Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is Back To School/Learning Freebie! Now, for some people that might mean yay cute new supplies new clothes new self I’m so excited, but let’s be real, I’m not all about that. In fact, I’m probably going to be slow at responding to comments on this post because (yay me) I just started school and am probably buried under hours of homework from 6 AP classes. So anyways, since I have zero positive feelings about school, I’ve decided to be negative and list Required Reading That I Hated.
Warning: may contain unpopular opinions xD These are mostly very beloved classics and I’m about to bash on them to get my feelings out about back to school ❤ ❤
1. The Crucible. This was just painful to get through. All the girls were so annoying uGH. Also it doesn’t help that my stupid English teacher was pretty much obsessed with this book and wouldn’t shut up about it so we fell way behind other classes and had extra homework to compensate.
2. Huckleberry Finn. Can anyone enjoy this book if they’re constantly translating Jim? Also I didn’t realize we had weekend homework at first so I didn’t even read Ch 1-9, I just read the SparkNotes version in 30 mins at lunch (THX FRIEND WHO TOLD ME ABOUT THE QUIZ) and still pulled a solid C even though I didn’t read #proud
3. The Killer Angels. If anyone knows what happens in this book that’s cool because I have literally no idea. What did I even read? All I remember was that my English teacher was obsessed with one of the guys but I literally don’t remember who so whatever.
4. A Tale of Two Cities. AKA, the book I love to hate because it’s a monster and sucked all the joy from my life and I hate it very much. Anyone who actually likes this book is not to be trusted. I will warn everyone against Dickens with my last dying breath.
5. The Catcher in the Rye. Look, this entire book is just Holden whining and angsting about his life with no development and no plot. I can whine and angst about my life just fine I don’t need to read about someone else doing it.
6. Island of the Blue Dolphins. AKA the first required novel I ever read back in fourth grade and I thought it was so pointless this random girl just wandering around the island all alone. Idk I might actually like it now lol but I didn’t then and I have no urge to reread.
7. Fahrenheit 451. AHAHAHA that one class where my English teacher was annoyed with this one kid for not doing his reading so she was like “everyone who hasn’t done their reading, go outside” and then everyone except 5 people (out of like 30) left xD SO FUNNY #exposed
8. Beowulf: A New Telling. I think this is the abridged version or something because I read it in middle school but, I mean, pretty everyone (myself included) hated it sooo. The best part is this cover tho because ROBERT NYE dares to stand up to GRENDEL!!!
9. Journey To The Center of the Earth. I read this entire thing in like two days before the end of the trimester in seventh grade and it was truly miserable. The ending is the worst part.
10. Romeo and Juliet. Honestly, I don’t understand why people like this. Juliet is 13. And it seems like everyone in the bookish community hates instalove but is there a single book that’s more instalove than this one? They meet and get married the next day. They kill each other over love after less than a week. AND the plot is so stupid and if Juliet would have just shut up and not monologued before fake killing herself she would have woken up like five minutes earlier and nobody would have died JUST SAYING.
AHH I HATE TO SAY IT BUT THIS LIST WAS SO FUN TO WRITE seriously it’s so much easier to be negative than positive it’s horrible really but reading these books has been truly miserable and I want all the hours of my life back thank you very much.
Also there are all the stats that are like “teens don’t read” and stuff like that, and I know this is true from all of my friends and peers, but really, when you consider the crap they make us read in high school, it’s no wonder teens don’t read. Maybe if they gave us books that didn’t suck more people would be interested JUST SAYING.
Out of all of these, I’ve only read Beowulf, which I have pretty bad memories of because it was the first long quiz I failed in my life. 😭 But the story wasn’t too bad. I just had made a mistake in enumerating the sequence of story events, which caused a domino effect on the rest of my answers. Damn.
Anyway, this is such an interesting take on the prompt!
