Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Top 12 Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger


Top Ten Tuesday Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Yeah, I know it says Top "Ten" Tuesday, but I had to add a couple more!

  1. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice--anyone who knows me, knows that Anne Rice is my favorite author and that this book is my favorite of all time. I've read it four times and probably will read it again someday. Anne has such a way of weaving the paranormal/supernatural with the historical. She's a great story teller and a great person to boot.
  2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett--I was amazed that an author of thrillers wrote such an amazingly epic and historically accurate novel. His true passion for the cathedrals that have existed for hundreds of years really comes through in his story.
  3. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley--believe it or not, I didn't always devote so much time to reading. It took me forever to read this book. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I loved it! It takes the whole Arthurian legend and tells it from the women characters' points of view. Anyone who is interested in the Arthurian legend should read this book. I think I'm due for a reread!
  4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel--this book was simply amazing. I'm sure a lot of people have read it recently due to the film coming out (the film was also amazing) and have found it equally such. I could not put this down when I was reading it. This one really makes the reader think.
  5. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden--as I was shelving my books after my move, I came across this book and I told my mom that she really needed to read it. It is a very engrossing read. This is one where you cannot help but empathize with the main character.
  6. London by Edward Rutherford--Rutherford takes an historical location and tells its story and the stories of the people who lived there in generations and on an epic scale. Very historically accurate with interesting storylines and characters.
  7. Hell House by Richard Matheson--I still say that this is the scariest book I have ever read. It's not gory or in your face. It's creepy and subtle and it grabs your heart and squeezes. Leave the lights on for this one!
  8. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien--do I really need to explain this one? One of the original master fantasy storytellers, Tolkien created a magical world and characters that we really care for.
  9. Let Me In (or Let the Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist--I first saw the Swedish version of the film based on this book. It was amazing. When I saw that it was based on a novel, I immediately checked it out at the library. One of the best vampire novels ever written, in my opinion. 
  10. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice--another Anne Rice...that's right. This is an epic family saga with lots of supernatural thrown in. Many might argue, but this is probably one of her best novels. The sequels, Lasher and Taltos, not so much, but you still should read them to complete the story.
  11. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova--I love books that are beautifully written and long and drawn out and yet a great story is being told. This one is all that. An intriguing twist to the Dracula story.
  12. The Keep by Jennifer Egan--way before A Visit from the Goon Squad (which I haven't read yet), there was this book. I can't even begin to explain what is so intriguing about it, but it is that and more. It really knocks you out of your seat in the end.
I left off some favorites. One, Little Women, because I first read it when I was a child and have read it several times since then. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I also left off Stephen King because, while he is a favorite author, Anne Rice is my most favorite author. Two of King's that could have made the list are Bag of Bones and Duma Key. Honorable mentions are Blackwater by Kerstin Ekman and Morality Play by Barry Unsworth.

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13 comments:

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  1. I've spotted London on the shelves in the bookshop once and was rather interested. Now after your recommendation I'm determined to buy it!)

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  2. Oh, yes 1, 4 and 8 (duh) are in my all-time favourites, too. And the rest of them are on my to-read list.

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  3. I need to read some more Anne Rice. I've only read Interview with the Vampire.

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  4. Oooh The Mists of Avalon... another favorite of mine. Now you really need to read Juliet Marillier. If the Mists is one of your favorites, you'll love Juliet for sure. Promise me. :p

    Life of Pi... so many feels.

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  5. No one seems to have been able to stop at 10! I was so pissed at the end of The Historian. I really liked the book until the very end and then literally threw the book. All those pages for nothing to have changed!

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  6. 4 and 9 are among my all time favorites! But somehow I've managed not to read any Anne Rice yet, really need to do something about that and soon!

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  7. I almost put Edward Rutherford's books on my own list--and London is my absolute favorite. I just reread it last year, and loved it as much as ever.

    It took me two attempts to read The Historian, but I ended up really enjoying it.

    Mists of Avalon is a remarkable book, and definitely a pre-blogging favorite for me, though I ran out of room before I ran out of favorites. I thought the movie was a pretty good adaptation, too.

    I've got several Anne Rice books on my TBR shelf...I have got to give them a go!

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  8. I've read a few on your list. I used to love Anne Rice, but haven't read any of her newer ones.

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  9. I have a few of those on my TBR list!
    Chèli
    http://chelisshelves.blogspot.com

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  10. The Pillars of the Earth was on my list too. Love that book!

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  11. I really enjoyed Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Grapes of Wrath, Dragonlance Chronicles, Harry Potter series, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee before my blogging days :)

    A few of those books are on my shelves in my room! I need to get to them soon. I loved Let the Right One In the movie version. I need to read the book too!

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  12. This is a fantastic list for being BB (Before Blogging)! I did love THE WITCHING HOUR, and of course, THE HISTORIAN remains one of my all-time favorites.

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  13. So, I have tried Mists of Avalon twice and both times set it down a few hundred pages in. Not because it was bad, just becaue I didn't have the time it would take to finish it. I loved what I rasd so I'll have to try it again someday.

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