Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Required Reading

Amanda @Cover2CoverMom

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Hello and welcome to my Top 5 Wednesday post!

T5W is a weekly meme is hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes.  You can visit the Goodreads T5W group for more info.

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This week’s theme is…

July 13th: Books You Wish Had Sequels
— Standalones that you wish had a sequel or the last book in the series that you wish wasn’t the last

Yeah I was not feeling this week’s theme, so I decided to do a past T5W theme.  I’m going to throw it back to August, way before I started blogging…

August 12th – Favorite Required Reading*

* Required reading is a book that you were assigned to read while you were in school. I’m from the USA, so for an example, that would be required reading anywhere from elementary school – college.

I decided to stick to the books that were required reading for me when I was in high school, which I just realized was 11 years ago… holy crap I’m old.  Excuse me why I go ugly cry for a minute….

First off, I would like to start off by saying that I was very fortunate to have AMAZING English teachers in high school.  When it comes to required reading, I really think the teacher can make all the difference in the world in whether or not the students enjoy the book.  I really do credit my love for the classics to my wonderful teachers.  Unfortunately, many students are not so fortunate.

» The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Amazon • Goodreads

The old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” has never held so true as it does for The Great Gatsby.  I guarantee whoever designed this iconic cover was on an acid trip at the time.  Ugly cover aside, this is such a timeless novel.  There is something about the Jazz Age of the 1920’s that is so sexy.

» The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

41aQPTCmeVL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_Amazon • Goodreads

This is probably the only high fantasy book I’ve ever read.  I remember reading this my freshman year of high school and being completely swept into Middle-earth.  Ironically enough, I tried to read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and failed.  The Fellowship of the Ring was super boring.

» The Crucible by Arthur Miller

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Salem witch trials.  Enough said.

» East of Eden by John Steinbeck

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Amazon • Goodreads

East of Eden is, in my opinion,  one of the most underrated classics.  I really do think this book is a literary masterpiece.

» Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

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Amazon • Goodreads

This is one of my favorite books of all time.  Intelligent and independent female lead? Check!  Complicated romance?  Check!  Crazy plot twist?  Double check!

What were some of your favorite required reads in school?

Published by Amanda @Cover2CoverMom

Amanda is a 33 year-old who was born and bred in Ohio. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children aged 14 and 7. She is a part-time youth services librarian and currently pursuing her MLIS. When not juggling family, work, and grad school, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and fitness.

20 thoughts on “Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Required Reading”

    1. It was indeed absurd. HOWEVER from my understanding of the 1920’s, it was an era of excess, loose morals, instant gratification, recklessness, etc etc. I think the era was absurd in and of itself… I think it’s one of those plots that was a little farfetched in the sense that all the stars had to align perfectly in order for it to transpire the way it did…but that didn’t really take away my enjoyment of the story. I’m a sucker for the whole tragic romance thing 😅

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  8. We studied a real mix of contemporary and classic titles in high school. I think my favourite was doing a paired text study of Frankenstein with the film Blade Runner! Also really enjoyed King Lear, To Kill a Mockingbird ad Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights.

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    1. For some reason this comment got sent to my spam folder! Sorry for not replying! Frankenstein is such a timeless book, it is definitely one of my favorite classics. I never read King Lear or Northern Lights. I enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, but it isn’t one of my favorite classics… I wonder if I need to do a re-read now that I’m older?

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