This week is incredibly hard for me to write. Our mission for this week's blog post is to write our top 10 best and worst books that we have read. There are so many that I could put on either list, it's really hard to choose! However, I will try my hardest to narrow it down.
Top 10 Favorite Books, in no particular order.
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling-- I can't even begin to pick a favorite book out of the lot. Growing with the characters, watching the conflict build throughout the whole series, it was amazing! I could read them all again in a heartbeat!
2. Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris-- They remind me a lot of Pringles, you can't just stop at one! Sure, they're quick and easy reads, but they really do build on each other, and before you know it you've lost an entire week or two on a dozen books!
3. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen-- I adore this book, even after reading it for a college paper. I'm also in love with the Ang Lee movie starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Alan Rickman makes a stunning Col. Brandon.
4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon-- If you have never read this series, go do it. Right now! Sure, looking at the print copy is a little daunting; I believe the paperback copy has somewhere in the neighborhood of 780 pages. Even still, the details she uses are amazing, and really make you feel like you're in Scotland during the Jacobite uprising!
5. Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice-- This is the book that started my journey into the horror/paranormal type genres, and really inspired me to write on my own. I'm a sucker for details, I love a book that makes me feel like I'm sitting right there with the main character and feeling the way they feel.
6. The Stand by Stephen King-- Yes, it's a big book, but I read it two summers in a row as a teen. It felt so real!
7. Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr-- First in a series, I remember devouring this series (Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood, and Dragonspell) in about a week. I love a good fantasy series that doesn't make a reader question the validity of the setting.
8. Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning-- Another favorite where I got sucked into the storyline and couldn't let go!
9. Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson-- Anyone who can write about vampires in my hometown earns instant cool points. I never thought Mount Vernon, Ohio had much potential as a book setting before now!
10. The Rebel Spy by April London-- Maybe I'm a little biased because I've watched Rebel go from a little rough draft to published e-book. Or maybe because April is my writing buddy and cheerleader/butt kicker/shoulder to cry on, and she's making sure I follow in her footsteps...but it's a favorite all the same.
Now...Top 10 Least Favorite. I'm sure some of these are favorites of someone, somewhere, and I do apologize for that. However, just like the title says, these just weren't my favorite. Feel free to try them out on your own, though! Like the old saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James-- I wanted to see what the hype was all about...and I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype was about. To me, it was too heavy on "oh wow" and "so hot."
2. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway-- I tried. I really did try to like this one, because Hemingway is huge! However, his writing style just was too dry for my liking, and it was a rough read. I only managed to finish it because I had a paper to turn in for class.
3. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer-- I actually kind of liked the first three books. This one, however...somehow fell flat to me. I don't know if it was the focus on the pregnancy or how the "imprinting" among the werewolves came off as more creepy than sweet, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Crazy as it sounds...I liked the movie better.
4. 1984 by George Orwell-- Another book that I muddled through for a grade.
5. In loose general terms, e-books that are maybe 20% book, and 80% ads and teasers for other books. If you're going to "publish" a book like this, please acknowledge that it's a sampler instead of a full book!
Really, there's not too many books that I dislike!
How about you: What's your favorite book? Your least favorite book?
Nice post! Loved the Harry Potter series too. When the last book came out, all four of us in my family bought a copy, and we all took our books to read on a cruise. So many people had that one that we didn't dare to talk about the story in public, lest we ruin it for someone!
ReplyDelete