Books We Read In School And Actually Liked!

November 17, 2007, 4:18 AM

Any books you'd like to throw out there that were actually quite enjoyable despite the fact that the it was assigned in school?

Mine would have to be:

1.) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. At first glance, this behemoth of a paperback looks pretty intimidating but the main storyline is actually beautifully written. Despite the fact that it looks like one of those books that employs indecipherable Victorian English...it's not. Pretty enjoyable read for those who like to intersperse good social novels with romance.

2.) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Horrible read apparently, but I liked it. I don't know why, but it sounded pretty good to me.

3.) The Crucible. It's a play, but it's also a good one. Set in Salem in Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials, it shows how the effect of rumors can influence large groups of people.

November 17, 2007, 4:38 AM

To Kill A Mockingbird was rather good. What else...

Hm. That's all I can think of. I read the Crucible as well, but I didn't enjoy it much.

November 17, 2007, 12:07 PM

I read a book in school and enjoyed it?

Heh, I dunno if there is one... Unless poetry counts? The World's Wife by Carol Anne Duffy was hilarious to discuss in class.

The annoying thing is they've changed the books the younger kids have to read. Back when I was in year 7, 8 and 9 we had to read books like Z for Zacchariah (sp?), Buddy, Pride and Prejudice and Day of the Triffids. Old books. NOW, they set books like Noughts and Crosses and Knife Edge! I read those of my own accord and loved them. Darn changes. ¬_¬

Oh, and if I can include plays, An Inspector Calls was great!

November 17, 2007, 9:08 PM

I liked To Kill a Mockingbird

This year I am doing this book called In The Forest, about 3 murders which took place in Ireland by this pyschopathic dude. It's rather depressing...

November 17, 2007, 9:37 PM

The Great Gatsby - A masterpiece. At first I didn't pay attention to the story, and I was actually behind class readings. But when I finally read it wholeheartedly, I really enjoyed it, especially the characters. The movie was quite good too, but the book's better.

To Kill A Mockingbird - This book kinda made me sad. It is highly controversial, but I do appreciate the book for what it is and what it has to offer. Outstanding.

A Separate Peace - Well, this book was actually quite a bore, but I still like it, mainly because the teacher made us analyze each chapter and write down philosophical words that would help us understand the book more. It did made me think a lot.

The Scarlet Letter - Ah, one of my favorites, especially the ending of the book. Very well-written and truly a classic.

Lord of the Flies - Heh, despite the grotesque scenes that your mind pictures, I actually found the book very entertaining and kept me guessing what would happen to the those boys.

The Pearl - I actually didn't finish reading this book since I went on vacation while we were in the middle of the plot, but from what I've gathered, I can tell it was a good book as well.

There were so many more titles but I can't remember them. In all honesty, those books we read in school can be quite boring sometimes, especially if it's class reading where each person takes turns reading. But give it a chance and read by yourself in a quiet environment and you'll really appreciate them more.

...I couldn't stand Oliver Twist and Moby Dick though. =/ Frankly, I find Charles Dickens and Herman Melville's books boring, although I know they are very popular. I think I failed every quiz we had about Moby Dick, lol.

November 17, 2007, 9:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess Aighurhmnw

I liked To Kill a Mockingbird

This year I am doing this book called In The Forest, about 3 murders which took place in Ireland by this pyschopathic dude. It's rather depressing...

I was gonny say that was such a coincidence ... but then I realised who you are and that you're in my English class

I really liked To Kill A Mockingbird. In The Forest, however ... I'm not even going to pretend - I actually despise this book. I don't care that it's a true story. I don't care that Edna O'Brien has cleverly left Michen's state of mind open to interperetation. It's a horrible book - both in content and in ability to grasp my attention.

I did a personal study on Of Mice and Men and that was really good. Short, sweet and easy to write about. Thumbs waaaaaaaaaaaay up.

November 17, 2007, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitsuki

...I couldn't stand Oliver Twist and Moby Dick though. =/ Frankly, I find Charles Dickens and Herman Melville's books boring, although I know they are very popular. I think I failed every quiz we had about Moby Dick, lol.

Hahaha, oh dear. Two books which i have recently bought but not got round to reading yet

November 17, 2007, 10:26 PM

Tsk, good luck with that. Really though, those books are so damn long and boring, I couldn't keep my eyes open. The authors tend to dally every single page, and I'm like, "Get to the damn point, already!!!"

I know I did a presentation report of Oliver Twist (thank goodness the audience was just my English teacher) and oh boy, I just about embarrassed myself. Lol she could tell I skimmed through pages because she asked me questions like, "What happened when this girl blah blah blah, what did you think about that?"

I panicked and thought of something up, "Well, Oliver was...and this girl...and I think..." She looked at me and said, "Well, you need to actually read the book and pay more attention to details." That was our last day to do reports, and I didn't finish the stupid book, but had no choice but to do the report anyway, otherwise I get no points. =/

Oh well, getting embarrassed wasn't so bad. Better than having no points at all, eh? xD

November 22, 2007, 8:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riku

I did a personal study on Of Mice and Men and that was really good. Short, sweet and easy to write about. Thumbs waaaaaaaaaaaay up.

I absolutely love Of Mice and Men. I read it in 10th grade and it's still one of my favorite books.

I also enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Crucible, Heart of Darkness, The Catcher in the Rye and most of The Great Gatsby (it dragged at times). And of course, I enjoyed all of the Shakespeare plays.

I'm surprised that there are people that actually enjoyed The Scarlet Letter. I thought it was terribly boring. And Mitsuki, I agree with you about Charles Dickens. I hated his books. They were all extremely long and dull.