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Oh gosh I hate those domino effect fails 😭😭 consider yourself lucky to not have read the others haha! Thanks 🙂
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My final grade wasn’t too bad, though! But yeah, domino effect fails are just so awful.
* TTT: 10 spreadsheet hacks to step up your blogging game
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I didn’t enjoy The Crucible that much either. I had such high hopes for it because I had read another play by Arthur Miller and absolutely adored it, and just the premise of this one seemed definitely up my alley but it was didn’t meet my expectations whatsoever. The plot was just so bland and the characters were so boring that I just still can’t believe that this is the play people endlessly rave about?
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Agh I had the lowest of low expectations for it and was still dissapointed haha.
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Did you actually LIKE any required books in school? It seems like your list goes all the way back to middle school. School related TTT
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It goes all the way back to elementary school lolll. I have probably just as many books that I liked as the ones on this list, but it’s so much easier to be negative haha.
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Definitely agree with you on Huckleberry Finn, but, surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye. Fun topic.
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Haha that was one of the less hated ones xD
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OHMYGOD I was in literature when I went to college so our entire program was based on reads like this…granted some I did enjoy like not ALL shakespeare sucked and I liked Austen. But I barely got through 1984 and this is coming from someone who loves Dystopic xD Loved this list and completely agree! I’ve always been curious about Catcher in the Rye, it’s the one book we never got around to (luckily?) LOL your comment though!
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Haha 🙂
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Brilliant list! I read The Catcher In The Rye when I was outside of school and I just didn’t get it. I still don’t. I don’t get why it’s so loved!
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Right!!
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Hahaa love this theme! I had to study the Crucible 3 times throughout school & college 😩😩
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Ugh that sounds like deathhhh
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I liked Tom Sawyer but had trouble with Huck Finn, not even sure why since it’s been a while, but yeah. Journey to the Center of the Earth- I’ve seen the old movie but never read it. Romeo and Juliet bored me to tears in Lit class.
I loved reading your commentary on these. 🙂
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Thanks 🙂
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I hated Catcher in the Rye when we had to read it for school too! I felt the same about Holden!
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Ugh haha
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Love you take on the topic and I totally agree on some of these books, my teacher made us read an Arthur Miller as well and it was so weird and the girls were awful in that one too. Suffice to say I will not be picking up Crucible.
My list: https://bookslifeotheroddities.wordpress.com/2018/08/28/top-ten-female-book-characters-in-stem/
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Ugh definitely don’t recommend Crucible haha
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I haven’t read any of these, but I hated pretty much everything I had to read in school as well. We had to a different Arthur Miller at school and it was also awful, I think that might be a theme with his plays!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/08/28/top-ten-tuesday-174/
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Aggghhhh!
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Yeah Arthur Miller, torturing students for decades!
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I’ve never read Tale of Two Cities, but I think there’s a reason Dickens is so celebrated! I read Great Expectations in high school and while I didn’t love it then, as an adult I’m so glad we are exposed to his works. The only other one I’ve read is Romeo and Juliet and while I agree the plot would be weird by today’s standards, again Shakespeare was very ahead of his time and a gifted writer. I love this list, but just thought I’d add my thoughts!
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Maybe there’s a reason people like Dickens but making high school freshmen read him is basically death haha…maybe leave the denser works till later? I’m glad someone at least didn’t feel like killing themselves by reading him haha
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Sometimes we just need to hate. I hope you are having an okay start to the new school year. ❤
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woilesjfkdapslekfjwaioslekjrfwoiasldkjf
🙂
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the only required reading I’ve had to do for school was Macbeth and The Hunger Games, so I definitely got off easy!! I don’t think I could have finished half those books – good on you for doing so!
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You did!!! Wish I could read Hunger Games in school!!!
