Tag: School Reading List

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down is one of those books that was required reading in high school, and thus has a bit of stigma attached to it for that reason alone. I’ve been thinking about rereading it for a time – for me, this was Freshman English in 2003, half my lifetime ago! I didn’t remember much about it other than a lot of discussions about allegory and metaphors, and Richard Adam’s supposed conversations about politics and society within the rabbit communities. All that made me chuckle, because re-reading it, it opened with a note from Adams about how Watership Down came about, and […]

Posted December 13, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //

TOTALLY AWESOME Assigned Reading – #TTT

So last week, I ranted like crazy about Dune. My WORST EVER assigned reading book that, despite being in my genre, I HATED WITH THE PASSION OF BURNING HELLFIRE. I am dramatic. But there are really good books that I was assigned for school reading as well. ONE OF THEM is even in my Top Ten. So, without further ado – this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the gorgeous ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Elementary School I’m going to start at the lower grades and move up, because honestly, there are some SOLID books intended for elementary school […]

Posted August 22, 2017 in Memes // 12 Comments //

THE WORST SUMMER READING EVER – or – “Dune”, My Memories

Summer reading can be THE WORST. Have you ever had a summer reading assignment for a class starting in the fall that you just HATED? Okay, so most people don’t like being told which books they MUST read, but I’ve always been a reader and picked up a lot of books willingly. Most my summer reading books (which, yes, I did do! #bibliophile) were okay books, ones that I don’t remember specifically. There is one I DO remember. Dune. It was for the Science Fiction & Fantasy English Honors class, and I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS CLASS OH MY […]

Posted August 19, 2017 in Reading // 10 Comments //

1984 by George Orwell

I think this book is better approached by an adult than a high school freshman. The philosophical undertones are much more difficult to relate to as a hopeful 14-year-old than a cynical adult. I’m glad I revisited this one. George Orwell paints a believable picture of what sometimes feels like a quickly approaching future. Characters You have three characters that really matter: Winston, Julia, and O’Brien. None of them are likable – Winston is the perfect vision of a disgruntled middle-aged man; Julia is a sex-crazed, flighty young woman; and O’Brien is a shadowy figure who is utterly deluded. While I […]

Posted February 13, 2017 in Reviews // 4 Comments //

Feed by M. T. Anderson

I simply cannot express how much I love this book. These are the reasons why: It’s a dystopian novel. I have a weak spot for dystopian novels. The characters feel real to me. Not an adult trying to write a teenager. I never doubt Titus as a character, never second-guess his motives. Perfectly crafted. The language. This is a pitfall for many people, but for me, it just ropes me in closer to the story. The questions it asks about technology and our dependence on it. And on instant gratification. I can see where this novel would be immediately […]

Posted September 6, 2011 in Reviews // 0 Comments //

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I think every child in the American school system has read this book. English teachers love it for its metaphors, and even the roughest students tolerate it for its charm. I last read this book in my tenth grade English Honors class, sitting at a table with two friends. Our teacher encouraged us to draw pictures of the things that stood out to us, and in that way, the book was made more accessible to us. I vividly remember my friends and I doodling Scout in her ham suit, and Dill with his duck-fluff hair (we were horrified that […]

Posted April 28, 2011 in Reviews // 0 Comments //