Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday -- Tahleen and Lori's Favorite Classics



To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see the list of future topics click here.

Tahleen says:



1.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee--My pick is TKAM because it is just one of those really great comfort reads for me, and what better time to read it than the summer? Plus I've got the audio narrated by Sissy Spacek, which I can just throw in my car whenever I want. 








2.  
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte--I read this one in seventh grade for the first time, and even though it took me a while, I loved it. I actually read this because I read about the big twist in a different book, and it sounded good. I was right!




3.  Emma by Jane Austen--I've read almost every Austen book thanks to a Jane Austen class in college (which was awesome, by the way), and this is my favorite. I love how flawed yet lovable Emma is, and the romance is my favorite. Plus, this was the basis for the movie Clueless. (Team Josh.)







4.  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery--This remains one of my favorite books to this day. I wanted to be friends with Anne when I was growing up, and I would name different parts of my yard like Anne does. Plus, who doesn't love the Gilbert/Anne romance? I remember buying this book at the book fair in third grade and then deciding it looked too long. Then I decided to read the Great Illustrated Classic, and I remember thinking I didn't want Anne's adventures to end. So I dug out the unabridged copy and started over!


Lori says:




5.  Catch-22 by Joseph Heller--People either love or hate this book.  I think a lot of it has to do with whether they are able to follow the various strings of the plot.  This novel is full of memorable characters--even the secondary and tertiary characters are supremely entertaining.  It truly exhibits the madness of war and of blindly following orders.  I laughed and cried and applauded.  






6.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck--This novel hold a special place for me.  Steinbeck does a great job of setting the scene in Oklahoma and I think it helps explain why Oklahoma is the way it is--it never recovered from the Depression.  That said, the Joads' journey west to California is heartbreakingly entertaining.  It's hard to believe that this stuff actually happened, but it definitely did.  This one talks about the resilience of people and says a lot about the strength of women within the family.





7.  A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway--This was my first experience with Hemingway.  I really enjoy the story of this novel.  I haven't done a close reading of it--which means I really need to soon--but I can't help but get caught up in the story.  There are moments of action that make you catch your breathe and there a moments of happiness that also make you catch your breath.  Definitely need to re-read soon!




8.  The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway--This was the third Hemingway novel that I ever read.  I love reading about the 1920s ex-pat scene and this perfectly fit the bill!  It made me want to run away from home and travel around Europe.  Like The Great Gatsby, this novel also explores the emptiness of life except following ex-pats living in Europe!  It has some interesting characters.  I like how Hemingway weaves in his own experiences into his novels.  They make for a rich reading experience.





9.  East of Eden by John Steinbeck--I love this book!  Steinbeck retells the story of Genesis in this novel and also weaves in his own family's history.  He creates an overwhelming sense of place and extremely deep characters that touch your lives and wriggle their way into your mind.  Lee is one such character.  He's stayed with me for over four years.  I am partway through a re-read of this novel and am very much looking forward to picking it up again.









10.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain--I'm honestly kind of surprised that I included this novel.  I had a horrible experience in a single-author course as a junior in college and haven't been able to pick up any Twain since.  But this novel is a perfect satire!  It points out the hypocrisies in human nature.  As an outsider living within society, Huck cuts through the bs, which makes him the perfect narrator.  It's a truly American story.  And I think I can finally read it again.





These are our favorites.  What are yours?



Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly link-up in the community where we provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in on it with their own top ten list. Feel free to have less than 10 or more if you need to at times and put a spin on the topic if you need to! Just please link back to us if you are participating :)

To join, link up below with the URL to your blog POST (not your blog), your name and your email (which will remain hidden). Then bounce around the Linky!

