First I must say Happy Birthday to my little Groundhog Baby, Laken! She turns 14 years old today! Happy Birthday, Sugar Plum :)
This week's topic is:
Books Written Before I Was Born (1978)
I decided to go the route of books that I've READ that were written before I was born. At first I was at a loss. Then I dug deep and went way back to some of my childhood favorites (and not so favorites). I also added some of my high school literature reads and book report books. I was a bit of an over-achiever!
(Click on the cover to go to the Goodreads page)
One
"Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell (1936) was a book that was on my Mom and Dad's bookshelf from the time I was little. I think they were in a book club of some sort once-upon-a-time. I got bored one summer and decided to read it. Not a huge fan but it passed the time.
Two
"Eight Cousins" by Louisa May Alcott (1874) was one of my favorite books growing up. I bought it for something like a quarter at a library sale. I remember getting lost in their world :)
Three
"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (1868) was another world that I lost myself in. I loved Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and especially LAURIE...sigh :)
Four
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen (1813) was another book that was on my parents' bookshelf. This time I believe it was part of a Reader's Digest Collection. I read it at a pretty young age and fell in love with the Regency Era. I love it to this day!
Five
"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen (1811) was in the same Reader's Digest Collection as "Pride and Prejudice". After reading P&P, I had to read more by Jane Austen even though I didn't understand everything that was written. In my opinion, there's no better way to learn new words than to come across them while reading.
Six
"The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton (1967) was an assigned book for my 7th Grade Reading Class. I loved the book AND the movie. I was so happy when my 8th grade daughter read it for her Literature Class last semester!
Seven
"The Odyssey" by Homer (-800) was a high school Literature Class assignment. I remember learning all about the legends and mythical creatures and heroes. This wasn't my favorite read ever, but I made it through...
Eight
"Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy (1891) was a book I picked up at the school Library to read for a Book Report my senior year. It was quite lengthy (if I remember correctly) and I remember cramming the last few chapter in during the bus ride to school the day the report was due!
Ten
"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London (1903) was the next book I picked up to read for a Book Report. After "Tess", I needed something a little bit "easier" to read. It was a go-to Book Report book for the guys in my class so I knew I could breeze through it. Whew!
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Please leave a comment with the link to your Top Ten Tuesday post so I can return the visit :)
P.S. I'd love for you to stop by MY SHOP and give it some love!
I used to tell people that Gone with the Wind was a favorite book. Now I wonder if the way slaves were characterized discredits it. A kind of love affair with the confederacy. My TTT list
ReplyDeleteI'll be by! Thanks for visiting :)
DeleteI've read a few of these in my younger years, but I think Gone with the Wind definitely didn't age well.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely wasn't one of my favorites.
DeleteGone With The Wind I haven't read. Sense and Sensibility I'm tempted to read since I liked the movie adaptation with Emma Thompson.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Outsiders movie growing up. :)
We were able to get the movie for my daughter to watch after she read the book with her class. I love how she compared the book to the movie!
DeleteSo many great choices here, Little Women is a particular favourite of mine!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI've never read The Odyssey.
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday.
It was not fun...
DeleteGone with the Wind is on my long-term TBR, I want to read it eventually. Happy reading! :D My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/books-written-before-i-was-born-the-classics-edition/
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have a long-term TBR. I'm a mood reader and never know what I'm going to read next.
DeleteI read all of these. I remember slogging through Beowulf. Not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteMine either!
DeleteGreat list! Love loads of these, especially the Jane Austens. It's a shame Gone with the Wind is so racist because I really loved the writing style, it's a proper page turner.
ReplyDeleteI read it so long ago and at such a young age (early teens) that I don't remember much about it. I do remember not really like Scarlett though.
DeleteLoved both Little Women and Pride and Prejudice!
ReplyDeleteSo did I!
DeleteI really need to read something by Louisa May Alcott.
ReplyDeleteYou came up with a great list! Some of my favorite classics are on it. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a pretty substantial list. I watched Gone With the Wind movie years ago and hated it. lol. I don't think I could ever force myself to read the book. I just read Little Women last year and it was just okay for me. Loved Pride and Prejudice!! I need to read more Austen though!
ReplyDeleteI think I've read everything by Jane Austen except for Persuasion.
DeleteI've read about half of these. LITTLE WOMEN and GWTW were both on my list today since I love them. I've been trying to convince my 16yo son, who's not much of a reader, to pick up CALL OF THE WILD. He loved the movie with Harrison Ford and I think he would really like the book. He just needs to TRY it!
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
I think he'd enjoy Call of the Wild. I think every guy in my high school English class read it for book reports. Sometimes, I wondered if they actually read it!
DeleteI also need to read Little Women and Gone with the Wind! Great list!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my TTT!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Read Little Women. Skip GWTW...
DeleteI've read all but The Call of the Wild. And happy birthday wishes!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We had a good day :)
DeleteAll great choices!! I still need to read Tess, but hopefully I'll get to it someday! <3
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun to read the memories attached to each of your picks this week. I especially love that you pulled books off your parents' bookshelf to read -- so precocious. When I looked at my parents' shelves I was just bored on sight, even though they definitely had Little Women and Jane Austen novels on there. But they did get me my own copy of Little Women with a more appealing, e.g. not plain clothbound, cover, and I adored it as much as you. Laurie is Dreamy to this day :)
ReplyDeleteI never did read any other L.M. Alcott books; lucky that you happened upon Eight Cousins young.
Call of the Wild (along w/ White Fang) is another one I've loved since I was a kid. And while I haven't read The Outsiders personally, but I appreciate S.E. Hinton's general contribution to literature and I'm happy to hear that one is still being used in schools.
I haven't thought about The Call of the Wild in years! Definitely the go-to for book reports for the guys in my class, too.
ReplyDeleteSense & Sensibility is one of the 2 Jane Austen books I haven't read (the other is Mansfield Park). Pride & Prejudice was on my list too
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list of classics! I am hoping to read Eight Cousins this year! I LOVED Little Women and would love to read more Louisa May Alcott. I also hope to read more Thomas Hardy as well!
ReplyDeleteElena
https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/