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How to Read Literature Like a Professor
How to Read Literature Like a Professor | Thomas C. Foster
What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surfacea symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a characterand there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.
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dabbe
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#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView (thanks for the tag! 😘)

1. Bartlett pears. They have to be perfectly ripe, though. 🤣
2. This question reminded me of one of my favorite books that I had the honors students read over the summer; it then became our so-called bible for the year: HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR. Ch. 2 is titled: “Nice to Eat With You“ and explains why meals are important in stories. ⬇️

dabbe I have a pdf of the entire book if anyone is interested. Here's the link: https://bit.ly/4ffJINC 2mo
TheSpineView YW! Thanks for playing! 2mo
SaunteringVaguelyDownwards Thanks for the link! I have my Intro to Lit students begin the semester exploring genres by reading a poem, a story, and a scene from a play that relates to themes of food and identity, and this sounds like a great accompaniment! 2mo
dabbe @SaunteringVaguelyDownwards Now THAT sounds like a fun assignment, and now I want to be in your class. 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
46 likes4 comments
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Born.A.Reader
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#professor #schoolspirit
I haven't read this one yet, but it sounds so intriguing!
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs Fantastic 👏🏻👏🏻 4mo
dabbe It is excellent. I used it when teaching sophomore Honors English. I have a pdf of the whole book if you want it. 🤩 4mo
24 likes3 comments
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CollapsingLibrary
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Rereading this book with the hopes of reminding myself why I choose literature as my major. I don‘t feel like I‘ve been deeply reading books the way I use to, and I think it‘s caused me to lose some of the joy thy use to come with reading for me. I‘m 8 chapters in and have annotated at least one section of each page so far.

KathyWheeler As an English major (ungrad and grad), I really enjoyed this book. It helped me remember what I had enjoyed about it. Of course, those degrees were years and years ago, but it was nice to be reminded. 3y
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ImperfectCJ
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I have the best intentions when it comes to reading this book, but I have zero concentration today. Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy wins this round.

catiewithac It‘s more fun to read like a poet! 😎 3y
Andrea313 Umbrella Academy!!! ♥️ I just started Season 2 again tonight myself. Enjoy! 3y
GingerAntics This book has been on my radar for a while now. I look forward to your thoughts. 3y
mom2bugnbee This book is required reading for sophomore English at my girls' school. 3y
55 likes4 comments
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Carlie_jc
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Pickpick

Another book for my AP class, but I was surprisingly happy with it. The author is pretty funny, and the whole book was very insightful. I‘d definitely recommend if you want to expand your reading experience!

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Linsy
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What A Christmas Carol is really about! 🎄
#til #nfn2020 #quote

Clwojick Hey girl! I‘ve reached out to you on here a few times, as well as by email. Still hoping to hear from you in regards to your prize for Scarathlon. If I still don‘t hear from you by November 16th, I will offer the prize to the second place winner. Thanks 😊 4y
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stretchkev
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Pickpick

Learned something in every chapter! I've read a few books for sure but my formal education was certainly lacking in proper analysis. Feel like this is the start to rectifying that impression.

Graywacke I enjoyed this too. Made me want to read more Mansfield. 4y
stretchkev Funny thing is that Mansfield piece would not have read the same without the previous 26 chapters, that in itself was well done. Tricky professor. 4y
Graywacke @stretchkev wish i could remember it all well enough to comment on that ☺️ 4y
23 likes1 stack add3 comments
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stretchkev
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Every chapter is a revelation for the gaps of my own education!

Storied This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you! 4y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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this_teacher_reads
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magyklyXdelish I think I‘ve been all of these at one point or another 😂 4y
Sharpeipup I‘m a bookworm all the way. 4y
53 likes2 comments
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this_teacher_reads
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I have been prepping to teach my first AP Lit class in August. Theses are just some of the titles I have read or am going to read before August. #APliterature #teacherreader #classictexts #TeachersofLitsy

Daisey Welcome! You may want to check/use the hashtag #TeachersOfLitsy. 4y
Jennaree3 Hope you have a lot of time on your hands! Have to say, Great Expectations was so gratuitously verbose, it‘s almost annoying to read. Haven‘t read another Dickens‘ since. 😅 4y
this_teacher_reads @Jennaree3 I started reading last November when I found out I was teaching the class. 😅 I‘m also not a fan of Dickens, but I thought I‘d give him another shot. We‘ll see... 4y
29 likes4 comments
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hike.read.repeat
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Mehso-so

