Reading Inventory
I read for pure enjoyment. I can honestly say I maybe I read one book in high school. When I was in Elementary School I loved to read, but as I grew up and was forced to read books I wasn't interested in, I lost interest. It wasn't until I was maybe a senior in High School that I started to read again, not to learn but to enjoy. I then started reading all the time and reading opened me up to writing. My favorite subject dealing with mystery and thrill.
Children’s Literature
· I believe the books I picked for this genre fit here because they all have a moral to the story, for kids, have pictures, and are written specifically for kids. I read the books in this genre for the sake of teaching me to read and pure enjoyment.
1. Are you my mother by P. D. Eastman
The book Are you my Mother was the first book I ever read. I was in kindergarten and came home excited because I knew how to read a book and I remember reading it to my mom. This book impacted me a lot as a child because all’s I wanted to do after learning to read this book was to read another one. I read this book a million times as a child.
2. Frog and Toad Series by Arnold Lobel
3. The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carl
4. Ramona and Beezus Judy Bloom
I read the Ramona books in third grade. They were some of the first chapter books I read as a child. As a child I related to Ramona and I loved all the adventures she would go on.
5. Bernstein Bears Series by Stan and Jan Bernstein
Mystery
· The books I defined as mystery are because they all left cliffhangers whether it was in the middle or at the beginning of the book. In mystery genre, the reader is always trying to figure out why something happened or what happened. Your mind is always full of questions. These types of books I cannot put down and I read them because I like trying to figure out what they mystery is, they give the reader a thrill and motive to find out what happened so you keep reading until you do.
6. Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
The Nancy Drew series probably impacted me the most in all the books I have ever read. I loved trying to figure out where things were or why things happened. These books sparked my interest in mystery. My favorite Nancy Drew book was The Witch Tree Symbol, in which she helps the Amish uncover why there is a witch tree symbol; they also accuse her as being a witch. In the end she helps them find the person behind everything. I read these books from 5th grade to 7th, I remember getting told by my teacher that the reading level was not hard enough for me, but I didn’t care because I enjoyed these books so much.
7. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
8. Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
9. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
This book was released last year and it was on my suggested reading list on my nook. I decided it sounded good and bought it. It was one of those books that when I first started reading it I didn’t understand what was going on so I stopped reading it. About 3 months later I started reading it again and I was hooked. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on reading it because it was very good, it was about a film director and his secret life that no one knew about, his daughter mysteriously dies and a reporter decides to investigate it. He has a long journey and at the end they leave you hanging which made me so upset, after reading all 650 pages on my nook they left me hanging. This book felt like such an accomplishment because I never read such a long book.
10. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My friend lent me this book saying it was one of the best books she ever read… she was right. This book left me wanting to read more and more. It was one of those books where you would say okay last chapter then I need to go to sleep, but I couldn’t stop reading it. This book is about a woman who goes missing and all signs point to her husband. The book goes back and forth between the husband and the wife. I loved the way the author Gillian Flynn wrote so I read all of her books and was not disappointed.
11. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
12. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Romance
· The books that I listed under romance genre are because it involves some type of love story. These books are sad, happy, make you cry, make you laugh all into one. I read these books to make me feel emotion whether its passion, pain, or love romance novels will make you feel every type of emotion possible.
13. The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene
14. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
15. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
16. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
17. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
18. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
19. The Notbook by Nicholas Sparks
20. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
21. Looking For Alaska by John Green
22. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
23. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Coming Of Age
· The novels I listed as Coming of Age genre are because these types of books are about growing up and the hardships people face on this journey of life. Both of the novels in this genre follow individuals as they grow up. I read these type of books at the time because I was growing up and could relate to the same problems the characters were facing on growing up.
24. Summer Sisters by Judy Bloom
When I was sixteen I was bored one day in the summer and found this book by Judy Bloom in my house. I never really read throughout high school and I really didn’t enjoy reading. I picked up the book and started reading it and couldn’t put it down. The book is about two friends starting from when they are age 8 all the way to when they are in there 30s and their journey and how they grew up. This book sparked my interest in reading and from there on that’s all I did was read. Most of the books on my list were all in about a 4-year span. If I haven’t had had such a connection with this book I don’t think I would enjoy reading as much as I do today.
25. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
True Crime
· True Crime is the name of this genre because the book I read was a real crime that happened written by the woman who did it. I read these types of books to get more insight on why criminals do the things they do.
26. Monster by Aileen Wuornos
Drama
· The novels in this category are all considered dramas because they are all written in a very dramatic tone. Drama to me is defined as an exciting or emotional way of writing a story, which all these books/plays share. I read the drama filled books because I like the excitement of not knowing what isgoing to happen next.
27. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
28. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
29. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
30. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak was one of the only books in high school I actually read. It wasn’t boring and kept my interest throughout the book. It is about a shy girl who gets raped and is shunned by her classmates because they all think she is lying.
Fantasy
· The books I defined as Fantasy is because the events that happen in these books could either never happen or are very bizarre. I read fantasy books because as a child I wanted to feel like I was in some sort of fantasyland and as a kid you feel as though the things described in these books could really happen.
31. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
32. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl
33. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
34. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
· I believe the books I picked for this genre fit here because they all have a moral to the story, for kids, have pictures, and are written specifically for kids. I read the books in this genre for the sake of teaching me to read and pure enjoyment.
