@storyslut - 

I read a few books to my students. I read The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn Dixie both by Kate DiCamillo. She spoke at my college a few times and she lived nearby so I wanted the kids to see that they could do something other than going into professional sports. I also read one of the Little House on the Prairie books because we were out in that area.

@Pawleeen - 

Thank you for commenting. I need to do that more.

What I did was went to the American Library Association and looked at their list of the most challenged books or books that have been banned for my reading list. I also found this list on one of the University of Illinois websites. It gives brief descriptions of each book and why it may have been challenged or banned. Just look at that list makes me want to add at least another 15 novels here. Yes, they are kid's books but I like them because they aren't pretentious.

@Another_Perfect_Wonder - 

It's a classic one...I have yet to read The Joy Luck Club and I know it is supposed to be a girl book or at least the movie was labeled a chick flick but it is on Time's Best 100 Novels List. I think I read The Stand when I was in 8th grade for a book report. I read most all of Stephen King's books that year for book reports. My teacher thought I was insane.

@theladyofabundance - 

Yeah I know those two novels are horrible for kids but I guess it is the fact of life that we will outlive our pets. I remember when my dad had to put down his Irish Setter. I cried and cried and cried. I was like 5 or 6 at the time.

I have the same deal with Bambi. I had never seen it until I was in my first year of college and my little cousin wanted to watch it instead of going to bed. When Bambi's mom gets it he starts bawling and asks why she had to die. I answered, "Because Bambi didn't go to bed when she told Bambi to go to bed." He got up and ran to bed. He never has had problems being in bed since then and that was about 10 years ago. This is why I am not allowed to have children.

That mail order bride series sound interesting. Did you ever hear of the Boy Named series?

@ithiliya - 

HAHAHAHA I remember those bins at Walmart. Every time we would go my dad would give me $5 and said that I had better buy books. I usually came back with 8 books. I have a nice library of those classics however I loathe those big orange 2/$1 orange dots on the cover.

If I had to, I could probably go chapter for chapter as to what was in Where the Red Fern Grows. I am a quasi-farmboy so the hunting aspect appeals to me. When I was in high school I was so envious of the lower English class my senior that got to read 1984. The class was called Dummy English by the teacher and he often called his students rejects because they didn't appreciate 1984. He was my favorite teacher mostly because I had him for economics, psychology, and a religion course that had Revelations for a chapter. I wanted to trade because my class read The Canterbury Tales.

OK I know Watchmen isn't the best but I was hoping that maybe some people who haven't read it and saw the movie might give it a try. Oh well. I need to get into Gaiman's stuff this summer. One of my friends used Corraline in his 4th grade classroom.

@its_me_katie - 

See you made a great list. More than the 15.

@catpooish - 

Ah...so now I know who does the Catpooish site. Interesting! Some of these are classic novels that should be read.

@jacksoncroons - 

I wasn't really a fan of sci-fi until I picked up Fahrenheit 451 and I had a private talk with a teacher about what else I may enjoy and he suggested Dick's works. I love the alternative history in The Man in the High Castle because with history there are all those what-ifs. He always wanted to write a sequel to it but every time he started it turned into something else. I think I should read it a few more times and try to develop some sort of screenplay. His work on the screen is amazing and there are at least 5 more movies that have been made or are in early phases of being made.

@kachino - 

Honestly, Fight Club is one of the best movie adaptations. They didn't change anything and there was little they left out. If you want to get into reading I might suggest the works of Chuck Palahniuk especially his fiction. I read his stuff in this order: Fight Club, Choke, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, Lullaby, Haunted, Diary, Rant, Snuff. I have yet to read Pygmy but the plot description sounds like an episode of the simpsons. This is a chapter from Haunted. It appeared in Playboy magazine and Palahniuk would read that at bookstore gatherings and people would faint when he read it out loud. When I read it I felt very queasy but I didn't faint.

@mZdejavuZ - 

Wow, you got to read Catcher in the Rye in high school. I guess because I went to conservative private schools they didn't want us to read about how people had feelings like that. I think the most "controversial" book we read was the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. I completely agree with how age makes you appreciate things and understand the concepts and themes. When I was in 4th or 5th grade one of the kids in my class was a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia so he suggested I try The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I had no clue that it was allegory for Christ. How could I at age 10 or 11 understand that a talking lion represented Christ? 1984, I wish I could have read that novel in a classroom setting. I still appreciate my children's lit class even though it was a lot of work. We had to read a book for every class period but it was a kid's book. The Great Gatsby...I enjoy Fitzgerald's other work but I cannot stand that one. I think it was because I had to read it so often. In college I read it for an assignment every semester or at least that is what it seemed like for both history courses and English courses. For most of the classes I think the only reason why that book was read was because Fitzgerald was from Minnesota and that is where my college was located.

@mZdejavuZ - 

I think "Catcher in the Rye" is one of the most banned books in America from both schools and libraries either that or it is the most challenged. I think "Huckleberry Finn" is up there with districts that have banned it. I don't understand how in a country with freedom of speech, books get banned.

C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia series, was a very devout Christian. The funny thing, if I remember correctly, is that the Chronicles of Narnia came about as part of a bet between him and Tolkien. Tolkien, another Christian, said that it was impossible to create a fantasy series and have it be allegorical with Christian beliefs. I guess Lewis won the bet. As far as the films, it was Disney and they tried to make it into something it was not. They didn't want to highlight the Christian themes but they were there. Oh and the best film adaptation of a novel has to be Fight Club.

I was a education major, specializing in elementary and secondary education. My emphasis was social studies and my minor was English. I try to take English seriously and write better because it is my first language. In my third year at college I took a class that had a test, that when one passed, they were qualified to teach English in grade schools. I passed in the first week of the semester. With all the majors, minors, and what nots, I end up being an ordained minister.

@theladyofabundance - 

I was wrong. The name of the first books is "A Child Called It" and then there is a sequel and the final book is called A Man Named Dave. The author is Dave Pelzer. They were hard reads.

I can't remember which Disney film got to me. I can't remember much. I just remember all the naughty bits of Aladdin and The Lion King.

@mZdejavuZ - 

Well in my particular church body they had a program for people to become teachers and ministers. There are schools for this church all over the country. It was just something I thought would be for me. I was only in for 3 years because the place I went to was downsized because of economic problems and because I was the youngest on staff I was the one let go. I haven't really made an effort to get back in because I have had some issues with how the church is being run as well as some other issues with church members being mislead by hierarchy.