Te Araroa kilometers tramped: 1608.7 of 3005.3

Books completed on trail: 27

I will admit, for as much as I read, I have a hard time reading between the lines. Hope this helps. 😆

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Howard_L
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This is great so far and an enjoyable, informative read written in a relatable, non-scholarly voice. #NFNov #NonfictionNovember

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Pedrocamacho
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Pickpick

I took this book more as a fun review of the themes and symbolism in 19th and early 20th century literature (and Shakespeare). It worked for me.

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I really liked the tagged book. Does it offer any insight for Lit grad students trained in close readings of text? No. But it‘s entertaining and extremely accessible for those without that experience. Basically the message is that most people have the tools to bring deeper meaning to their reading — it‘s not intimidating. I also liked Tagged for Death. #bfcr3 walk =2.03 miles Audiobooks = 2

Alfoster We taught the first one to our AP seniors in high school. It was good but then they tended to look for symbolism EVERYWHERE and we had to calm them down!🤣🤣 5y
KathyWheeler @Alfoster 😄 I can see where that would be true of AP students. 😄 He does say several times that sometimes an object is just an object, but it‘s easy to skip or ignore that part. 5y
Alfoster Seriously! They wanted to see every lunch they had as a ritual. We kept telling them, Sometimes a meal is just a meal!”😂 5y
See All 8 Comments
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 5y
bromeliad Awesome! I love the tagged book too. So much fun! 5y
KathyWheeler @bromeliad It was indeed fun. I wasn‘t expecting that. 5y
cewilf Love that book! I read it in high school and it was so helpful. 5y
KathyWheeler @cewilf I have an MA in literature so it has intrigued me for awhile but I kept putting it off. I‘m glad I finally read it. 5y
33 likes8 comments
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KathyWheeler
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I haven‘t been able to read since I got cataract surgery on my right eye. Today the left eye was done, so I was able to get reading glasses. I can see my screen and my books! I‘m switching between reading The Grapes of Wrath and listening to the tagged book, which is turning out not to be at all like my grad Lit classes — instead it‘s entertaining and interesting.

LiteraryinPA Congratulations on being able to see books again! 5y
Megabooks Great! I‘m glad your eyes are doing well! 5y
wanderinglynn So glad you‘re doing well. 💜 5y
Tamra 👏🏾👏🏾 5y
24 likes4 comments
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bibliobard
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Thanks to a certain social media contest ala @Litsy I was able to get this cool mug. Great package to receive and now I feel super cool 😎 #Litsy #socialmedia

Litsy Congratulations! 6y
rather_be_reading congrats!! 👏 6y
9 likes2 comments
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Libby1
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Pickpick

I‘ve missed you, Littens! Thanks to all the new followers. In this pic you can see (if you look closely) my cat and the guinea pig cage. So much cuteness as a distraction! 🐹😻

I should officially list this as a Bail but I‘m not bailing because it‘s bad. I just can‘t take it anymore. I will definitely revisit it, though.

I think this book should be enjoyed in small chunks. Great insights, but better to cherry pick topics of interest.

Richryan52 I have several books like that 6y
Libby1 @Richryan52 - glad you understand. It felt like I was dragging myself through it and couldn‘t understand why because it IS engaging. 6y
Richryan52 @libby1 trust me. Usually those types of books are non-fiction 6y
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RealBooks4ever
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Mehso-so

Meh. Light read that I would have enjoyed more if the author had gone deeper into the subject.

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HardcoverHearts
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Well, I think it‘s time I revisit literary critique. I have a phenomenal book club & they are pushing my reading critiques further than I have gone since school & I love the challenge. So I thought I would spend some time getting reacquainted with some of the concepts. This was recommended to me and I already had it in my backlog, from a time when it was on sale in ebook format. Are there any literary criticism books that you would recommend?

Minervasbutler One of my favourites from university was Wayne C Booth's The Rhetoric of Fiction which sounds very dry but is actually wonderfully revealing about how novels work their magic. 6y
HardcoverHearts @Minervasbutler - Thanks for the recommendation! I will keep my eye out for it. 👌🏻 6y
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sophierayton
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Pickpick

So good! I've been a reader for a long time now and haven't always considered the different layers that a book has. While I am not a literature professor, I feel that after having read this book I will be more aware of what I'm reading and what is hidden between the lines.