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Sorry you didn’t enjoy these. I hope you’ll enjoy more required reading in the future. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday
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Thanks 🙂
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I AGREE. Honestly, all I ever have to read for school are “classics” and THERE’S NO CHOICE WHATSOEVER. Your list is awesome, I really do think Romeo and Juliet is overrated! I do think school books are the reason teenagers don’t read. If I didn’t know good books existed, I wouldn’t want to read either! Haha, that was a rant, I’m sorry😅 Great post, as always!!
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ITS SO ANNOYING!!!! Love your rant haha ❤
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Hahaha, this is a funny list this week.
I liked Island of the Blue Dolphins. Maybe because it wasn’t required reading. We read it with our kids.
Sorry you have no positive feelings about school. That sux. I prefer summer myself (more time to read) but I can’t say that I hate it (although I’m not a student… I teach a couple hours a week and teach my boy).
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I imagine teachers like school more than students since they choose to teach while students are forced to attend school LOL. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
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I actually really liked the Crucible, but I think it’s mainly because my teacher made the discussions really interesting. I haven’t read any of the other books on this list, but some of them are on my “probably will never read” list
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Haha I defintiely don’t recommend
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I’m a firm believer that any book they force you to read is gonna become one of your most hated, like, no one wants to be told what to read and a book is such a personal experience that you can’t expect kids to enjoy whatever old book you throw at them
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YES
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I did love The Crucible but I know I’m in the minority. I definitely got some flack for it from my friends! Romeo and Juliet is definitely overrated and I don’t understand why it is the chosen one out of all of Shakespeare’s works to be studied the most in school. I enjoyed studying Macbeth way more.
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R&J is the only Shakespeare I’ve read so far; I dodged a bullet on Macbeth and was the first year it wasn’t required reading last year haha. It’s pretty hated at my school but that’s mostly because of the unfair teachers giving out impossible quizzes where smart straight A students regularly got Fs… glad you enjoyed it though 🙂
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Oooooh don’t get me started on how much I hated Catcher in the Rye :’)
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woiaesljdfwoaislekdjfoasidklfjas[e9pdofljkfwoaeisfdjlkzm that book
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We don’t have to do required reading where I live, we only read one book through my school life. i read some of those books and some I know I won’t enjoy so it must feel bad to force students to read a certain thing!
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Ah that’s so lucky!!
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A Tale of Two Cities is one of my sisters favorite book and she has been trying to get me to read it for years. I finally purchased it, but haven’t read it yet. Great list.
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Your sister must not be human haha idk how any actual person can enjoy that monster… thanks 🙂
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We all have classics that were required in school that we disliked intensely… Canterbury Tales was one I didn’t enjoy at all.
Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week: https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2018/08/top-ten-tuesday-back-to-schoollearning.html
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Ugh definitely won’t be looking to read that one
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It sounds like you’ll be caring around your dislike for these titles for a good long while. I think my least favorite book I read in school was Jane Eyre, but it was so long ago, I kind of want to find out if I still feel the same way reading it today. Would you ever consider giving any of these another shot?
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Considering how much I hated these books probably not haha…too many amazing books on my TBR to spend time with these guys!! There are a few books from school that I liked and would reread though 🙂
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That’s very practical of you 🙂
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Agreed. I always wondered if I hated books I was required to read because I was forced to. It could really be that the book sucked but who knows… could be a bit of both! lol
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For sure!
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I love your topic! I had such issues with 99% of my required reading too. Ugh, Arthur Miller. Both The Crucible AND Death of a Salesman. I also did way, way too much Shakespeare. I think it just killed it for me. 1-2 plays every year, I think less might be more at that age.
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UGHHH plays what is it about plays that are just torture haha
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I remember liking Island of the Blue Dolphins haha but don’t remember anything about the book! Thats a great point, I agree, that if you gave teens more interesting books they might actually read more!
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For sure!
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Beowulf is seriously the worst! We had to read that over the summer and it was such a struggle! We didn’t have to read A Tale of Two Cities, but we did have to read Great Expectations and that was painful to get through as well.
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