Top Ten Books
I’m taking a cue today from one of
my favorite people, a friend of mine does Top Ten Tuesday’s on her blog, so I
thought I’d give it a try. It sounds
like fun.
I read a lot. I always
have. Sometimes I read two or three
books in a week; sometimes I read a book in a day. I can’t imagine how many I’ve forgotten. I know I remember some but have no idea what
the titles were. That’s kind of
sad. I should start keeping track. These are the books that stuck. They are in no particular order. Hope you enjoy learning a little about my
reading tastes!
10. Dracula by Bram Stoker
I love vampires, movies, books it
doesn’t matter. Reading Dracula started this love. I’ve devoured most of the vampire stories I
can find, but Dracula still has a
special place in my heart. Stoker shaped
the modern day vampire; he introduced Count Dracula and Van Helsing to the
world. His story was innovative and
original, shaping science fiction and horror writing. Dracula has spawned multiple movies, and
the vampire genre is being reinvented every day but to me this is how vampires
should always be.
9. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Cross vampires with zombies and add
a worldwide pandemic and you get this amazing post-apocalyptic story. I love how Matheson captures the loneliness
and the darkness that would accompany this situation, but the main character
Neville never seems to lose his hope, even though it is constantly being
smashed and pushed into the ground. He
pushed through researching and trying to make sense of what happened. This story has also sparked multiple movies
but none of them in my opinion come close to the written story.
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Though this is newer it has made it
onto my list. I love the trilogy, not
just the one, but I didn’t want to use up three spaces on my list of ten. These books raced to the top of bestseller
lists, and high school reading lists. I’ve
even heard talk of them being banned from libraries already. This Trilogy hit home for me. I think that our society is headed for a rude
awakening if we don’t open our eyes soon.
The excess and the greed in the capitol and the utter desolation in the
districts was vividly described and heart wrenching for me. Katniss’s struggle to take on so much
responsibility and to keep her heart out of it was captured perfectly. As if being a teenager in a love triangle
wasn’t hard enough. If you haven’t read
these books you should.
7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
What can be said about Lolita?
Most people know it, or know of it at
least. Its content is highly
inappropriate and disturbing. It’s
incredibly well written. A man obsessed
with young girls, living with a woman and her twelve year old daughter. He becomes instantly obsessed with the daughter
marrying the mother just to stay close to Lolita. Eventually her mother finds out and Humbert
ends up kidnapping Lolita. Nabokov draws
you in and makes you feel sorry for Humbert, he paints Lolita as the villain
and does it well.
6. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
I love Kerouac, not just this piece
of his work. There’s a lot to be said
for the combination of Buddhist rituals, crazy parties, and the search for
inner peace in The Dharma Bums. The real life accounts that Kerouac uses draw
you in, that’s what I love about his writing, it’s real. If you’ve ever wanted to pack a bag and head
out on an adventure then On the Road
is for you.
5. Othello by William Shakespeare
I love Shakespeare. I’ve devoured it in school and on my
own. It can be hard to read sometimes by
I can’t get enough. I could probably
make a list of just works I love by Shakespeare. Othello is timeless. It encompasses some of the basic feelings of
life: love, jealousy, betrayal, and let’s not forget racism. The manipulation of those feelings is amazing
to me. Iago is the perfect bad guy if
you ask me.
4. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Sparks struck gold with this one, a
young love that lasts the span of time, and then the loss of memory. It’s hopeful and sad and sweet. I think deep down that’s something that
everyone wants.
3. Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
The third book in the Vampire Chronicles, I have read the
whole series and I have to say this one is my favorite. It’s about vampires, I’ve already explained that,
but it has something else I love, history.
Queen of the Damned has its
own mythology and it’s great. All the
different people and their stories, how tied together they all are. It drew me in. I couldn’t put it down.
2. The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
Technically, I guess this is a poem,
but it deserves a place on this list. I
love Poe and this is my favorite of his.
A raven seemingly taunts a mourning madman driving him further into his
madness by repeating only one word, “Nevermore”.
1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
No comments:
Post a Comment