Have you ever had assigned reading for the summer?

[hiccupleftovers]

^Topic^

Edited: .......and if so what?

[RedvsBlue]

I've had suggested readings. Hell, who am I kidding I never did any readings in junior or senior high and I haven't in the past 3 years of college either. Still have a high B average, even made dean's list last semester.

[Dead of Knight]

All through high school. I had to read SEVEN books this summer plus 10 poems because I am going to be in senior AP English.:(

[SneakyPenguin]

I had a choice, and I chose Shogun. 1200 pages.

[alongx]

Every year in HS, I had to read 1 a year for 2 years of regular english, 2 books for my year of honors english, and 3 for my AP english class. i also had to do summer reading for AP history and i think i did for AP psych. And when I was an RA at school, the motherless f'ers in charge of training us forced us to read books before our training started.

[hiccupleftovers]

What were they Dead of Night? OH, I guess I should have posted this earleir (forgot) I had this year Le Morte D'Arthur (about 1100 pages), Les Miserables (don't remember how many) The Count of Monte Cristo (don't remember), All Quiet on the Western Front (Ibelieve about 300-500 pages), Don Quixote (don't know), The Art of War (don't know) and A Clockwork Orange (about 200 pages).

[Tennisjon2002]

I have 100 pages of reading for AP US History and a test the first day of school on it

[Tespo125]

This year:

"Frankenstein" and "The Statement" for English 4 H.
"The Right Stuff" for Physics

I also had to draw 25 compositions for Art 4 AP.

My first day is tomorrow, I bought "Frankenstein" 2 days ago, still need to read it. Still need to get the other two books and read them. Still need to draw 24 compositions.

What ever shall I do???

[deathcabforcutie]

we had to read 2 books this summer (going into my sophomore year) the hobbit and something else.. didnt read either.

[hiccupleftovers]

You have to read the Hobbit. that is such a good book, parts of it are boring and seem to take forever but once the action starts to happen than its easy reading (if you can get passed all of the weird words.) Oh and the beginning is quite boring with the long expected party or whatever.

[bignick]

I never did any summer reading. Fuck that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. Fuck that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

[hiccupleftovers]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

I think that's why most of us hated/ don't enjoy it like we should.

Nobody likes to be forced to do anything.

[Dead of Knight]

Ok, due to great demand ;), here's what I read:
Freshman English I Honors- Some lame semi-religious book since it was a private school; it sucked so I forget what it was

Sophomore English II Honors- A Raisin in the Sun (yes, the P. Diddy play) But I didn't read it since I had already read it for freshman English. Sophomore year I was back in public school since the private school sucked
Sophomore US History I Honors- Profiles in Courage

Junior English III Honors- 1984
Junior US History II Honors- The Greatest Generation

Senior English Language & Composition AP:
Snow Falling on Cedars
Cold Sassy Tree
The Secret Life of Bees
King Lear
Elements of Style
+10 poems by a selection of authors (pick 1 author, read 10 poems by the author)
Senior Economics Honors: The Road Ahead (by Bill Gates)
Senior Psychology Honors: Darkness Visible

:cry:

[Tespo125]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

Amen. In elementary school we had this program where if you read an entire chapter book and get your teacher to sign a little slip, you got a free personal pan pizza. I used to love reading when I was rewarded for it. In middle school I read because I was forced. Now in high school I don't read even though I'm forced to. Now all I do is go to gradesaver.com or pinkmonkey.com or cliffnotes.com or sparknotes.com. I guess maybe when I graduate this year I'll start reading again because I won't have teachers on my ass about it.

[bignick]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

I think that's why most of us hated/ don't enjoy it like we should.

Nobody likes to be forced to do anything.

Ya, I read a lot in 8th grade because we got to chhose our books. I rad every Star Trek TNG book! Then high school made us read certain books. Some people just dont think with that side of the brain!

