Friday 19 July 2013

Top Ten Books I Have Ever Read

Basically a list of my favorite books, and a bit about them (no spoilers, I promise). There's a lot, so this is kind of the shortlist. Also, no particular order because there's just too many for me to have a Favorite Book Ever. Some of the cover illustrations aren't the originals, but they're the covers on the ones I read.

1. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
About a girl simultaneously mourning her recently deceased sister and falling in love. Gorgeous writing, amazing characters that I argh, so much, want to be real, full of emotion and beautiful, poetic prose.

2. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Because, just, wow. This had to be on here. If you haven't read these, you've been living under a rock, go read them. If you have, read them again. And watch the films. And look up the Harry Potter Alliance. And dream about being a witch/ wizard.

3. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
I only finished this yesterday, and it is so amazing. All about death, and healing, and the people left behind. This is so different from anything else I've ever read. It's like pure emotion, in book form.

4. My Name Is Mina by David Almond
Prequel to Skellig, although I like this a lot better. Mina's diary, and thoughts. It's not the story that makes this book so special, it's Mina, and her personality, and the way she thinks. I want to live inside her brain.

5. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
I think I've read this book about five times. It is so amazing. Maybe being made into a film, but it could never be as good as this book. A girl, dying slowly of cancer, meets a one-legged boy supposedly no longer dying from cancer = WOW.


6. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Probably the longest book I've ever read, and definitely one of the best. Set during the American Civil War, centered around Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler as they tackle defeat, starvation, and love. Shocking, emotional, exhilarating.  The film is amazing as well.


7. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
Not one to read in a public place if, like me, you cry at the slightest thing. Based on a Greek island during World War 2, this is a devastating, triumphant, honest story that will change the way you think about history. I loved it.


8. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaler
It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, it was so incredible. It feels like the author has actually experienced the loss of a family member. Cullen Witter tries to cope with the disappearance of his brother whilst the rest of his town search for an extinct woodpecker that has supposedly come back to life.


9. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Typical teenage romance told through an entirely new viewpoint. The way Min sees things, and how she lives and thinks is so completely refreshing. Hard to believe she isn't real. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I wish I could write like Daniel Handler.


10. A Company Of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
Pretty much any Eva Ibbotson book could have gone here actually, but I chose this one for the ballet theme. Swan Lake is my favorite ballet, so this is perfect for me. Harriet Morton escapes from her dull, oppressed life in Oxford to travel up the Amazon River with a touring ballet company. Makes me want to go to Manaus.

So, there we go, my ten favorite books. There's a lot more that should be on here, like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre or Magic Flutes, but I'd end up with a lot more than ten if I added those. What are your favorite books? Have you read any of these, and what did you think?
Love, Freya

 
 
  

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