17 Sept 2016

A BOOK I SHOULD HAVE READ IN SCHOOL

I've all but completed the three reading challenges I set myself this year  though I have yet to read my sixth book of 600+ pages for Kelly's Tome Challenge or find something for 'a book recommended by your librarian/book seller?' and 'A book you should have read at school' for the 2016 Reading Challenge which brings me to this post.

Hmm, wide open to interpretation. Should I have gone for Animal Farm by George Orwell? I read 1984 for my O' Level English Literature course but Animal Farm has always 'spoken' to me in a way that 1984 never did. OR how about The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien which I know many of my contemporaries (Mr T included) read in primary school?

Thankfully the GoodReads' page on FaceBook came to my rescue with this, its ....


'16 "Assigned-Reading" Books You Loved in High School
(Of which the books I have read are in bold, those we have copies of in red)

  1. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger
  2. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 
  3. Beloved by Ton Morrison
  4. A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 
  6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  8. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
  9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  10. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  11. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  12. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
  13. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
  14. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  15. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
  16. The Good Earth By Pearl S Buck.
Ooh, decisions, decisions! Eventually I decided on a The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.

What about you, have you read any of these 16, if so which would you recommend? 

Any other books you read at school that you'd recommend?

8 comments:

Kelly said...

I'm please you chose the Pearl S. Buck novel. I've never read it and it's been suggested as a future book club choice at some point. I'll be interested to know your thoughts.

I know I've read at least four on the list and have several of them (a couple not read) on my shelf. Some of them I can't remember if I read them, just read an excerpt in school, only saw the movie version, or just 'think' I read them. I guess I'm getting old. ;)

It's been decades, but I do remember enjoying 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

Brian Joseph said...

Though my memory might me a little shaky, I think that I was only assigned to read two of these, Catcher in The Rye and Macbeth. in school. It is possible that there might have been one or to two others.

In any case I have read ten of these books and would like to read them all. I would recommend every one that I read. If I had to pick a favorite from this list, it would be Macbeth.

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I've read 8 of them (most in my school days). For pure entertainment I'd recommend Brave New World or The Outsiders.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I've read...

1. The Catcher in the Rye (for fun)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (for school)
3. The Outsiders (for school and then for fun!)
4. Brave New World (for fun - LOVE IT)
5. Lord of the Flies (for school)
6. The Picture of Dorian Gray (For fun)
7. Macbeth (for school)

-Lauren

Suko said...

Tracy, I've read many of these, in school and elsewhere. The first one I read in junior high school, The Lord of the Flies, and for that reason it had a great impact on me (plus we had an excellent teacher who discussed the themes in-depth). Your list is wonderful! I hope I don't sound like a book snob, but these are classic books that should be read. I haven't read The Good Earth but hopefully I'll follow your lead before too long!

Anonymous said...

You have to read Pride and Prejudice!! I don't know how many times I have read it now (I got it as a prize for English in 3rd year). Forget all about Colin Firth and that ridiculous scene diving into the lake ...... Mr Darcy would never, ever have done that!

Charlie said...

I've read The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Macbeth and Lord of the Flies. I wouldn't have recommended anything I read at school until just recently - I like Far From The Madding Crowd very much now!

Yanting Gueh said...

I read The Good Earth when I was fourteen. Loved it. Hated some parts of it (not the storytelling but how a certain character was treated). I've read Catcher in the Rye and Macbeth. Excellent choices!