[thatstoobad]

i was supposed to buy a book and read it the summer before my senior year biology class. if i remember correctly, i was the only person in the class who never read it. actually, i never really bought the book at all.

i remember that the teacher asked a few questions about it the first week of class, but after that it was never mentioned again. so basically everybody but me wasted time and money by reading it, which was kind of funny.

i would tell you what the book was, but as you may have guessed i have no idea.

[hiccupleftovers]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

I think that's why most of us hated/ don't enjoy it like we should.

Nobody likes to be forced to do anything.

Ya, I read a lot in 8th grade because we got to chhose our books. I rad every Star Trek TNG book! Then high school made us read certain books. Some people just dont think with that side of the brain!

that brings back good memories. I remember in my 8th grade class that the only book we were forced to read was A MidSummer Night's Dream, but after that we were basically free to read whatever we wanted as long ti was a chapter book and wasn't pornographic or anything like that. I read every Star Wars book that year.

[OILYWATER]

Haven't been in high school since '95 though I remember having to read Les Miz. Got it on books on tape.

[captainfrizo]

I never had summer reading in junior high or high school. My freshman year at college I had to read Power Lines by Jason Carter. I haven't had summer reading since then.

[epobirs]

This year:

"Frankenstein" and "The Statement" for English 4 H.
"The Right Stuff" for Physics

I also had to draw 25 compositions for Art 4 AP.

My first day is tomorrow, I bought "Frankenstein" 2 days ago, still need to read it. Still need to get the other two books and read them. Still need to draw 24 compositions.

What ever shall I do???

'The Right Stuff' for Physics? Did they also suggest 'Hannibal' for Home Economics?

I've never understood when reading dinky little novels like 'Frankenstein' is treated like such an onerous task. It's a one-nighter.

[epobirs]

I spent a lot of time ditching school in the 8th grade. I soon learned that the local library was the one place they'd never look for a truant kid and the librarians felt no compulsion to rat me out since they knew I actually doing more reading there than any of my classmates were in school or at home.

By the time I was ditching high school I'd already read anything they might have assigned and could usually discuss it better from memory than the teacher.

This made me much more annoying than the typical illiterate dropout.

[Graystone]

summer school othello

[fireball343]

nothing for 7th or 8th but they gave us a choice for 9th i went enders game, it's kinda like the halo books only lamer. i still have 40 pages left, i had to read 200 pages of it in the past two days, plus i fell asleep in the car for at least 2 hours on the way home from san antonio.

i start tommorow. 5 pre AP/IB classes, most you can have, that and my g/f goes to a different school

[Reality's Fringe]

I second all of the mentions of AP reading. For my AP English classes, we had to read the worst kind of tripe. this usually was something form Oprah's Book Club. *shudder*

[fireball343]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

I think that's why most of us hated/ don't enjoy it like we should.

Nobody likes to be forced to do anything.

Ya, I read a lot in 8th grade because we got to chhose our books. I rad every Star Trek TNG book! Then high school made us read certain books. Some people just dont think with that side of the brain!
i used to love reading stuff, but once they force you to read crap it ruins it, i still have rainbow six sitting next to my night stand cuz i'm only 100 pages into cuz of school reading that i had to do. i'm in the middle of the first halo book and pandora's clock.

my friend wrote a book report for dandelion wine(you had a packet of things you could do, each was worth x points you have to get xx points) he turned it in cuz everyone else said how great the book was, when really it sucks. he had an awesome teacher so she thought it was funny.

[LeviathynX]

The back of a liquor bottle.

I think Big Nick can dig this one!

[Dead of Knight]

I second all of the mentions of AP reading. For my AP English classes, we had to read the worst kind of tripe. this usually was something form Oprah's Book Club. *shudder*

That's basically the content of the tripe I had to read for AP English. The Secret Life of Bees is basically THE Oprah Book Club book (though I don't know if it actually was one, it'd be the ultimate example of that type of book). Snow Falling on Cedars had a coroner admiring a dead guy's wang, and another similarly retarded images.

