Top 10 Books

Good morrow fine readers,

Now I do realise that whilst this is my second post, it is yet again another 'Top 10 Things' post, my thinking was that it will allow you to get to know me. What I like and what I don't like. I tend to read a lot. As in all the tricking time. And when I decided to compile this list of my Top 10 Favourite Books I knew that it would be difficult, but I never expected it to be this exceptionally hard. See, when it comes to literature, I either entirely detest the book, and will refuse to finish it, or I will fall head over heals in love with it and that will be my life for the next month or so. I will spend my time, trying as hard as I can not to fall in love with fictional characters, and ultimately fail, thus adding the book to my collection of 'books I will never get rid of'. So this list will change over time, maybe in a few months i'll add an updated list, who knows. But as of right now, these are my top 10 favourite books in no particular order:

Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin

This is the beautifully written story of a Liz Hall, who dies in a hit-and-run accident whilst riding her bicycle. She wakes to find herself on a ship, with lots of elderly people, and makes friends with a young girl with a bullet wound. After watching her own funeral through the binocular on the Observation Deck, Liz realises that she is dead. Soon the ship arrives in a place called Elsewhere, where she meets the grandmother who died before Liz was born. Here she learns that everyone ages backwards from the day they die, until they are one week old, where they are placed in the river and return to Earth to begin a new life. 

I don't know what it is about the book that I loved so much, maybe the idea that there is life after death and it's exactly like life on Earth except backwards. The book is advertised as a young adult novel, however, I made my mum read it and she absolutely loved it, so I wouldn't say it was entirely destined for teenagers. It's lighthearted and fun, a total must read. 

Paper Towns - John Green

So, John Green is possibly my favourite author right now. His work is so beautifully epic, and wonderful. I particularly like Paper Towns, just because of all the beauty and cleverness within it. There are so many little things that you don't always pick up on right away, and it takes a couple of reads to get. I love it, never gets boring. 

The novel beings in a subdivision in Orlando, Florida with protagonist Quentin Jacobsen and his neighbour Margo Roth Spiegelman, as young children, finding the body of a local man in the park having just committed suicide. We then jump forward to the two as teenagers, learning of Quentin's utter awe of Margo and all the crazy rumours about the things she has done. It becomes clear that the two had grown apart, Margo becoming an exciting adventure searching teenager, with Quentin playing it safe, until Margo opens Quentin's bedroom window one night, looking for a partner in crime. The two spend the night travelling around the houses of high-schoolers, reeking havoc on those who have recently hurt Margo. It is on this night that Margo calls their town a "Paper Town" - Possibly one of the most beautiful images that could describe a 'fake' place. The morning after their adventures, Quentin is sure that things will have changed between Margo and himself, and goes to school expecting change. What he didn't expect was for Margo to have gone missing. It seems the night the two spent bonding and laughing, she also ran away. However, she left clues, only for Quentin to find, explaining where she was going, and him and a group of his friends take of in search of Margo Roth Spielgelman. Eventually the clues lead Quentin to the fictional town of Algoe, created as a copyright trap by mapmakers. Once they find her, though, she is anything but grateful. She did not want to be found. Quentin and Margo talk and the ending is ultimately left ambiguous. Margo goes to New York as she had planned and Quentin goes back to the 'Paper Town'. 

I think my favourite part of the whole novel is the title and the things that are said about it in the story. Margo explains that she doesn't like living in Orlando because it is fake, its a "Paper Town", and then she runs away to an actual paper town, a place that only exists on a map as a copyright trap. There is nothing there except an empty run down shop. Beautiful.

Harry Potter Series - J. K. Rowling

Basically, if you haven't read the series, then you need to stop reading this, sort your life out, get the books, read the books and then come back and carry on reading because, they. are. incredible. Honestly, possibly the best books I've ever read. I couldn't pick a favourite book, they are all great. And I'm not going to explain the plot of the whole series like I have been doing, but basically its a Harry Potter vs Voldemort situation. The characters are great. The plots are great. They are funny, they are sad.

(The films also brilliant, however I do think that the books are best, they are the original text and there so much in them that make you feel entirely differently about a character once you find out.) 

