TOP TEN TUESDAY, my friend, my love, my content making tool *heart eyes* seriously if you’re not doing TTT’s you should be they’re are a great way to blog hop and Broke and Bookish have awesome prompts.
Todays TTT topic is Back To School Freebie: anything “back to school” related like 10 favorite books I read in school, books I think should be required reading, Required Reading For All Fantasy Fans, required reading for every college freshman, Books to Pair With Classics etc etc…
If you noticed my title I’ll be doing top 10 classics I’ve read. We all have to read classics in class and I’m the nerd that enjoyed them instead of watching the movie adaptation of looking up sparknotes. So let’s get into my fave classics:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, originally published in 1960.
TKAM was my first book I ever properly stole and the owner being my sister who’s not a reader didn’t even notice. I read this very young and loved Scout and Jem but it wasn’t till I reread it as a grew older was I able to really think about the themes. TKAM is still one of my faves and I try to reread it as often as I can.
The Importance of being Ernest by Oscar Wilde, originally published in 1895
OSCAR WILDE MY LOVE, I love this play, I love all his plays, I love it all. I still have my school edition that’s full of annotations. Look if you don’t think you need 1800’s sass you are mistaken:
“How you can sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless.”
“Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them.”
“I say it’s perfectly heartless your eating muffins at all, under the circumstances.”
The Little Prince by Antoine de saint, originally published in 1943
A Classic I only read last year, all the characters are wonderful, the view it gives on Adulthood is genius and too true, the simplistic way it shows them is somehow complex at the same time. A line could be interpreted a thousand different ways if you asked a 1000 different people.
Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, originally published in 1886
Another book I am dying to re-read I read this years ago and loved the moral torment and the basics of good vs evil in the one person.
“All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone, in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.”
The Diary of a young girl by Anne Frank, originally published in 1947
Who hasn’t read the story of Anne Frank? Anne’s diary is harrowing and heart wrenching, it sparked my interest in learning more about the war and had me at a young age imagining what it would be like for my to be Anne.
“Although I’m only fourteen, I know quite well what I want, I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child, I feel quite indepedent of anyone.”
Antigone by Sophocles, originally published in -441
Probably the oldest book I’ve ever read? The whole Theban plays had me hooked, I only had to read Antigone for class but I read all three because how could you not? To see a strong and willful woman in a book from -441?! To read about characters in this time period that was written in this time period! It blows my mind how books can be translated and still taught thousands of years later.
“Another husband could be found and with That husband another son. But I have no mother now. I have no father. I cannot bring another brother to the world.”
Hamlet by William Shakespeare, originally published in 1600
I adored Hamlet, seriously ghosts and tortured souls, evil plots, and so many killings?! What is there not to love, I need all the Hamlet retellings as a YA book pleasseeeee
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain. ”
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1838
Thief orphans? Seriously, thief orphans in london? Thief orphans is my favorite fantasy trope and I think my youngin mind may have fallen in love with it after reading Oliver Twist
“The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by the twopenny post, a day or two previous.”
I also have a thing for sarcastic narrators and this is wordy but has so many jems hidden inside.
I did actually have a few more I could have added to the list which is suprising as I don’t read as many classics these days, teenage me was much more educated xD I do plan on re-reading a few of these and picking up so more classics soon, they’re just SO DENSE at times I always put them off.
adoptabookaus.com 
I’m hoping to kick back into TTT, I love the prompts and it produces great content and answers! I do love blog hopping because of TTT. 😀
I was the typical person at school that usually hated required readings, especially classics. They’re just not for me. BUT, I did read The Great Gatsby at uni, and after writing a stellar essay on it, I realised how much I liked it. I wouldn’t reread it, I don’t think. I want to read Oscar Wilde, I’ve only read 1 play by him, but he’s so snarky and clever that I just can’t simply ignore him! Awesome list. 😀
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They do! Hope you can start doing them again soon 🙂
I am definitely the odd one but yes at least you enjoyed Oscar Wilde! It’s insane that commentary on society from back then can still be funny and relate-able to us nowadays, he is full of snark and sarcasm that’s so unexpected I love it too! Thank ya ❤
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The Importance of Being Earnest! Yasss!! I read that play last year for the first time having no idea what it was about beforehand, and ugh I just loved it! 😍 It was so different from what I expected, and now I want to read more Oscar Wilde (even though it’s a year later and I still haven’t…but I will!)!
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It’s so hilarious!! I’d suggest Lady Windermere’s fan for your next read as it’s just as funny and witty I was in tears reading his plays they’re so unexpectedly hilarious. I hope you love more from him when you get to it!
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Thank you for the suggestion!! I will definitely check it out!😄
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That’s amazing! Classics are hard to read. I think the only ones I’ve read were for a Humanities class I took in college!