[epobirs]

I second all of the mentions of AP reading. For my AP English classes, we had to read the worst kind of tripe. this usually was something form Oprah's Book Club. *shudder*

I'll second that. Almost everything she picks is utterly awful tripe of the sort she'd hope to appear in if it were made into a film. One of the first books she had was this thing called 'She's Come Undone' by one Wally Lamb. I'd read it out of boredom while doing a night shift in a book store years earlier. Some of the cover synopsis made it sound possibly interesting but it turned out to be utterly tedious. Basically, a fat chick goes through a series of disasters and misery until reaching a state of contentment shacking up with a laborer and his teenage son. It was like being stuck in a laundromat with some loser who insists on conveying their life story.

I was shocked when it got mentioned by Oprah and became a national bestseller when it deserved complete obscurity.

[Mr. Anderson]

I had a long list of choices for English 1 in 8th grade, and I chose Watership Down and The Time Machine, both of which were excellent reads.

[hiccupleftovers]

I think that most of the Oprah Books are plain horrible. It is like epobirs wrote, uterly awful tripe. From all of the books that I have seen her choose, the only one that I felt was alright was that one book by John Steinbeck, but that was only because I like his books, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath.

[Reality's Fringe]

The sad thing about the Oprah Book CLub reading is that once, when I was bored to tears with the book Song of Solomon during class, I got a write-up for reading Hamlet instead. I got in trouble for reading Hamlet. That still boggles my mind.

[Gameboy415]

I never had to read anything for my honors classes in High School, but the summer before starting college we had a book we were to read before our freshman introductory class. I didn't. We didn't talk about the book once in the class. Ha.

[Dead of Knight]

The sad thing about the Oprah Book CLub reading is that once, when I was bored to tears with the book Song of Solomon during class, I got a write-up for reading Hamlet instead. I got in trouble for reading Hamlet. That still boggles my mind.

:rofl:
Some teachers need to have their licenses revoked.

EDIT: Here's the Oprah Book Club list:
2004

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2003

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Other books featured were:

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
The Meanest Thing to Say, The Treasure Hunt, and The Best Way to Play by Bill Cosby
Paradise by Toni Morrison
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
I Know this Much Is True by Wally Lamb
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, by Pearl Cleage
Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian
Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts
Jewel, by Bret Lott
The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink
The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve
White Oleander, by Janet Fitch
Mother of Pearl, by Melinda Haynes
Tara Road, by Maeve Binchy
River, Cross My Heart, by Breena Clarke
Vinegar Hill, by A. Manette Ansay
A Map of the World, by Jane Hamilton
Gap Creek, by Robert Morgan
Daughter of Fortune, by Isabel Allende
Back Roads, by Tawni O'Dell
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
While I was Gone, by Sue Miller
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Open House, by Elizabeth Berg
Drowning Ruth, by Christina Schwarz
House of Sand and Fog, by Andre Dubus III
We Were the Mulvaneys, by Joyce Carol Oates
Icy Sparks, by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, by Malika Oufkir
Cane River, by Lalita Tademy
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen
A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry
Fall on Your Knees, by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Sula, by Toni Morrison

[Kaijufan]

Ive never had any required summer reading for school, but I read any way. Most of it is Star Trek books. Lots and lots of Star Trek books. I get them for half the cover price from used book stores.

[coolcps]

I was to supposed to get an email with a reading list for AP, never did.

[redgopher]

I never did any summer reading. shaq-fu that. I always hated reading the book, then writing what I though about it, then having the teacher tell me no, is was about this. shaq-fu that, a book is what I make of it. Why make us read the book if there is only one thing is stands for. I think beign forced to read is why I hate doing it now.

That's just like my girlfriend's college professor telling her that her assignment, an opinion on a philosophy book and author, is wrong. Which did happen, by the way.

[Reality's Fringe]

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian
Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver


Yeah, I read those. I think the mental effect it had on me is why I can't go into the "School literature" section of Barnes and Nobel without vomiting.

