Top Ten Picks: Books You Have To Read At Least Once

Top Ten Picks is a new meme hosted by Jillian @ Random Ramblings
This week the topic is books you have to read at least once. If you would like to participate, post your top ten and link up at Jillian's blog.

Lesa's Picks

Okay, so by now you know I need self-limiting parameters. For this list, these are a few of the books that impact the way I view the world. None are beloved books but I have read each one 3-4 times over the years. Extremely thought provoking and should absolutely be required reading for everyone. Actually, they were required reading in my highschool in the 80's. Hope they still are.

1. 1984 by George Orwell

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

3. Diary of Anne Frank

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

These books taught me to be very wary of propaganda and to never take my rights and freedoms for granted.

And that is all for now... did anyone faint from shock? ;D

Actually, DeLynne and/or Izzy might add their picks to this list to make it a top ten or twelve. Would be interesting to compare/contrast our three perspectives, don't you think. If they can't participate this time around, I may add a few more.

DeLynne's Picks
I hesitated to participate, because it seems presumptuous, me telling you what you MUST read instead of what I've liked. So my picks are pretty universal, big-picture items.

5. The Bible. Even if you are not a Christian, it is important to be familiar with this canon of literature and understand what the majority of Westerners are on about. It's got some great stories that relate to our modern lives and has given us some words, even. Has anyone used the word 'babel' lately, for example? It's from Genesis 11. I'd like to read the Torah and the Koran, too.

6. Shakespeare. Get yourself some Cliff Notes or similar and dive in. The man was a genius: he gave us so much.



7. The Dictionary. One of my kids recently pointed out that most families don't consult the dictionary during dinner. It's a shame, I tell you, a shame! I wouldn't presume to tell you which one to get, but I've long loved my Oxford Australian Pocket Dictionary. And by the way, I've never had a pocket big enough to fit it!



8. If you are a girl, you really must read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The riches to rags to riches plot just never gets old. I absolutely loved it. I imagined I was Sara, all bundled up in a carriage wearing beautiful clothes or all noble and proud as a servant girl. Too good!

Ok, that leaves two must reads for Izzy. I wonder what her number one will be?

Izzy's Picks

Dear bloggers,
I have been asked to contribute two books to a list of must-reads. It was a bit of a challenge (well, one of them) and I found myself very puzzled as to knowing what I did and didn't like. I finally came to a conclusion.

9. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
If you want to understand being Australian, you need to understand this book. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie are two gum nut babies who flee from their home to have an adventure. They spend most of the book scantily clad in nothing but a leaf, dodging the many obstacles of Australian bush life. I love this book so much, I have a little badge I wear on my school tie of them on a leaf. I am not sure as to whether the dress code requires personal badges on the school tie to be clothed, but I'm sure I will find out soon.


10. ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
Well, this one isn't much of a surprise. I have strongly expressed my feelings towards this book in my previous posts and I figured you would have guessed that I like it. There is not much I can say, except that you absolutely have to read it because Lewis Carroll changed literature as we know it. I mean, forget about Shakespeare, read ALICE!

xx.

There you have it folks! An eclectic list of top ten books you have to read at least once based on three perspectives. Do you agree or disagree with our choices? Any others you would recommend?