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Dr._Who_number10
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•Hufflepuff an Gryffindor
• Most of the time I do by they‘re was only one I didn‘t and that was Life as we knew it
•THE OUTSIDERS MOST DEFINITELY😘😍🤣🙏🙏🙏

The book that I hated most that I had to read in class was...
Life as we knew it

Mandigolightly Is it because it sent you into an anxiety spiral? I hoarded hats and gloves for months after reading that! 6y
Dr._Who_number10 It just didn‘t make any sense when reading it... I just didn‘t like the style or something. @Mandigolightly 6y
46 likes2 comments
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Mandigolightly
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Play along and feel free to share. Don‘t forget to use the hashtag #book2school so I can find your answers!

1) 🐍🐍🐍 #Slytherin
2) *usually* I gave Crime and Punishment a hard pass, though.
3) I was really into The Great Gatsby for a while there!
4) Brave New World. God, it was awful.
5) I never had to read The Giver or The Outsiders, and I feel like I missed out on the window to really read them.

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ImpliedNonsense

“Don‘t wait for writers to be dead to be read; the living ones can use the money. Your reading should be fun. We only call them literary works. Really, though, it‘s all a form of play. So play, Dear Reader, play. And fare thee well.”

CoffeeNBooks I love this book! I assign it to my AP Literature students to help them get more out of everything they read. 7y
ImpliedNonsense @CoffeeNBooks I think that‘s great! Teaching students this stuff before college is such a lifesaver, and even for kids who don‘t go to college it can provide valuable insight. 💖 7y
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ImpliedNonsense
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I am a note taker! I got in the habit of taking reading notes for college and now I do it all the time. There is something about a well loved book, with notes in the margins, that feels almost romantic. #booknotes

CoffeeNBooks I absolutely 100% agree! 7y
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rachelk
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Today‘s purchase, whereby I officially gave up on my ridiculous resolution not to buy more books. Being surrounded by books simply makes me happy. #bookhaul #sorrynotsorry 📚 🤗

JessNevertheless Completely agree! Never too many books 📚📚 7y
Alfoster Yep! There are so many worse vices!😂😂👏👏👏 7y
MicrobeMom Great haul! 7y
See All 7 Comments
mrozzz 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 7y
SaraBeagle 😍😍😍😍 My favorite Cather! 7y
rachelk @SaraBeagle I‘m excited to read it, it‘s been on my tbr for a long time! 7y
56 likes7 comments
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Nicktrrs
Pickpick

The book has a great outline. However, the basis of the book is intuitive and a simple examination of the question will give the obvious answers he presents in the book.

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MelanieMefford
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Next up!

18 likes1 stack add
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anneofgreentables
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Daisey
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Breakfast and an audiobook to start my day! I feel like it's taking me a while to get through this book, but I'm finding it really interesting. This morning it's all about the metaphorical use of illness and disease in literature. The discussion of why there's such a common occurrence of tuberculosis specifically was intriguing, and this whole topic is something I will definitely pay more attention to in my future reading.

#audiobook

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Daisey
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Next year I am planning to read several books from the #1001books list, so this seems like good preparation!

#audiobook

Bookworm83 This book is everything, IMHO 😉 7y
Daisey @Bookworm83 I just started yesterday, but I'm seriously thinking I may need a print copy I can mark in or a Kindle copy I can search! 7y
Bookworm83 This is definitely a book you want to mark up! 7y
ValerieAndBooks It‘s a good one! I also liked his 7y
Daisey @ValerieAndBooks I really enjoyed it, so I may need to look up the one you tagged as well! 7y
32 likes1 stack add5 comments
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UnabridgedTomes
Pickpick

My go-to handbook when I taught high school English, and an invaluable resource for my students. I love this book.