[goldengraham]

3 required reading books this year for AP Lit

Elements of Style - Read all Saturday
Frankenstein - Read all Sunday
1984 - Plan to read all tomorrow

3 required books last year for AP Lang

Huck Finn
Les Miserables
Ethan Frome

2 required, one choice for 10th grade

Of Mice and Men
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship (my choice, read it the year before so it was really only two books)

I remember back in 7th grade when I had free reading choices. I enjoyd it then. Then they forced books upon me. Haven't liked them since.

[CaseyRyback]

Frankenstein is a horrible horrible book.

90 percent of the class failed the test because we all refused to read the book. I read most of the book and still failed the test, because I did not care about what I read

[bignick]

The back of a liquor bottle.

I think Big Nick can dig this one!

I was into 40oz curls.

[CaseyRyback]

also for those of you attending college soon, I have not read a book yet in English in the two semesters I have taken. All we have read is a lot of short stories, which is actually much better.

There is more work involved, but much less reading.

[pimp_daddy_smurf]

Ok, due to great demand ;), here's what I read:
Freshman English I Honors- Some lame semi-religious book since it was a private school; it sucked so I forget what it was

Sophomore English II Honors- A Raisin in the Sun (yes, the P. Diddy play) But I didn't read it since I had already read it for freshman English. Sophomore year I was back in public school since the private school sucked
Sophomore US History I Honors- Profiles in Courage

Junior English III Honors- 1984
Junior US History II Honors- The Greatest Generation

Senior English Language & Composition AP:
Snow Falling on Cedars
Cold Sassy Tree
The Secret Life of Bees
King Lear
Elements of Style
+10 poems by a selection of authors (pick 1 author, read 10 poems by the author)
Senior Economics Honors: The Road Ahead (by Bill Gates)
Senior Psychology Honors: Darkness Visible

:cry:


was the freshman book called "the bronze bow" i went to a private school and had to read that too

[suko_32]

Going to AP Lit. and gotta read

The Poisonwood Bible
The Awakening

We also had to write college resumes (3 of em). Can't BS them because the prompts and stuff are from the colleges you are thinking of going too.

There's also another writing assignment but can't remember, it took a little while but it wasn't too harsh

Anyway, I hate those two books and I read about 8 pages. I know I'm gonna hate them and I have 12 days to finish them, oh well. I'll try my best to like them. No offence to anyone that likes them

[FriskyTanuki]

My friend did have some for his upcoming advanced english class, but he didn't do it. So, after the first week of advanced english, he was moved to regular english.

[goldengraham]

frankenstein is god awful... i don't know if i'm supposed to sympathize with the monster, or the creator... but frankly i just don't care about either of them. bur in hell for all i care

elements of style was 100 pages on grammar and how to write properly... enough said

1984 I haven't read yet... plan to tomorow (i'm not a 30 page a night 10 night reader... i'm reading all 300 pages in one day) but i intentionally saved it for last because I've heard its decent and gives me somethign to look forward to. If I rea taht first, I'd probably just say screw it after that.

[Xevious]

Since the education system here in the United States has some problems (especially at some public schools), you might get a hack teacher who assigns you books that might not have much educational merit.

Fortunately, I had some English teachers back in the day. One book I do recall reading in High School is "Black Boy" by Richard Wright. That was a gutsy move to assign that book because of its content. It was banned in several states (especially in the South) so I have to give lots of credit to my teacher. It was also a great read.

[Storamin]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

[goldengraham]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

You try reading the 300 page monstrosity (pun intended) that is Frankenstein and you come tell me afterward that you enjoyed it.

[suko_32]

I enjoy reading books that I like. However, book that I don't like, well it's different

[epobirs]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

I know, I was lameting the same thing while reading these post but looking back to when I was that age in the 70's, most of my classmates were functional illiterates then, too. Yet large bookstroes like Barnes & Noble and Borders are now everywhere. They seem to prosper in spite of the schools.

