Staff’s Favorite Required Reading from School
With the arrival of the back-to-school season comes a new round of required reading for students.
Not all books that land on high school reading lists can be winners, but here are five that stuck with library staff well beyond when their homework was due.
Cold Spring Branch
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“My favorite book that I was assigned to read in school was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It was the book assigned to me the summer ahead of 9th grade, which was before the movies were even discussed. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I ended up loving it. I definitely lucked out for required reading that year!”
– Danielle Turner, adult/teen services programmer
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Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“It was one of the few pieces of literature I read in high school authored by a woman, which was refreshing. I loved its unsettling atmosphere the first time I read it and, most importantly, gaining the nugget of knowledge that Frankenstein was the creator, not the monster.”
– Jessi Holloway, patron services assistant
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Newport Branch
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
“I was assigned to read it my junior year of high school and I remember loving Hurston’s lyrical writing, even if the characters’ dialect made it hard to follow at the time. I admire that Janie sought her own happiness above placating others, especially the men, in her life.”
– Leah Byars, collection services assistant
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
“I remember reading it for the first time on my grandfather’s farm where I spent summer vacation. Also, I read the entire book mispronouncing Atticus as A-tee-shuhs. I loved the characters. And then there’s the movie. Gregory Peck starred as Atticus, pronounced correctly.”
– Toni Reinke, library page
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Administrative Staff
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
“Fahrenheit 451 is a book lover’s nightmare. In a not too distant future, owning books is against the law. It is a relatively short read with memorable characters. Although it was written in 1953, it still resonates today.”
– Andrew Moorhead, communications manager
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