July 7 is Tell the Truth Day, which got me thinking: How many bookish lies have I told? And should I finally come clean?
I came across this article a while ago that talked about the books that people most often lie about reading — surprisingly, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is number 1! (And yes, I've read that one, cross my heart!) The beloved book that I've kinda-sorta-maybe implied that I've read when I really haven't is... 1984.
Phew, it actually feels great to get that off my chest.
After seeing that list, and then taking this quiz, I finally realized that I'm not the only person who's ashamed to admit my reading shortcomings. So, I asked my fellow bloggers and booklovers if they'd be willing to come clean in honor of Tell the Truth Day.
Here are some of the lies they've told:
(names have been changed to protect the truth-tellers)
Kristy: I never finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad but TOTALLY lied about it in English class because we had an oral report due. (I hated it so much.)
Mary Anne: Well, here we go. I blame the ridiculous timeline of my high school honors 1 English teacher (she was ruthless – two books a week!!!) I've never read:
- Wuthering Heights
- Jane Eyre
- The Great Gatsby (I only watched the movie…*shudder*)
- The Lord of the Rings (once again, watched the movie…*double shudder*)
- Moby Dick
- Crime & Punishment (I could only read the first 50 pages and gave up)
- The Plague by Albert Camus
Claudia: I've lied about reading The Giver, Pride and Prejudice, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Huckleberry Finn, The Bell Jar, and To Kill a Mocking Bird.
Stacey: I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or The Baby-sitter’s Club books. I think that’s all I’m willing to confess for now :)
Dawn: I have totally lied about reading both Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I did finish The Great Gatsby but I lied about finishing it before we had a final on it in HS. Also I started Twilight but never finished it and never will but I say I did.
Jessi: It was required reading in my high school A.P. English Lit class to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – and I didn’t read it. I know, I know. How could I? Though after having not read it, I feel bad because the class discussions made the book sound really interesting, so it was my loss in the end. Maybe I’ll pick it up in the future and give it a read.
What are some of the books you've lied about reading? Tweet them to us @scholastic!