 Emily @ Tea and Fangirling   Brin's Book Blog   Bokdamen  
 Jordin @ A Bottomless Book Bag   Jen & April @ The Starry-Eyed Revue   Alissa @ Thunked and Befuddled  
 Tara at Running 'N' Reading   Krysta @ Pages Unbound   maria helena @ marelden  
 Miss Print   Cassie   Rann @ Thick Pages  
 Common Novel   Marilyn @ Mentor's Reader   Wendy @ Book Scents  
 What Aimee Read Next   Jen @ Tangled in Books   Jess @ Curiouser and Curiouser  
 Bree @1girl2manybooks   Kaitlin @ Always Write   Liz @ Liz's Book Bucket List  
 Melissa @ Double-Stacked Bookshelves   Katherine @ Neon Yeti Reads   Alison @ Hardcovers & Heroines  
 Danya @ A Tapestry of Words   Chloe @ The Page Starts Here   Ellie @ Ellie Reads Fiction  
 Fi @ Bookish Outsider   Heather @ The Bastard Title   Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books  
 Jessica @ a GREAT read   Stephanie @ 300 Pages   Miraniel @ Of Meadowflowers and Butterflies  
 Jorie's Reads by Starry Night Elf   Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies   Crini @ All About Books  
 Lisa@ReadBreatheRelax   Denise @ The Next Read   Lynette @ Escaping Reality - One Book at a Time  
 Scarlett's Book Blog   Stephen @ This Week at the Library   Cheryl @ The Book Connection  
 AmberBug @ ShelfNotes   Alona @ Off the Wall   Suzy @ Suzy & Spice  
 Liesel @ Musings on Fantasia   Stephanie @ Bookfever   Lindsay's Library  
 Giselle @ Perks of Being a Reader   Ellie @ Book Revels   Sarika @ The Readdicts  
 Cecelia @ Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia   Nicole @ WCW   Collene  
 Elena @ Novel Sounds   A ROOM OF MY OWN   Rachel @ Bookish Rachel  
 Laurie @ Cook Scrap Craft   Tea in the Treetops   Critica @ The Critiquing Critica  
 Laura @ Scribbles & Wanderlust   Jody @ A Spoonful of Happy Endings   Amy @ Read Easy  
 Val @ The Innocent Smiley   Anna A   Erin @ Quixotic Magpie  
 Jessica @ Peace Love Books   Elizabeth @ so long and thanks for all the fish   Katie @ Words For Worms  
 Jess @ the Little Book Bunny   Emma @ Awkwordly Emma   Elena @ Bookish Temptations  
 Ali @ No Money 4 Books   Alma @ Journey Through Fiction   Carola @ brilliant years  
 The Bookworm (Norway)   Emma @ After the Book Hangover   Jazz @ Jazmin Jade Reviews  
 Kainzow @ Eye of Lynx   Casey @ Writing My Legacy   Amy @ Read a Latte  
 Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings   o @ Behold the Stars   Emily @ Strawberry Blonde Books  
 Zia Rashid @Rincón de tinta   Priscilla @ Evening Reader   Stephanie @Don't be Afraid of the Dork  
 Erin @ Serenity Books   Marianne & A Passion for Dead Leaves   Jenn @ Lost in a Great Book  
 Christina @ Allodoxophobia   Rachel @ The Blue Tulip   Megan@YA? Why Not?  
 Becca @ Lost in Thought   Sophia @ Ravens and Writing Desks   Alex @ AlexinBookland  
 Shannon @ Rex Robot Reviews   Louise @ A Strong Belief in Wicker   Christina @ You Book Me All Night Long  
 Heather & Christie @ Turning Pages   Tammy   Luna's Little Library  
 Natalie @ Natalie Hearts Books   Emma @ Hopeful Happiness   Bernadette @ The Bumbling Bookworm  
 Kate @ Too Read or Not Too Read   Ellen M @ The Canon   Elena @ Books & Reviews  
 Melissa @ i swim for oceans   Nikki @ The Bibliophibian   Alex @ BooksyDaisy  
 Bry, Fry and Carol @ Romancing the Laser Pistol   Amanda   themollyweather  
 Ricki and Kellee @ Unleashing Readers   Vonze's Reader Blog   Caitlin @ Written Between Covers  
 Krystal @ Books Are My Thing   Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs   Stacey @ Pretty Books  
 Super Librarian   Kat @ No Page Left Behind   Katy K. @a library mama  
 Ula @ Blog of Erised   Puerh Fiction   Christy @TheReaderBee  
