Top 10 Books I Was Required to Read for School But Ended Up Loving

top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Back To School Freebie: anything “back to school” related like 10 favorite books I read in school, books I think should be required reading, Required Reading For All Fantasy Fans, required reading for every college freshman, Books to Pair With Classics or Books To Complement A History Lesson, books that would be on my classroom shelf if I were a teacher, etc.

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When I think of back-to-school, the first thing that comes to mind are Required Reading Lists.  I don’t know about you guys, but even though I’m a lifelong bookworm, I still hate it when someone tells me what I HAVE to read.  Even if they were books I probably would have read at some point myself, making it a requirement instead of a choice just irritated me.  I was a good student though so of course I always completed my required reading assignments.  And yes, there were quite a few times where I actually ended up loving the books even though I was annoyed that I was forced to read them in the first place.  So that’s what I’m focusing on this week – Top 10 Books I Was Required to Read for School But Ended Up Loving.

In some cases like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, I loved them for their feisty heroines.  In other cases like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies resonated with me because they were a reminder that no matter how bad I thought my life was at any given moment, things could really be a lot worse.  Books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl remain some of the most powerful and eye-opening books I’ve ever read.  Shakespeare’s tragedies spoke to me in that even though they’re hundreds of years old, their themes are still just as relevant today as they were when originally penned.  And the list goes on…All of these books went from required readings to all-time favorites so I’ll send out a huge thanks to every English teacher who ever made me read a book.

 

Top 10 Books I Was Required to Read for School But Ended Up Loving

 

1. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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2. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

 

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3.  THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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4. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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5. 1984 by George Orwell

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6. OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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7. FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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8. THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE by Pat Conroy

 

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9. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding

 

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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10. THE TRAGEDIES OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Basically All of Them!)

 
 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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Question: What are some books you were forced to read for school that you ended up loving?

30 replies
  1. Sam@WLABB
    Sam@WLABB says:

    Definitely To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984 (though I liked Animal Farm better), Lord of the Flies, and I have always been a die hard romantic, so Romeo and Juliet. I took American Lit my junior year, and I actually enjoyed many of the books. One that stands out is The Assistant by Bernard Malamud.

  2. Carmen
    Carmen says:

    Great list, most of these are my faves as well. “To Kill A Mockingbird” remains my favourite modern classic, I try to read it every year.

  3. Candid Cover
    Candid Cover says:

    This is such a fun post! I loved TKAM as well. Every time I read it, I discover more details that I missed in previous reads. I would love to reread a few others that you have listed here and see where they take me. 🙂

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Same here. I love to re-read that one every year or so and I think I come across something new every time. Books like that are just so amazing.

  4. Darque Dreamer
    Darque Dreamer says:

    Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird were not my favorites. I loved Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice! I also had to read Wuthering Heights, which I loved!! I sometimes wonder if more kids would enjoy the required reading if they had a choice between several books that fit the lesson plan instead of being forced to read just one.

  5. Greg Hill
    Greg Hill says:

    I’ve never read To Kill A Mockingbird, oddly enough. Lord of the Flies we read but I don’t remember a lot of it. Fahrenheit 451 is another one I’ve never read! Hmm… I always kinda thought our English curriculum wasn’t the strongest, because it seemed like other schools read a lot more classics than we did. We did do some Shakespeare though, thank goodness,

  6. Astilbe
    Astilbe says:

    “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck was something I was surprised to love.

    As far as books on your list go, To Kill a Mockingbird was incredible. I’m so glad I was introduced to it.

    Here is our TTT

  7. Bookworm
    Bookworm says:

    Great list and yes to Anne Frank and Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet too. I also really enjoyed The Odyssey when we read it in high school as a class, something about reading it aloud together made it better. I also ended up loving Catcher in the Rye and also enjoyed Animal Farm.
    Like you say some books just really resonate. Enjoy your week!

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