Top Ten Tuesday #19: Books I Was Forced to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Books I Was Forced to Read

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I did not like this book the first time I attempted to read it, which was a whopping 14 years ago this month. I had no idea what was going on in that mess of a first chapter so I put it down. Two months later, my aunt gave me a copy for Christmas. I gamely tried again--it was a gift, after all--and I'm so glad I did. My mom was right when she first recommended I read it: it does get better after Harry gets to school. To this day, however, I think I have only read the first chapter twice because I disliked it so much.

2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. I think this is one of those books where you're pretty much required to read it AND love it if you are a woman. I don't go completely bonkers about Mr. Darcy, but I have loved this book ever since I read it for school. I think Jane Austen had no idea she'd become such a phenomenon and such an inspiration to women everywhere to write.

3. William Shakespeare. I love Bill. I love every single sonnet and play of his I've ever read.

4. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. Read this in my senior AP English class, and it was an absolute riot. We had waaaaay too much fun with this book.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I hadn't even heard of this book before I took adolescent literature in college. I'm so glad that my professor was a complete fangirl for it because this book is lovely. It's one of those novels that I think every single person alive should read it at least once in their lifetime.

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Another pick from adololescent lit. There's a story for everyone in this novel, and the drawings are perfection.

7. Holes by Louis Sachar. In seventh grade, my English/homeroom teacher read this to us every day after lunch. I loved it! The movie may not have been an exact adaptation, but I enjoyed it as well.

8. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. My seventh grade teacher read this to us as well that year. I remember being totally sucked in and always wanting her to read more after she stopped for the day. I don't read many mysteries anymore, but this novel, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys will always be dear to me. Read this last year or perhaps the year before, and I still adore it.

9. A Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Oh, my. I believe this was the first book that made me cry in class. How can you not love it?!

10. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It's been many years since I read this novel, but I remember loving it every time I did.

Top Ten Tuesday #13: Required Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Books I Wish Were Taught in School

Honestly, I find this subject kind of difficult. You wouldn't think that since I have very definite opinions about literature and whatnot, but as an English major, I'm glad for 90% of the books that I read. Those books are classic for a reason. So this will be...interesting. Some of these books probably already are taught in schools, but...whatever. This is the list I wish I had been able to read in high school and/or books I think would be paired well together.

1. Speechless by Hannah Harrington & Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. On the one hand, you have the physical assault of a gay boy who was publicly outed at a party and the decision of the girl who did said outing to stop talking as she attempts to gain control over her words. On the other, you have the sexual assault of a girl at a party and her decision to stop talking as she tries to deal with it. Similar premises, but very different stories. The compare/contrast essay writes itself!

2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. This book. Oh, my goodness, I could have had a field day writing papers about this book. From the study of product placement and just ALL the pop culture references in our daily lives to the pressures to be a cookie-cutter stereotype to raw portrayal of sexuality and identity (sometimes one with the other, sometimes without), Beauty Queens is just a really good book. It's fun and funny, but it's also deep. It's a huge satire of our culture, and I love it.

3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Spare me your groaning. I feel like Twilight has several uses in a classroom. 1. How a book can become astronomically popular. Have the students discuss what it is about a book that can draw millions of readers in in such a big way. 2. How a book can be so polarizing. There is no middle ground with Twilight. You are not allowed to be Team Edward and Team Jacob. This question was asked more than "boxers or briefs" in every single interview for about three years. You are not allowed to sorta like the books. You truly either love them or hate them. Have the students discuss the elements of the book that create such momentous division. Etc etc.

4. Matched by Ally Condie & The Giver by Lois Lowry. Dystopian was the big thing after vampires, but it's been done before. Out of all the new wave of those novels this century, the one that best matches with the tried-and-true Giver is Condie's Matched, with its government control of jobs, partners, children, recreation, etc. Again, the compare/contrast would be too easy. There are a lot of elements of this book that would lead to great learning.

5. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. This one is a must-read for girls. It's absurdly empowering, and it's all about educating yourself for the sake of education and improving your life. Yes yes YES! Boys may feel like this is just a "girly" book, but it's important for boys to understand that it's okay for girls to be smart.

6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I don't want this list to be full of books that preach and do the whole afternoon special thing, but kids truly need to be aware of consequences of certain actions. Thirteen Reasons Why gives a good lesson without being preachy and without being actually real. I mean, we've all seen the headlines. Those are horrifically real. Thirteen Reasons Why, while believable and amazing, is only fiction, but it's one of those that can hit too close to home.

7. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. This book is just a lot of fun. I think it would be a good read for a creative writing class because it's just different. Tell the students it's okay to mess with historical events some. Books don't have to be 100% words, either. Drawings can enhance the experience. It's okay to combine different genres to make your own story come to life. But it's also important to know the craft before you do that. You have to know the correct history in order to alter it. Like that line about knowing the rules so you can break them, not breaking before you know.

8. Just One Day by Gayle Forman. This book is one every high school senior and college freshman should read. It's a book that dares to finally show the ugly parts of that weird transitional year in your life.

And...that's kind of all I can think of. I mean, there are others, but they all fall under topics I've already said and would be fairly redundant. What books would you have wanted to read in school? Have a Top Ten? Share in the comments!