 Breakfast at Andrea's   Anne @ Books Baking and Blogging   Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library  
 Kaja @ Of Dragons and Hearts   Alison @ The Cheap Reader   Amanda & Holly @ Gun in Act One  
 Claire and Stella @The Little Bookshelf   Ophelle   Nelly Mair  
 Farzy @ Books Keep Me Sane   April @ Between the Pages   The Fake Steph Dot Com  
 Joey @ thoughts and afterthoughts   Denise @ Life With No Plot   Cecilia @ Book Obsession  
 Jessica Lee @ A Midsummer Night's Read   D @ Lectrice Vorace   Melody @ Hollywood the Write Way  
 Rose & Julie @ Chapter Break   Nikki & Keira @ Lazy Book Lovers   JaneGS @ Reading, Writing, Working, Playing  
 Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf   Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte   Holly @ Part of that World  
 Marcilia   Tanya @ Read. Run. Study.   Chrissi Reads  
 Brigit @EscapeInsidethePages   Spines & Covers Book Blog   Marie's Reads  
 Ely @ A Book So Fathomless   Veronica @ Talking Bookworm   Keeley  
 Vicki @ Lilmissvixreads   Archita Mitra   Between Bookends  
 Lorren @ The Story Girl   Lynn @ Stuff & Nonsense   Kimmy @ Pingwing's Bookshelf  
 Andi @ Andi's ABCs   KevinReads @BetweenMyPages   Moonglint @AKernelofNonsense  
 Ashley @ Ok, Let's Read   Brandy @ Random Musings of a Bibliophile   Kinny @ Kinreadsbooks  
 Jessica @ Just Another Teen Reading Books   Genevieve @ Mrs H: Bookworm   Ana Vega  
 Amaris {amarisafloria}   Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination   Jazzie @ The Book Dancer  
 Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net   legolegislegimus   Rebecca @ The Library Canary  
 Megan Easley-Walsh   Jenny and Lesley Anne @ The Pathological Readers   Dragana @ Bookworm Dreams  
 Arianna @ Shelf Notes   Irish @ Ticket to Anywhere   Ellie @ Readingrat's  
 Melbourne on my mind   Bels @ Bookarahma   Belle @ Belle's Bookshelf  
 Cate is BACK @ RGB   Lauren   Sebastian @ Buechermonster  
 Stephanie H. @ Her Reviews...   Literary Lindsey   Becky @ No More Grumpy Bookseller  
 Rachel @ The Reading Rose   Andi @ Estella's Revenge   Amy @ Ode to Jo & Katniss  
 Kelley   czai @ the Blacksheep Project   Lindsay @ The Broke Book Girls  
 Jennifer @ YA Book Nerd   There will be books   Anna @ AnnaTheReader  
 Genevieve @ The Reading Shelf   Angelica @ Life is Reading   Pam@YA Escape from Reality  
 Mara A. @ The Reading Hedgehog   BookCupid   amanda  
 Maggie @ Mrs Doctor Dear   Kerri @ Turn the Page Reviews   Blair @ CaughtWithinPages  
 Melanie @ Ink Out Loud   Obsessive Compulsive Reader   Kimberly @ Turning the Pages  
 Marie @ Marie Loves Books   eli @ the (book) supplier   Marit - Bøgernes labyrint  
 Emilie @ The Smell of Books   Lisa is Busy Nerding   Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner  
 Erin @ Paperbackstash   Monica @ My Island of Books   Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives  
 Veronika @ Reading is dreaming with open eyes   Caitie @ Plays Well With Books   Alicia @ Awesome Book Assessment  
 Annie @ The Runaway Reader   Erin @ Raised Reading   Merin @ Read and Reviewed  
 Wendleberry @ Marvel at Words   Disappear Into Reading   Selah @ A Bibliophile's Style  
 Gabi @ Gabic Reads   Rosie // Rosie Reads   Keely @ ireaditandwept  
 Clara   Summer @ Blue Sky Bookshelf   Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard  
 Stephanie @ Chasm of Books   Anna   Morgan @Remembered Deservedly  
 Sarah @ Loving Books   Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek   HollyKerr  
 Jess & Loren @ Such a Novel Idea   Nishita's Rants and Raves   Lori  
 Kelly @ Wandering Through Books   Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity   Caitie @ Pub Writes  
