Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling Me I Must Read.
- The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. My daughter Robin has been pushing me for several years to start this series, and I've been holding out until they were all published so I could read them in a row like I did the Percy Jackson series. Now that the last one is due out in October, I'd better get busy.
- The Fault in Our Stars. Robin and just about everyone else on the planet want me to read John Green's bestseller about two teens with terminal cancer. But I know it's going to devastate me... and bring up tough memories of Robin's own serious illness about 8 years ago. (It wasn't cancer, and she's fully recovered, for which I frequently give thanks!)
- The Thief of Attolia series by Megan Whalen Turner. Several bloggers have been recommending this title to me (or in one case, virtually forcing it into my hands and saying "Here, read this!") It's the sort of thing that's right up my alley, so I'm not sure why I keep putting it off. Time, probably - seems like there's always another ARC I need to read.
- Precious Bane, by Mary Webb. My mother has wanted me to read this since I was in high school, and I've been resisting it for just as long. She was right about almost every other book suggestion she made, from Mary Stewart to Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Josephine Tey. I'm not sure what it is about Precious Bane that hasn't clicked with me, but I haven't been able to get into it.
- The Outlander series by Diane Gabaldon. Time travel, Scotland, the Jacobite rebellion. . .A lot of my friends and acquaintances have suggested this series, and I really should give it a try one of these days.
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Another recommendation from my daughter, and one I definitely plan to read.
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore. And yet another that Robin thinks I should read. I plan to -- when I get through some of my other backlog of reading.
- Bella Andre's Sullivans series. My blogging friend Kimba has been encouraging me to read these. I read one and liked it, but there are at least 7 others in the series.
I suppose that's really more than ten, if you count the five Rick Riordans, the four Megan Whalen Turners, the seven Bella Andres, and all the Diana Gabaldons as separate books.
I really liked the Night Circus, it's beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
That's what my daughter 'Robin' keeps telling me!
DeleteThe Fault in our Stars is a definite recommendation. Considering the amount of people who've read it already, to see it on somebody's tbr pile is a definite surprise :P
ReplyDeleteYes, well, I've been reluctant for the reasons I stated. It's likely to trigger some emotionally tough stuff for me.
DeleteGreat list! Not all of these were on my list but most of them should have been! I have two in the Sullivan series (I blame Kimba for that) but have yet to read them. The Fault in Our Stars is one I have mixed feelings about. Not sure I want to read about teenagers who have cancer no matter how wonderful it is.
ReplyDeleteI have three or four Sullivan novels, and I blame Kimba too! (Love ya, Kimba!) I'm glad I'm not the only with qualms about TFIOS, though.
DeleteGood list, Lark! There are some in that list I've seen lots of recommendations for, too. The Thief of Attolia series, for instance. And then others I've read--Graceling (loved it)--but haven't read more. It takes time to read all the recommended books!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you loved Graceling, since we have some similar tastes in fantasy! And I can't tell you how many people have recommended the Thief of Attolia series to me, but it's lots. As for reading all the recommended books, I don't think it can be done - so we still have to pick and choose!
DeleteI don't know you very well so I can't push books on you judging by your taste - but if you're a high fantasy gal (and if you love Tamora Pierce) than Graceling is definitely your thing. If you're more into crazy plot twists and just...god I can't even describe MWT's The Thief. Basically both of these series are absolute favourites of mine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations, Elizabeth! I do like high fantasy, if not too dark, so I'll have to make time to get to it this fall or winter, along with The Thief. (And I do love Tamora Pierce!)
DeleteI get why you have yet to read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, but I will say that it really is a good book and the whole thing isn't sad. (: I actually started THE NIGHT CIRCUS for book club but I never got the chance to finish it. But what did I read was pretty darn good, and I definitely want to finish it a some point. Percy Jackson's Olympians series made my list too (well, sort of too)! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
Good to know that TFIOS isn't completely sad. I'll chalk you up as another vote for The Night Circus, too! As for the second Percy Jackson series, I really loved the first, so while I know I'll miss Percy's snarky narration, I'm definitely looking forward to them. I just wanted to wait until they were all out. At the rate I read, I can probably start in mid-October and be ready by the time my library-hold copy of the fifth book is available.
DeleteThe Heroes of Olympus Series is great! I also recommend you check out Night Circus. The atmosphere created by that book is really magical. It actually might be time for a reread of that book, now that I'm thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'm putting it on my "must read this fall/winter" list
DeleteThe Fault in our Stars made my list too. I've been really hesitant to read the Outlander series, but I am planning to watch the show!
ReplyDeleteHere are my Top Ten!
I almost never watch the movie first, and I don't get Starz, but I'm thinking of doing the same thing once the series comes out on DVD or shows up on Netflix.
DeleteI've heard that the Kristin Cashore series is very good, but I haven't read it yet. I see several on your list that I would want to take a chance on reading. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Yes, I've heard great things about the Kristin Cashore series and Robin loved it, so I'll be reading it eventually.
DeleteI actually couldn't finish The Night Circus for some reason, but I do love Outlander and The Fault in Our Stars. I've read the first two Heroes of Olympus books and really enjoyed them though I do understand waiting until the whole series is complete.
ReplyDeleteLuckily for me, the last book in Heroes of Olympus comes out in October, so I can finally read them!
DeleteIt's awesome that you and your daughter (and mother it sounds like) have a book pushing relationship as I'm sure you've recommended more than a few to her! The two I've read on here, Graceling and The Night Circus, were both great. I think The Night Circus will be in my top ten of books read this year.
ReplyDeleteRobin and I have a great time sharing books. It began with me reading to her when she was little, and I continued reading aloud to her through high school -- but around then, she began reading aloud to me, too!
DeleteBwaha 7 in the Sullivans? Oh there are SO many more. She started doing a spin off that's of their cousins so there's a TON of them. I've really liked the series though :)
ReplyDeleteI get the Outlander ones rec'd to me ALL the time too. One day maybe.
Oh, my! Well, if I like the original series I'll check out the rest of them.
DeleteOh Percy Jackson, yes yes. There's such a fanbase for that, I feel like I'm missing something major there :) I recommend Night Circus! The story itself is kind of so-so, but the descriptions of the circus are absolutely magical!
ReplyDeleteThe PJ books are loads of fun -- adventure and a wonderful, snarky sense of humor. They're quick reading, and really worth it. (Or if you like audiobooks, the guy who reads them is pretty good, too.) But obviously, I haven't read the second series yet.
DeleteThanks for the Night Circus rec!
This was a good top ten topic. I'm going to join in telling you to read the Thief of Attolia series (RIGHT NOW!!!!), and Graceling was good too. To me the lack of story in The Night Circus made it too frustrating, but that does not seem to bother many fans.. And as for my own to-read list I really am going to read TFIOS before the end of the year...I swear.
ReplyDeleteOn another topic, I tagged you in my first-ever video post in case you would like to join in sharing your reading habits -- whether by video or blogging only. I hope you'll take a look.
Thank you, Lory, and I will definitely take a look! It may take a little while, though, because I'm a) still visiting family and b) working, with a project due the first of Sept.
DeleteThanks, take your time; this is just for fun.
DeleteI'll join everyone in telling you that you really need to read Outlander :D I read Heroes of Olympus and really enjoyed it - but that was pre-book blogging, so I wonder how it would stack up now. And then I have a Fault in Our Stars just sitting around waiting to be read. So I need to read that too!
ReplyDeleteI'll make it different than the others (^^) : read Precious bane ! Listen to your mother, she's right ! I read it when I was a teenager and still have wonderful memories of it so many years afterwards !
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