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leslieseidel
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I found this unread book on my shelves and think that it is the perfect time for it to jump out at me, just prior to #litsyclassics 📚 #bookserendipidity

Daisey Great plan! 7y
bookloo I‘m learning so much from this book! 7y
Gezemice I have read How To Read Novels Like a Professor and enjoyed it a lot. I would like to read this one, too! 7y
51 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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LilithHomer
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Mehso-so

A good introduction but probably not much new for a more experienced reader

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Suelizbeth
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Pickpick

This is actually a fascinating read. It is informative and entertaining and useful and I will keep this in my reference pile. I will be more conscious and deliberate in my reading, or, at least I hope I will be. #mmdbookclub

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bvu
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I've been waiting all summer to read this . (Naturally I would wait a week before the semester starts)

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kat131200

"Those stories -- myth, archetype, religious narrative, the great body of literature -- are always with us. Always in us."

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kat131200

"We are all complete beings. We have many different qualities that don't always fit together very smoothly. More important, we're all capable of growth, development, and change. We can get better... To put this another way, we are all, each and every one of us, the protagonist of our own story."

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mrozzz
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Whaaaaaaat!!! I'm so excited about this milestone! I picked up Litsy about 6 weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. Reading the opinions of other bibliophiles, pushing myself to read even faster than I used to, and knowing I'm not insane always setting aside so much of my paycheck for another #bookhaul... I love this community!
Here's to 2k 🤘🏻🍻

DGRachel Congrats! 🎉🎉🎉 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!! 🎊🎈📚👍🏻❤️👏🏻 7y
See All 14 Comments
melrailey Congrats! 🎉📚👏 7y
Jas16 Yay!🎉📚👏 7y
DebinHawaii Congratulations!! 🎉👍🎉👍😀 7y
JoeStalksBeck 👏👏👏👏👏👏🎊🎉🍾🔥🎶📚📖 7y
Eyelit 🎉👏📚👍 7y
melbeautyandbooks Congratulations! 🎈🎊 7y
Redwritinghood 🎉🎉 7y
mrozzz @Redwritinghood 😊😊😊 7y
Bookladylinda Congrats!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 7y
54 likes14 comments
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stacybmartin
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Mehso-so

Meh audiobook - it tried to put me to sleep driving home last night from work. I'm thinking this would do better as a physical read.

Alfoster Yes. Better read in bits and pieces I think!😍 8y
40 likes1 comment
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hike.read.repeat
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Another one I saw at the library that looks good.

3 likes2 stack adds
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Nicole-Reads
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Pickpick

This book was such fun. For a while, I was an undergrad English major again, when symbolism and interpretation were the orders of the day. So many memories of Dr. Phillip Marcus lived in these pages for me.

4 likes2 stack adds
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AMVP
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#RiotGrams day 9 - Shared Names

Always went by TJ growing up, started on Thomas proper around the time I started working after Undergrad. Does seem to be the prefered designation of Tom authors (who don't rely on ghostwriters that is, #shade)

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Iceangel9
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Pickpick

A must read for every reader. This book is not just for English teachers.

6 likes1 stack add
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UnabridgedTomes
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Pickpick

When your mom is an English teacher, you're going to learn about foreshadowing when you're three.

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Christopher_Pettitt
Pickpick

I graduated from college almost 20 years ago and my literary criticism and analysis chops were a
bit rusty.

This book help get me back in fighting shape, so to speak. It was invaluable in helping me prepare for the CSET.

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ThatLibrarianLady
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One of my goals over the next year or two is to read all the assigned reading at the school. Any kids who take AP or Duel Enrollment English are required to read this one over the summer.

14 likes2 stack adds
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APLitlife
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The book I start with every year in my sophomore class. Great to see them make the connections. #teachersoflitsy

Alfoster Yes, yes, yes! We do too! 8y
MrBook Awesome book! 8y
19 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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Schuhbox
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Really?!

JoeStalksBeck Nice! 8y
Jill2 You better get started on that tbr pile! 8y
7 likes2 comments
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Em890
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RealLifeReading Oh the Summer Prince is on my tbr! 8y
Em890 @RealLifeReading Mine too. I loved the cover and couldn't not take it home with me. 8y
ElizaTodd I loved that book! It helped me a lot in high school and it was hilarious! 8y
Em890 @ElizaTodd I haven't read it yet. I started How to Read a Novel Like a Professor when I first got them and then grad school got in the way. I'm making my way back to them slowly. 8y
43 likes1 stack add4 comments
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CLoeb
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Enjoying listening to the audiobook on my flight home from Seattle.