 Anne & Ashley @ Lovely Literature   Noelle @ Howling at the Muse   Amy @ Read What I Like  
 Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally   Joy's Book Blog   Jaime & Erin @ Fic Fare  
 Christina @ Endless Reads   Dreams @ Once Upon A Dream Books   Genesis  
 Hannah @ Broc's Bookcase   April @ Bookishly Speaking   Kate @ Fictional Thoughts  
 Trisha @ At Least We Made It This Far...   Gretchen @ The Printed YA Word   Hannah @ Hannah Reads Books  
 Mari @ Story and Somnomancy   Kate @ Mad But Magic   Michael @ Literary Exploration  
 Erica @ Read It. Note It.   Callie @ Of Life and Literature   Caitlin @ Brains and Beauty  
 Miguel @ The Quirky Reader   Carrie-Anne's Magick Theatre   Katelynn @ Unlucky Primes  
 Justine @ paperback heart   Milka @ ReadReadRead   Jenny @ Reading on the Farm  
 Diana   Kate @ The Book Bee   Tiffany @ Beneath the Jacket Reviews  
 J.C @ Pop Arts   Jess @ Gone with the Words   Stefanie @ Bookmark'd in Bangkok  
 Casey @ The Write Words   Inge @ Bookshelf Reflections   Megan @ Leafing Through Life  
 Kathrin @ Stacked'n'Painted   Hallie @ Book by Book   Shayna @ Bibliophilia: A Love Story  
 Cameron @ Ingenue Reviews   Imogen @ The Joy of Books & Tea   Elizabeth @ Book YAbber  
 Jen @ Pop! Goes The Reader   Imogen@Gossiping with Dragons   Tessa @ Crazy for YA  
 Ellie @ Curiosity Killed the Bookworm   M @ Backlist Books   Lynn  
 islandgeekgirl @ Overflowing Bookshelves   Heather @ Crazy Antics   Megan @ Adrift on Vulcan  
 Marianne   Kathy @ We're All Stories in the End   Danica @ Rainy Tree Reader  
 Ashley @ Falling Down The Book Hole   Bella @ Ciao Bella   Caroline @ The Attic  
 Mallory @ The Local Muse   Angie @Angela's Anxious Life   Ashley  
 Fiona @The Book Voyage   Christina @ Confessions of a Book Addict   Thea @ Gizzimomo's Book Shelf  
 Helen @ My Novel Opinion   Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight   Trisha @ eclectic/eccentric  
 Lisa @ Captivated Reader   Karissa @ Hidden in Pages   Keri @ IV League  
 Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library   Lisa@Bibliophiliac   Meghann @ Becoming Books  
 Abbi @ Christian Novels   Holly   Chelsea @ Books for Thought  
 Two Moms Reading   Mark @ Mark My Reviews   Tiffany @ Avid Reader  
 The Resurgent Bookworm   Amber R. @ Bibliophillia, Please   Niki - The Obsessive Bookseller  
 Alex @ The Book Banner   Nicole & Ashley @ The Quiet Concert   EL Bates  
 Ellis @ The Random Transliterator   Henna @ Howling for Books   Elen @ A World of Reviews  
 Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase   Leah @ Girls Love To Read   Stephanie's Book Reviews  
 Kellie   Rachel @ ObsessedWithFairyTales   Annabeth  
 Jill @ Fortunate Addiction   Jessica@Lovin' Los Libros   Kim @ Silent Seas Narrow Streets  
 Monica @ Curiously Bookish   Splendibird @The Mountains of Instead   WillieSun  
 Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity   Ashley@Chronicles   Christianna @ The White Unicorn  
 Part Time Monster   Anna @ Fantastiska berättelser   Mandy @ The Reading Diaries  
 Rory @ Fourth Street Review   Tessara Dudley   Courtney @ Courtney Reads A Lot  
 Majoringinliterature   Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know   Angela @ Book Overdose  
 Stefani @ Caught Read Handed   Ekaterina   Jenn @ Give a Hoot Read a Book  
 Melissa @ Avid Reader's Musings   Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook   Jodie @ Walnut Wolf Book Reviews  
 Katja   Autumn @ Kitty Cat Reads   Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer  
 Lory @ Emerald City Book Review   Michelle @ Michelle's Minions  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)



