Top Ten Books I Was Forced to Read

This is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week: Top Ten Books I Was Forced to Read

1) Peter Pan by James M. Barrie-Let me explain, you guys had teachers who forced you read stuff.I had them AND I had a grandmother who was a retired English teacher. Whenever I visited her (which was often in my childhood because then she lived half an hour or so away) she would press books into my hands. Or sigh when I told her what we were reading in school and say "here, read this instead". When I told her how much I loved the loved the Disney Peter Pan, she pretty much nodded and said, "okay, then you're ready for this." When she handed me books, I was expected to read them. Luckily I loved it.

2) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll-Another Grandma made me read.

3) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott-One of the few school reads I actually liked.

4) Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling-Because if you say you've never read it, you get horrified looks from readers.

5) The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett-Grandparents read (My Grandfather, also a book reader, would occasionally conspire with Grandma and get me stuff he thought I should be reading as well)

6) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee-Was a "suggestion" from my Mother. Are you getting why I'm a reader yet?

7) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle-School read. Again, one of the few I actually liked.

8) The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis-Made to from Grandmother number two who is quite religious. I didn't notice the religious stuff till someone pointed them out to me and suddenly I knew why she had given them to me despite frowning whenever I mentioned my love of fantasy books.

9) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien-Made to by a well-meaning Middle School but naive teacher who didn't quite get that Lord of the Rings is not something for middle-school. I hated it when I first read it, but when the movies came out I went back and reread it and Lord of the Rings while in late high school and fell in utter love.

10) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi-Was a gift from Step-Grandmother who was married to Grandfather aka the co-conspirator. This is still one of my favorite historical fiction reads.