I'm all about reading young adult these days, but that's not to say that I haven't read my fair share of the classics - or other genres, for that matter. I think the beauty of books is that there is just so much to choose from, and we have the opportunity to pick what does and doesn't work for us. While I only review young adult novels, I have to say that much of my literary tastes has been induced by classics that I've discovered long past. Here are the top ten that I've read - and loved - throughout my life.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

The Top Books I Was Forced to Read

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - When the series first started, I made fun of the first two books. I told my sister she was silly to read them, but she pushed and pushed and pushed until I finally gave in. I ended up loving it...and going to every book midnight premiere.

2. The Shack - A lot of people actually pushed this book in my direction. I didn't think it would be for me, as religious novels tend to leave me feeling a little put-off. This one, however, spoke to my soul, and I swear it's one of the best I've ever read.

3. Anna and the French Kiss - This one is thanks to all of YOU! I swore up and down that I wouldn't read this book. I proclaimed that it was far too "girly" and "petty" to be the type of thing I would like. I ate my words.

4. The Giver - This was actually required reading in school. Generally speaking, I hated required reading because I don't like being boxed into a corner and made to think a certain way. This novel, however, transcended my aversion.

5. Fahrenheit 451 - This, too, was a novel we were required to read in middle school. I think it was my first real taste of a dystopian society, and I was utterly captivated by the fact that something could so irreparably damage our world.

6. Gone with the Wind - I must credit my older sister, Nikki, for pushing this novel on me. I didn't think I'd ever read it, simply because something that's declared to be the greatest love story of all time doesn't really speak to me. This one, however, is gold.

7. Vampire Academy - This one goes to all the bloggers out there, as well! I believe several dozen bloggers told me I was really missing out and, despite my aversion to vampires, I gave it a go. Dang...I'm so glad I did!

8. Speak - I'd read other novels by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I'd seen the movie, but I'd never actually read the book. There is something so magnetic and powerful about this novel, and if it hadn't been for the rave reviews convincing me to try, I would still be missing out.

9. Pushing the Limits - Yet again, I read this book because of the blogosphere. It's not my normal type of read, but when you see the rave reviews abound, you can't help but be intrigued. I loved it, I loved the second book, and I even loved the third...more please?

10. Jane Eyre - For some reason, some of the classics have escaped me. I was encouraged by a good friend to try this one though because she knew of my love for Pride & Prejudice, as well as books such as Little Women. Yeah, she was right. Loved it.

Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What required reading from school made the biggest impact on you, and why?

I was a bit contrarian in high school. I'm a reader. You all know this...it's kind of obvious by the fact that I've been blogging about the books I've read for the past three and a half years. With all that said though, I had the biggest aversion to required reading in middle school and high school. Guys, I'll read just about anything once. Hell, just put me in a hall of books, and I'll read my way out of there. Force me, however, to read something for grades, and something in me shuts down.

In most cases, my mind pretty much just says, "Nope. Not happening. You make me read? I say no." I remember forcing myself to read The Once and Future King, Les Miserable, A Talk of Two Cities and more - classics, mind you - and suffering through them. I think it was the fact that I couldn't enjoy them at my leisure. Instead, I had to cram and read for detail, instead of pleasure. 

Three books stand out to me from my school days, however, as literary works that I didn't absolutely mind reading. And, years later, I re-read them and remember just how profound they were the first time around.

All three of these books - Night by Elie Wiesel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Giver by Lois Lowry managed to get past my ardent stigma against required reading.

They're vastly different books, but there's something similar about them, as well. They weren't just flowery prose for the sake of telling the story. They were powerful, profound, and they taught us a lesson without cramming it down our throats. There's a beauty to that that simply can't be matched by novels about medieval times and such. Now, to be fair, I'm sure the other books were profound to many a reader, and I've read them since my school days and found them to be rather enjoyable.

I'm not sure they match the poignancy, the power or the social context that Night, Fahrenheit 451 or The Giver do though. I think that these three are books that every teen needs to read, regardless of whether for pleasure or for school. They will make you think, they will make you feel and they will stay with you long after the last page.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books Tackling "Tough" Issues (social, cultural, etc.):

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - This book will always, always be on my list. Censorship is at the core of the story, but it's about someone who is willing to dare to think for himself and step outside the invisible box of censorship.

2. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - As some of you know, eating disorders hit close to home for me (very much so). Written in a powerful voice that's all too familiar and real, this book is a true and accurate portrayal of how an ED consumes both the mind and body. (beware - it can be triggering)

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - More than anything, this book is about the true nature of family and survival in the midst of a war raging around them in volatile Afghanistan.

4. Amen, Amen, Amen by Abby Sher - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder drives this story as a young girl tries to cope with her grief by praying hour after hour every day. Without the prayers, she's certain her world will fall apart.

5. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - Contemporary fiction at it's finest, this is the story of a girl trying to come to terms with an act of violence that's shaped her into a brand new person and somehow trying to come to terms with the past while dealing with the present.

6. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington - This is the story of three young girls ripped from their homes because of the colour of their skin, forced to become culturally white and taught that their aboriginal heritage was wrong. The girls escape and fight all odds to return to their home.

7. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - Beaten, bruised, broken down to the core, this story of a boy degraded by his own mother to the point where he was an "it" rather than her son rocks you to the core. It's a story of survival and courage.

8. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - Bullying has never seemed so real, or tangible or destructive as this portrayal of what girls can and might just do to one another if they feel threatened.

9. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - This story of abuse and addiction is hard-hitting and powerful, written in letter form from an older brother to a younger sister as he tries to show her how their past shaped their present.

10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Lee Dugard - If you don't know the story of Jaycee, you've probably been living under a rock. Kidnapped at 11 years old and kept confined for 18 years by a convicted sex offender, she persevered, raised two daughters and lived to make it home to her family once again. Powerful and emotional, it's for sure a tear-jerker, too.