20 comments:

  1. Great list. Anne of Green Gables is definitely one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  2. First of all, I totally agree that To Kill a Mockingbird is perfect to read during summer, but second of all - I don't even like audiobooks but I would definitely buy one narrated by Sissy! That's really cool! It's funny that the top two on this list are To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre when on my list it's Jane Eyre and then To Kill a Mockingbird; they're both such great books!

    I've yet to read Jane Austen's Emma; I've heard it's great and I'd like to give that one a try someday. I'm not really on the Pride and Prejudice bandwagon, but I've heard from others that Emma is easier to enjoy, so we'll see how that works out for me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. YES to Emma!!! I wanted to put all of Jane Austen's books on my list, but I settled for just one. :) Team Paul Rudd, for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I went much older with my definition of classics! The newest book on my list was Montesquieu's The Persian Letters, from the 18th century. My list also included some books from the ancient world, like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How did I forget the Brontes. Jane Eyre is one of my favorites!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anne of Green Gables would definitely have made my favorites list, but l listed classics I want to read, instead.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list! I grew up half-hour south of Hannibal in a little Mississippi River town, so Mark Twain has always been a fave.

    ReplyDelete
  8. great choices, I like to read the classics now and again. I especially love the language style in them. fun topic today.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jane Eyre! East of Eden!! Oh gosh, such a great list!

    ReplyDelete
  10. While it's said that a classic is a book everyone talks about but which no one has read, many of these are phenomenal reads, great stories. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is especially so..

    ReplyDelete
  11. East of Eden by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee also made my top ten list as well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great list - I really need to read East of Eden! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! I remember loving that one when I was younger...definitely need to reread it.

    Nice choices!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Excellent list! I have some of the same on mine. I can't believe I forgot To Kill a Mockingbird! I've actually never read any Bronte but I definitely want to soon!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had a bit of a break last month but I'm back with my favourite Top Ten. Since I love classics, I have really enjoyed this prompt but I've also had a problem restricting the list to only ten. Thanks for the idea.

    Marianne from Let's Read

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm listening to Emma on audible and she's such a relatable character, even when she's unlikable. I really love it so far and I'm glad to hear it's your favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tahleen - if I were to list my top 4 favorite books, your list and mine would match. I know a lot of Austen fans aren't Emma fans, but she is my favorite heroine and Emma is my favorite Austen.

    Lori - I'm rereading East of Eden this summer and cannot wait to get started! A Farewell to Arms is on my Classics Yet to Read list. I didn't read Huck Finn until just a few years ago, but absolutely loved it. I actually listened to it instead of read it, and found the dialogue much easier to deal with that way.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great lists! I love Emma and the 2009 mini-series! I am so jealous that you had a Jane Austen class! We only had a Charlotte Bronte class and Austen was rarely if ever taught in any of the classes when I was at school.
    Here's my TT

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love To Kill A Mockingbird so much! And Jane Eyre made it to my list of Classics I really want to read!

    Check out my TTT!

    Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination

    ReplyDelete
  20. But Anne's adventures don't end with Anne of Green Gables - there are eight books in the series (and I devoured them all in middle school).

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails