the movie so much !

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    1. I think the movie does a good job drawing in today's modern viewers! I mean, if we're talking about the same movie - the one with Leonardo Dicaprio! I haven't seen the movie in such a long time; your comment makes me want to see it again!

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    2. Yep that's the one ! Tobey Maguire was a nice surprise too, he's so cute *.*

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    3. Haha, yes he was! I can't say I disagre...:D

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  4. We did a similar themed list this week. :-) I loved The Outsiders too, although reading it on my own, so didn't count it on my list of required reading favorites. If it had been, it definitely would have been there! I like The Great Gatsby as well, but not as much as others. I also enjoyed 1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird. Brave New World was the only required reading I couldn't finish (that and Sister Carrie). I am listening to the audio version of Brave New World to see if I have better luck now that I'm much older. I will finish it this time, but I still don't care for it. :-(

    I hope you have a great week! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Oh awesome! I'll be sure to check it out. For me, the Great Gatsby is fine, but not really anything special. Sad to see that you don't like Brave New World! It's definitely not for everyone, and Huxley has such a weird writing style!

      Thank you! You too. :)

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  5. I've read almost all of this. But I haven't read The Devil's Arithmetic. It looks interesting AND it was released the year I was born. It's a sign!

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    1. That's awesome! Ahh that means you've got to read it! And love it, hopefully. :)

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  6. The Outsiders seems to turn up a lot, and even though I haven't read it I've seen the movie, so I can imagine the book is a great choice! The Great Gatsby I've never read, which seems kinda weird even to me!

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    1. The Outsiders always seems to be a classic that everyone loves, or at least enjoys! I haven't come across a person who hasn't liked it yet. Haha, we all have some abnormality like that! :)

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  7. Oo, I've always wanted to read most of these! I watched To Kill a Mockingbird in a film music class last semester, and now I really want to read the book. My favorite required reading would probably be Beowulf.

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    1. It seems like our roles were reversed! I haven't watched the movie, but I'd love to! I only read an excerpt of Beowulf for school, but I did like what I read! Thanks for stopping by Ashley. :)

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  8. I need to re-read Brave New World because I hated it in high school. But I loved To Kill a Mockingbird! I'm much too old to have read The Glass Castle in school, but that is such a great book. I was thrilled when I saw my older girl was required to read it last year. When I asked what she thought of it she said, "That was nuts." :D

    Here is our TTT.

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    1. At first, I didn't like BNW that much! It's really jarring at first. Rereads on classics always help me enjoy the book more. I'm so glad The Glass Castle is requrired reading! It's just..fantastic! Haha, your daughter sums up the book pretty well. :)

      I'll be sure to check it out!

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    2. I definitely need to reread Brave New World now that I'm older. I'm sure I'll walk away feeling differently than I did back them. I agree about The Glass Castle. My daughter was both fascinated and appalled by the story.

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    3. I want to reread BNW in a couple years for the exact same reason! Also, I didn't understand the beginning at all when I read it. I might read something else by Jeannette Walls, but I don't feel the need to.

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  9. Required reading is so interesting in school. I had to read a book called "Shane" It was a western that I hated and then we had to watch the movie. It was even worse than the book!
    I also read "To Kill a Mockingbird" which I didn't appreciate at the time. I later reread it and loved it. I guess time and age gave me a bit more perspective. I'm a new follower to your blog. Nice to meet you.

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    1. I agree! I think I give in very easily to reverse psychology (when someone tells me not to read it, I'm curious and when school tells me to read something, I'm hesitant). Oh yikes! I never have heard of Shane but that's a horrible experience! I don't think I appreciated To Kill a Mockingbird that much either. I agree with you; age and time does give perspective! I'm sure if I read it now and then 10 years from now, I'd pick up on and interpret things differently!

      Thanks so much for following Tammy! Following you back! :) Nice to meet you too!

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  10. Brave New World and 1984 weren't required reading at my school and somehow I still haven't gotten to them - I'll have to soon though!

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    1. I'm surprised they weren't! Especially 1984 - that is such a popular book to assign. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy them Lauren! Who knows? You might have a better experience because you'll be reading them of your own volition. :)

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  11. 1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird have been on my MUST list forever! I wonder when I'm gonna be in the mood to read them! :)

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  12. To Kill A Mockingbird was the only one of my school's required readings that I actually liked. I had to read Jekyll and Hyde too, but I don't think I finished it!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-121/

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