1. Are you my mother by P. D. Eastman
The book Are you my Mother was the first book I ever read. I was in kindergarten and came home excited because I knew how to read a book and I remember reading it to my mom. This book impacted me a lot as a child because all’s I wanted to do after learning to read this book was to read another one. I read this book a million times as a child.
2. Frog and Toad Series by Arnold Lobel
3. The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carl
4. Ramona and Beezus Judy Bloom
I read the Ramona books in third grade. They were some of the first chapter books I read as a child. As a child I related to Ramona and I loved all the adventures she would go on.
5. Bernstein Bears Series by Stan and Jan Bernstein
Mystery
· The books I defined as mystery are because they all left cliffhangers whether it was in the middle or at the beginning of the book. In mystery genre, the reader is always trying to figure out why something happened or what happened. Your mind is always full of questions. These types of books I cannot put down and I read them because I like trying to figure out what they mystery is, they give the reader a thrill and motive to find out what happened so you keep reading until you do.
6. Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
The Nancy Drew series probably impacted me the most in all the books I have ever read. I loved trying to figure out where things were or why things happened. These books sparked my interest in mystery. My favorite Nancy Drew book was The Witch Tree Symbol, in which she helps the Amish uncover why there is a witch tree symbol; they also accuse her as being a witch. In the end she helps them find the person behind everything. I read these books from 5th grade to 7th, I remember getting told by my teacher that the reading level was not hard enough for me, but I didn’t care because I enjoyed these books so much.
7. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
8. Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
9. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
This book was released last year and it was on my suggested reading list on my nook. I decided it sounded good and bought it. It was one of those books that when I first started reading it I didn’t understand what was going on so I stopped reading it. About 3 months later I started reading it again and I was hooked. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on reading it because it was very good, it was about a film director and his secret life that no one knew about, his daughter mysteriously dies and a reporter decides to investigate it. He has a long journey and at the end they leave you hanging which made me so upset, after reading all 650 pages on my nook they left me hanging. This book felt like such an accomplishment because I never read such a long book.
10. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My friend lent me this book saying it was one of the best books she ever read… she was right. This book left me wanting to read more and more. It was one of those books where you would say okay last chapter then I need to go to sleep, but I couldn’t stop reading it. This book is about a woman who goes missing and all signs point to her husband. The book goes back and forth between the husband and the wife. I loved the way the author Gillian Flynn wrote so I read all of her books and was not disappointed.
11. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
12. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Romance
· The books that I listed under romance genre are because it involves some type of love story. These books are sad, happy, make you cry, make you laugh all into one. I read these books to make me feel emotion whether its passion, pain, or love romance novels will make you feel every type of emotion possible.
13. The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene
14. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
15. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
16. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
17. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
18. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
19. The Notbook by Nicholas Sparks
20. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
21. Looking For Alaska by John Green
22. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
23. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Coming Of Age
· The novels I listed as Coming of Age genre are because these types of books are about growing up and the hardships people face on this journey of life. Both of the novels in this genre follow individuals as they grow up. I read these type of books at the time because I was growing up and could relate to the same problems the characters were facing on growing up.
24. Summer Sisters by Judy Bloom
When I was sixteen I was bored one day in the summer and found this book by Judy Bloom in my house. I never really read throughout high school and I really didn’t enjoy reading. I picked up the book and started reading it and couldn’t put it down. The book is about two friends starting from when they are age 8 all the way to when they are in there 30s and their journey and how they grew up. This book sparked my interest in reading and from there on that’s all I did was read. Most of the books on my list were all in about a 4-year span. If I haven’t had had such a connection with this book I don’t think I would enjoy reading as much as I do today.
25. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
True Crime
· True Crime is the name of this genre because the book I read was a real crime that happened written by the woman who did it. I read these types of books to get more insight on why criminals do the things they do.
26. Monster by Aileen Wuornos
Drama
· The novels in this category are all considered dramas because they are all written in a very dramatic tone. Drama to me is defined as an exciting or emotional way of writing a story, which all these books/plays share. I read the drama filled books because I like the excitement of not knowing what isgoing to happen next.
27. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
28. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
29. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
30. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak was one of the only books in high school I actually read. It wasn’t boring and kept my interest throughout the book. It is about a shy girl who gets raped and is shunned by her classmates because they all think she is lying.
Fantasy
· The books I defined as Fantasy is because the events that happen in these books could either never happen or are very bizarre. I read fantasy books because as a child I wanted to feel like I was in some sort of fantasyland and as a kid you feel as though the things described in these books could really happen.
31. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
32. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl
33. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
34. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Reading Proposal
I chose the books listed below based on my love for mystery and thrill. These books are said to be some of the best thrillers of all time. The books will be challenging for me because I have tried to read some of the books listed before but I just couldn't get past some of them because I did not understand them or they got boring. I want to get past this feeling. I want to combine my love of mystery with some harder books for me to read. I want to focus on Stephen King books, because he is one of the best writers of all time. I feel I can learn a thing or two from him.I believe this class is the perfect opportunity because it gives me the chance to analyze the writing style of the author and what the text means. By focusing on one genre instead of multiple, I feel I can get a better understanding on how the books are written and the different themes that are used, I want to know how the author makes all the twists and turns make sense and how he brings them all together to make an ending.
1. The Shining by Stephen King
2. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King 3. It by Stephen King 4. Children of the Corn by Stephen King 5. Carrie by Stephen King |