Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was "Forced" to Read

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Books I Was "Forced" to Read

Hmm, it's really really hard to force me to read something, because I'll probably want to read it anyways. But there were books I wouldn't have thought about reading if it weren't for school turning me on to those books. Some I picked up after a librarian or teacher commented on them, and others I read for class. So here they are! 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I had to read this one for my AP Lit class in high school and I absolutely LOVED the story. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise, so I'm incredibly happy that my class required us to read this one. 

Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoevsky 

Another AP Lit read. There's something about the Russian authors that is so intimidating, but this book was so interesting! I ended up really liking the story and I couldn't put it down. 

1984 by George Orwell

Taking AP Lit was probably one of the best decisions I ever made for my literary life! I think this is the last one I read for that class, and it was definitely not what I was expecting at all. The world Orwell created was so bizarre and I loved reading it. 

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld 

I remember our librarian giving us a talk in middle school about books to pick for our free choice and she had Uglies in her hand and talked about the premise. After her little summary, she said whoever wanted any of the books she talked about to come on up to the front. Right when she finished, I raced to the front to check out that book for my free read. I ended up loving the book and Scott Westerfeld became one of my favorite authors. 

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Yes, Twilight. My class had taken a trip to the Columbus Metropolitan Library where the librarians had tons of book on display to share with us. One of the librarians raved about Twilight, a couple of months before it became super popular. I was really intrigued by the book and once I got home, I went to my own library and checked out a copy. And I loved the book. The series went downhill from there, but it was really enjoyable before the movies ruined everything. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

At school I decided to start a Jane Austen book club because I loved Jane Austen but had no time to read her. There's no motivation to read a book like a book club. The second book we read was Pride and Prejudice and it is by far my favorite book by her. I'm so happy I finally took the time to read it!

Frankenstein by Marry Shelley

I took an English class on Romanticism and we had to read Frankenstein at the end of the semester. It was not at all what I was expecting, but definitely in a good way. Frankenstein's monster is such a complex creature and it was interesting following its story. 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

I actually had to read this novel two different times for two different classes. I had to read it my sophomore year in high school and my freshman year in college. I definitely enjoyed it so much more the second time around, and really liked the book. If it wasn't for the second read, though, I probably wouldn't have the appreciation I have for it today. 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Another Jane Austen for book club! This was the first book we ever read for the club and it was so much better than I was expecting. I loved Anne and Wentworth so much!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I had to read this one for my Victorian Literature class last semester, and it was so good! I had no idea what the story was going to be about, but boy that ending! I loved coming to class and talking about the novel. I didn't even mind that I had to take a final exam on it (okay, I did mind, but at least I liked the material I was being tested on!). I'm so happy I had a chance to read this one in that class.