Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books

Top Ten Tuesday
TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)
Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books
This week is TTT Rewind week, so when I looked back at the choices I couldn't resist the chance to share my favorite books ever!

1. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
This was the very first Sarah Dessen book I ever read, and it is also the first young adult book I've ever read, and so it really sat with me for a long time. After reading it I promptly read all of her books, and then re-read them, until I discovered that hers were not the only good young adult novels out there. However, I still think they are some of the best.

2. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.
While I enjoyed Story of a Girl, and later Once Was Lost, Sweethearts is the only one of Zarr's books that really... I don't know, inspired me. I couldn't put it down, and I loved the story and the characters and everything about it. Immediately after finishing I knew it'd be a favorite of mine for a long time, and it was one of the few books I bought in hardcover even after reading it.

3. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
I was a bit skeptical to read this book, but when I did I totally understood why I'd heard such good things about it. I can't even begin to explain how much I love it... it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cringe... It was an instant favorite, and I'm really sad that Summers' second book didn't do the same things for me. I haven't read her third book yet, but I'm hoping it's good like Cracked Up To Be.

4. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott.
Bloom was sweet, I guess, but when I read Perfect You I was completely blown away. It was a regular teen romance but with comedy and some "awe" moments, and this book has total underline potential. In fact, all of my copies of Elizabeth Scott's books have notes in the margins. This book is definitely one of my faves.

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Yep, that has to go on this list. The Hunger Games is so exciting, so interesting, so believable... And to add to it, the social commentary is incredible to think about, especially for someone like me who is just beginning to make those kind of connections in my reading.

6. Looking for Alaska by John Green.
Wow, I was so blown away by this book when I first read it. It was not at all what I was expecting, and it was hilarious and sad and insightful and just overall awesomeness. I recommended it to all of my friends, as well as the book club at my high school. I just think it should be read by everybody.

7. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.
I felt it appropriate to list Sloppy Firsts, since it's the first of the series, but in reality the sequel, Second Helpings, is my favorite from that series. However, just speaking about the series as a whole, I have yet to read a series that has made me laugh so hard. So many memorable scenes, Laugh-Out-Loud moments, and the most interesting characters I've ever read about. This series is a must-read for teenage girls who are just coming of age and trying to discover who they truly are.

8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
After reading My Sister's Keeper (and bawling my eyes out... I have no idea how many tissues I went through that day, and how many times my mom asked me what's wrong) I knew I had to read more from Jodi Picoult. At the time Nineteen Minutes was her newest, and I loved it even more than My Sister's Keeper. It just seemed so horrible and real, like it could happen to anybody.

9. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.
This series has got a lot of awesome stuff going on. It's historical, which is really exciting. It has a hot guy (oh, Kartik!) which is also exciting. But it's wonderful because it's sooo well-written, so suspenseful, and Gemma is just such a badass woman without even knowing it, it's just so awesome to read about her and her adventures with her friends.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I often forget about this book, probably because I read it for school, but just remembering it now I realized I had to add it to my favorites. A WWII novel, it's written in a really interesting way, and it is also such a realistic portrayal of what a young girl might go through during the war. It's definitely a must-read for those interested in the subject, or if you're just looking for a tear-jerker.

Jane

1 comment:

  1. Great list. ;) I only have read Cracked Up To Be and A Great and Terrible Beauty. Both very good. ;)

    ReplyDelete