26 March 2013

Books That Make You Say OOOOH!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Combining both a passion for all things bookish with an obsessive love of list-making, this rad meme was born. This week's post is Top Ten Books You Recommend Most.

Whether it be because of a bookish crush or a riveting plot or eloquent prose, some books just leave you with an intensely pleasant gutteral reaction. You know how it is. It looks something like this:


And this is why I won't hesitate to push these types of books on anyone and everyone I meet. Yes. I am a book pusher. So sue me. These are the top ten books that have, in one way or another, changed my life for the better. 


Every Day by David Levithan - Based on my glowing review and the fact that this book makes virtually every TTT list, like EVER, I think it's safe to say that I recommend it most. It seriously changed my whole outlook on life and its unique perspective is something that everyone needs to experience for themselves! So read it. Right now.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - First, I loved the movie and then I loved the book which is a rarity for me. It takes some pretty impactful writing and engaging characters to do that. For those of you who aren't "zombie people," I especially recommend this book. It's a zombie book that isn't really a zombie book so come to the dark (er, dead) side and read it. I promise, you won't regret it.


Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson - This is the precursor to Peter Pan and it broke my heart in so many ways with its soulful yet beautifully haunting story. Anderson turned a fairy tale into a captivating reality. It might not have the traditional happily-ever-after, but it sure is a satisfying one.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green - If you don't think Tiny Cooper is the greatest character ever written, I will fight you. That's no lie.


The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - I can't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book series or so profoundly moved by an ending. This series was gripping and the ending tough to swallow, but it affected me in a very real way. This is my favourite dystopian series EVER. 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - This was my very first book review and with good reason. Like the movie incarnation, it's got a little bit of everything --- "fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."--- it's enough to please and entertain just about anyone.


To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - There's a reason this one's a classic and it's not just because Atticus Finch is dad you've always wanted.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - This book cultivated my love for dystopias and I love how it explores much deeper themes like whether or not man is inherently good or evil.



And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - She is the queen of mystery and this, perhaps, her greatest masterpiece. Not only is the book a favourite, but so is the movie.

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter - This woman and her whimsical stories cultivated my love for reading from a very early age. If I ever have children of my own, this will be the first book in their vast collection.




Are you also a book pusher? And what is it about a book that really makes it stick? Do you recommend books because you think everyone will love them or because they made a particular impression on you? Which books are on your TTT list? If you've read any of my picks, let me know what you thought about them in the comments!

16 comments:

  1. I am absolutely a book pusher too! What a great list. I love David Levithan, Princess Bride, so many more... Thanks for stopping by! It's so much fun to compare lists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Lisa! I push so much that I think my friends and family just wish that I would shut up about it already! What can I say? I just wanna share the goodness!

      Delete
  2. YES to Warm Bodies (I'm not a zombie person and I loved that book) and to Tiger Lily. The writing in that one was to die for. But most of all: TINY COOPER ROCKS. That book should have just been named Tiny Cooper because he is the STAR of it hands down:) Great list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY! I'm so happy you loved Warm Bodies. It really is THAT good. OMG, and Tiger Lily just broke my heart. Tiny Cooper is the greatest character ever written, hands down. So good!

      Delete
  3. Love your list! Don't worry I can occasionally (or maybe like all the time) be a book pusher.

    Lord of the Flies is a really good book, but I haven't read it in so long. You can't go wrong with Agatha Christie, The Hunger Games, or To Kill a Mocking Bird.

    I still need to read Tiger Lily.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm happy you enjoyed my picks, Kay! You should read Tiger Lily. It's not an easy one to digest but it's a beautiful story nonetheless.

      Delete
  4. GREAT list. I think I'll be reading Lord of the Flies in the next month, and I'm desperate to read Tiger Lily! It sounds amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know what you think of Lord of the Flies. It's the book that first fostered my love for dystopias. It's intense and really powerful. And YES to Tiger Lily. I really think you'll love that one.

      Delete
  5. I really need to read Tiger Lily! And Warm Bodies. Great list!

    I love And Then There None! It's one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Ashley! The movie version of And Then There Were None is just as good too!

      And I highly recommend Tiger Lily (make sure you have tissues handy) and Warm Bodies. If you don't get a chance to read the book version, check out the movie.

      Delete
  6. Will Grayson was so amazing, my favorite by JG :D And the reason why I decided to check out Levithan as well. ;)Nice list!

    My TTT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ula! Will Grayson is my first foray into JG and I loved every second of it. I can't wait to read more.

      Delete
  7. I generally read books on my friends' recommendations. I read only those books which give me lots of information about people, places, life, technology etc. I don't read books which is mere a piece of entertainment.

    Regards,
    Henry Jordan
    The Equation game

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the beauty of reading, Henry, there are so many options from which to choose and no right or wrong reason for doing it.

      Delete
  8. Oh how I love The Princess Bride! Yours is the first list to feature it that I've come across so far though. Also, I'm a new follower. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! Thank you, Emily and welcome! The Princess Bride is one of my FAVOURITES of all time (of books and movies) so there was no way I wasn't going to feature it here. If you read my blog enough, you'll see that I pretty much never stop talking about it.

      Delete

You stay classy now! And thanks for stopping by. But mostly stay classy.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...