Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's prompt is the First Ten Books I Reviewed. For this post, I looked at my earliest Goodreads reviews and made my choices based on which books I remember feeling strongly about. I'm not sure what order to put my reviews in, so I'm doing it alphabetically. Note: I started my Goodreads account in 2014, so many of these may be 2014 releases.
What does your Top Ten Tuesday look like?
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Cath is an introverted young woman and the author of popular Simon Snow fan fiction. She also really close with her twin sister, Wren. However, when Cath and Wren embark on the next chapter of their lives - college - Cath must come to terms with adulthood and get outside her comfort zone.I remember really enjoying this book, because it's really cute and I relate to Cath so much - I'm also super introverted, sometimes to the point of not doing thinks I love. Growing up, my friends and I were obsessed with Harry Potter, and I can remember what it's like to let go of childhood fantasies to face reality.
My rating: ★★★★
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
In this fantasy world, trouble is brewing and the deep cold is coming. Sinister and supernatural forces are massing behind the kingdom's protective wall while the stories of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, come together to tell a tale of the game of thrones.Though there are some parts of the novel that are shocking - rape, murder, incest - I remember being glued to the book and subsequent books. I think around the second to last one that's currently out, I got bored and didn't bother reading the last one. It's still a good series, though!
My rating: ★★★★
The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle is a memoir by former journalist Jeannette Walls. She grew up with stubborn, poor parents - her mother would rather draw or write than take care of her family and her father was an alcoholic. Walls and her siblings had to fend for themselves most times before finally leaving home.Walls is a great storyteller. I've read many non-fiction/memoirs since this book, and The Glass Castle is still the best one I've read to date.
My rating: ★★★★
Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Often called the Swedish Stephen King, John Ajvide Lindqvist writes a haunting tale about the dead rising during a hot day in Stockholm.First of all, the cover is striking. I mean, I just can't look away from it. The story itself is morbid yet also beautiful. I remember feeling like the book was ultimately about grief and letting go. I ended up reading all of the author's other books within the same year because of how much I loved this one.
My rating: ★★★★★
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas wakes up in a lift, only being able to remember his name. He's surrounded by strangers, all boys whose memories are also gone. They live surrounded by towering stone walls that form an ever-changing maze. It's the only way out, and no one's ever made it out alive. But then, one day a girl arrives and they find out the clock is ticking on their lives.I know there's a following behind this series, but I hated this book. I disliked the made-up curse words - I've never understood the purpose of that. Like, just say fuck for Christ's sake. There was also no creativity behind the writing style. Instead of finding a way to articulate Thomas's feelings through his actions, the author would say "Thomas is mad" or Thomas is confused."
My rating: ★★
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Calliope Stephanides is the guilty family secret - he is an intersex person who was born female. Calliope - who goes by Cal by adulthood - details his family history which leads to his being born intersex.Middlesex is a thrilling novel full of rich, complex family drama set in the twentieth century. It's well-written and enthralling.
My rating: ★★★★★
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Random Riggs
A mix of photography and fiction, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children follows Jacob, a 16 year old who, after a family tragedy, travels to a small island off the coast of Wales where he discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As he explores, Jacob discovers that the children who once roamed the halls might have been dangerous - and even still alive.I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the concept of forming a story around a series of photographs. However, I was really confused as to who was supposed to be the targeted audience. It was written like a juvenile book, but there were themes that would be inappropriate for that age group. Nonetheless, I read the rest of the books in the series but still have mixed feelings about it.
My rating: ★★★
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy grows up in an idyllic English boarding school called Hailsham where she and her fellow classmates classmates are allowed little contact of the outside world and are taught nothing about it. As they grow up and leave the safe grounds of the school, they realize the full, horrifying truth of what Hailsham is.This book will tear you pieces and leave you a sobbing, hot mess. It's an emotional story that's essentially about what it means to be human.
My rating: ★★★★
The Shining by Stephen King
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel seems like a fresh start. As a caretaker, he'll have plenty of time to spend working on writing and reconnecting with his family. But, as a harsh winter sets in, the hotel feels sinister, and the only one who notices is Jack's son, a gifted five year old.The Shining is terrifying. If you were to read only one horror novel in your life, I would recommend this. It's just fantastic! Don't expect to be able to sleep after you finish reading it.
My rating: ★★★★★
Under the Dome by Stephen King
On an entirely normal day, a town in Maine is suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. A short-order cook, newspaper owner, physician's assistant, selectwoman and three kids team up against a politician who will stop at nothing to hold the reins of power. But their main adversary is the Dome itself because time isn't short - it's running out.I remember really liking Under the Dome. It had the right amount of politics, mystery and horror.
My rating: ★★★★
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