[FriskyTanuki]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

It's fun to read if you're interested in the book, when you're not, then it's more like a chore.

I'm gonna read a Star Wars book I just got, it takes place 4 years after Eps. VI. I've 2 others before and liked them very much, they were the Edge of Victory series.

[hiccupleftovers]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

It's fun to read if you're interested in the book, when you're not, then it's more like a chore.

I'm gonna read a Star Wars book I just got, it takes place 4 years after Eps. VI. I've 2 others before and liked them very much, they were the Edge of Victory series.

Well if you get into Star Wars boosc, then good for you. there should be more Star Wars readers IMO. I've nearly read every book, i'm finishing up the New Jedi Order series (great series, every book is like an edge of your seat thrill ride.) and some of the Prequel books. Try to read them in order, because many times you won't know what's going on. Some of the Star Wars authors that I recommend are Timothy Zahn (at all cost read his Star Wars books and his other books, unbeleivable how good he is, Kevin J. Anderson (very much like Zahn IMO), Michael A. Stackpole (very good in the military perspective of space and Star Wars) etc. BUT at all costs skip the Barbra Hamby books, Children of the Jedi and Planet of Twilight. they are just awful. No one should read them, they are horribly boring and make Luke seem like a girl (no offense to all the girls out there). I think I actually used one of the books for kindling.

[Tromack]

Yup.

Let's see.

Dandelion Wine
Ethan Frome
The Pearl
The Power and The Glory
1984
Lord of the Flies
and I forget what I read for American Lit.

[Dok Diamond]

I used to read, then in middle school and 9th grade they made us read all these books and give reports, and in some class we had to follow along with some kids who can't read for shit and i like to work at my own place and that made me hate reading. But since i been on house arrest i think im goin to read them star wars books and a book on whodini (i know its not how you spell it).

[Cornfedwb]

Yes, just this summer I was assigned: International Business Management Models... oh you meant for school. Never mind.

[Storamin]

You people make it sound as if reading is a chore! It is supposed to be enjoyed!

You try reading the 300 page monstrosity (pun intended) that is Frankenstein and you come tell me afterward that you enjoyed it.
A 300 page book? Oh my god let me die right now. Who would ever read that much?
I can honestly say that the only books that were chores to me were Romance novels, they never interested me.

[hiccupleftovers]

Yes, just this summer I was assigned: International Business Management Models... oh you meant for school. Never mind.

Doesn't really matter as long as it was assigned.

[ykryptonite13]

Never had to. I always thought it was for kids whose parents wanted them to keep up with studies at the library. I actually had this discussion yesterday (recalling High School) and it was relegated to the kids in honors english. I told my gf that I never had to do summer reading and she was shocked because everyone in her school had to do it.

[crissy1616]

I second all of the mentions of AP reading. For my AP English classes, we had to read the worst kind of tripe. this usually was something form Oprah's Book Club. *shudder*

Everyone has their own opinions about reading, as I have been gathering from this thread. I had to summer reading, and for the most part I enjoyed books that weren't written in Olde English or whatever. The part I did hate was over analyzing the books, tearing them apart so I can no longer enjoy them.

Anyway, I personally hate Oprah, but I was assigned some of the books from her book club and I have liked all the one's I have read, most of them now on my own. I was introduced to them in a Women's Lit class, and I am not trying to dog on anyone, but I wouldn't judge a book by its book club. Perhaps these books are more well-liked by women, I have no idea. But I just wanted to give a positive for all these negatives towards books in general.

I love reading, and I am actually kind of sad that now I am in college and I have no assigned books to read besides textbooks. Now I read on my own, but I feel like I am missing out on some things that no one will recommend to me. I also know that reading is not for everyone, so I do not blame anyone if they hate books. But I love it! :D

Sorry for the long post, haha.

[sblymnlcrymnl]

No, I never have.

[crazytalkx]

I have to read and analyze "The Great Gatsby" and "The Narrative of the life of Frederrick Douglass" by September 2 for AP English. Easy stuff.