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They can be! Some of the writing gets super dense they’re not something you can speed through 🙂
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I have two forever favorite classics, being The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas~
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oooh the three musketters! I need to read that 😀
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you really should!
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I only know ‘To kill a Mockingbird’ and looved it! I never read it at school though.
I’m from Germany so we did of course read lots of German books 😀
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The Little Prince! 💕💕 I should definitely reread it soon, it’s been a while… Also Hamlet ❤ We definitely need a YA retelling of it!
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How cool would a YA hamlet be? Ghosts and madman I would love it a lot XD I want to reread the little prince in french but my french skills aren’t up to par yet, one day hopefully!
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I came to the classics quite late – in university rather than school. Favourites include ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, and ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. Should probably wander back to them soon!
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I tried reading Jane Eyre when I was younger and couldn’t do it but I think I’ll like it now I’m older, I have it on my shelf just waiting to be in the right mood to pick it up 🙂
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Love all the books on the list!!! 🙂
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Same! How could anyone not xD
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Great pick for this weeks topic Casey. I’m not really a fan of classics, I think high school killed the genre a little for me when I was forced to read some books I couldn’t get into. I’m still a little ashamed to admit that I haven’t read any of the books on your list this week. I’ve been thinking of giving the classics genre another try, maybe I’ll enjoy it more when I’m not forcing myself through the story for my classes, but I think that’s a goal for the future rather than right now.
Again great pick for this week. 🙂
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School can make and break classics, I think I was lucky enough to have a great teacher that broke them done really well and made me love them 🙂 I def rec reading TKAM when you do go to pick something up it’s not as dense as some other classics and really amazing ❤
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For me it broke them, and not because I had a bad teacher I just don’t think I was interested in the stories, and as a mood reader that kind of killed it for me you know.
I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Thanks for the recommendation in that case! 😀 ❤
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Great post! I loved To Kill A Mockingbird. I also really loved Diary of a young Girl. I really want to reread that one. It’s been way too long since I’ve read Anne Frank’s book.
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TKAM is just so good I’m so glad you loved it too! I’ve read Anne Frank atleast twice the revised edition and the original but a reread is definitely in order for me too, I haven’t read it in like 5+ years. Thanks Ash ❤
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I tried reading Jane Eyre when I was younger and couldn’t do it but I think I’ll like it now I’m older, I have it on my shelf just waiting to be in the right mood to pick it up 🙂 !
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J’adore! This list makes me so happy– well done! And, I am proud to say, I’ve read* 8 of the classics you mentioned above! (Okay, I’ve actually only SEEN The Importance of Being Ernest performed about 6 times. That totally counts) The ones I’m missing from this list are Oliver Twist and Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde — The former I haven’t read because I’m scared I won’t enjoy Dickens. The latter I haven’t read because I can never seem to get my hands on a copy from the library! I should rectify that this year.
My favorite classics are certainly To Kill a Mockingbird (well chosen!) and Pride and Prejudice. I also love me a good Shakespeare; my favorite to read is MacBeth. My favorite to watch is A Comedy of Errors. It is much more hilarious to see performed!
Check out my TTT here
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I’ve seen earnest twice and it’s hilarious! Def recommend still reading the play Wilde is just amazing and has me laughing through all of his works xD
I read Oliver twist way to young and think most of the writing went over my head, no idea how I’d go these days the language is complex to say the least and I dont know if I have the patients anymore!
I hope your library gets a copy available soon! If not I’m pretty sure it’d only be $1 on ebook the classics are pretty cheap most of the time 😀 I haven’t actually read Macbeth! It’s one of the ones my English class didnt do so I need to read/watch it 😀
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Love “The Little Prince”. It’s a family favorite!
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! School can take in and good luck classics, I imagine I was favorable enough to ingest a outstanding teacher that broke them done really well and made me passion them 🙂 I def rec reading TKAM when you do go to weft something up it’s not as dense as some other classics and really awing ❤
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School can constitute and breaking classics, I believe I was golden enough to deliver a outstanding instructor that broke them done really well and made me erotic love them 🙂 I def rec recitation TKAM when you do go to choice something up it’s not as dull as some other classics and really astonishing ❤ And, I am gallant to articulate, I’ve read* 8 of the classics you mentioned above!
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I love the classics in particular the ones from the 1800s and earlier. Have read Don Quixote, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, Tale of Two Cities, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Les Misérables. In my bookshelf at home have nine others on my shelf. Nicholas Nickleby is next to read and will not read it till summer due to still being a college student so I don’t have time for a classic now.
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What a list! I particularly love the importance of being Ernest, it’s such a sharp and witty play. I would really appreciate it if you would check out my review it would be great to hear some feedback from someone who has read the book😊 Thank you so much..and keep up with the amazing blog
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