Fallen - Lauren Kate

This is your typical teen-fiction supernatural romance about a fallen angel who has loved a girl for thousands of years, however every time they try to get close to each other, she is taken away, killed, removed, whatever... The girl, Luce, meets the boy, Daniel, for what she believes is the first time and Sword & Cross, a reform school, where she is sent for being accused of killing the boy she kissed by lighting him on fire. What she doesn't realise is that the majority of the kids at her reform school are fallen angels, either out to get her or out to protect her. It soon comes to light that if Luce dies in this lifetime, she will not be reincarnated because in this lifetime she is not religious, and has not been baptised. A battle between the angles commences, although no victor is found today. Luce is taken somewhere safe by a school teacher who seems to be in on the action, and the story continues in the next book in the series. 

It's not that I don't like the other books in the series, however my copy of this book seems to be a lot more worn than the others. This, I have to admit, is a bit of a guilty pleasure. It's one of those books that everyone expects teenagers to like, because of the sort-of love triangle thing happening. However, I think it's more the supernatural, fallen angel theme that attracts me. I have a bit of a weak spot for the supernatural in literature, which I'm sure will become clear the further you get into my list. 

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

Don't judge me, okay. It's actually a pretty decent book when you read it. And yes, I am one of the few who was actually a fan of the book before the films came out. Everyone knows the story, it's all Bella's hard, hard life of not being able to decide between two men who are in love with her. Both are insanely attractive and utterly protective of her. Gosh darn it what a hard life she has. It's not that I read Twilight and think that it's incredible literature, it's just that when I do decide to pick it up, I can't actually put it down. 

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

I'm sure by now, most people know the story of The Hobbit thanks to the incredible films. I managed to read The Hobbit on holiday last year and I loved it. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed with the films after I read the book, just because I don't think the films give the book enough credit. However, that's just my opinion, and I do love Martin Freeman. I totally recommend it, it's an English classic and a must read. 

Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen

Another English Classic, Pride & Prejudice is a beautiful novel. I love the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, because it shows just how similar the literature to today is to what it was. There is the typical lead character confused by her feelings for another character, and misunderstandings lead to heartache. With a beautiful ending of everyone realising how they feel for each other and falling in love and living happily ever after. 

I also happen to be utterly in love with Mr Darcy, specifically the Mr Darcy in the Keira Knightley film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, and he's usually not my type, but that coat really does it for me. What can I say, I like a good tall-dark-and-handsome. 

Under The Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

Aria is exiled from Reverie due to a fire that caused the deaths of her best friend and two boys. The punishment is almost certain death, outside the walls of her city is unknown wasteland, a place filled with cannibals and terrible storms, even the air can kill her. She meets an Outside called Perry and she knows that he is her only chance for survival. The two learn how to work together in order to survive the harsh lands. 

There is something really beautiful about the opposites within this book; Reverie is very futuristic, they live in a city dome because they believe the air to be dangerous to humans, everyone wears eye patches which tell them information and does other cool things, I always imagine electric sliding doors and lots of white walls when I think of Reverie. And then there is Outside, which is the entire opposite, it feels very tribal almost. Almost like the Outside is the past and Reverie is the future. It is a similar dynamic to the Hunger Games, with the Capitol and the districts. (Another book that I greatly enjoy and now i'm thinking about it, it should have probably made the list, but I prepared the list before I started writing and now I wouldn't know what to take out.) 

Night World - L. J. Smith 

Supernatural literature. Again. The 'Night World' is all the supernatural species, (e.g. Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Shapeshifters etc.), in the series the Night World people live amongst humans, without the humans knowledge. The Night World has two basic rules: 1) Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night Worlds existence and, 2) Never fall in love with a human. 

Each novel follows a different protagonist who faces challenges involving the 'soulmate principle' and the Night World laws. In the seventh book, the concept of an impending millennial apocalypse is introduced. The books then begin to focus in on searching for four 'Wild Powers' who according to an ancient prophecy will either aid or save the world from its impending doom. The last book in the series has been delayed for over a decade, L. J. Smith has said that she has not yet finished writing it. The first book in the series is actually the same age as me, published in 1996. 

I love the books, because although the series follows a clear plot of saving the world etc. there are new characters every time so it never gets boring, they can be read as individual books, if you want to do it that way. Personally I read them all in order and when I go back to them I tend to pick up my favourites and read those. 

Gallagher Girls Series - Ally Carter 

Now I haven't actually read all the books in this series, mostly because I don't have the money to buy them or the space to put them, but I have read the first three or four, and I love them. They are essentially teen-fiction, but there are such a nice concept and it's not very often that you come across modern literature with such kick-ass female characters. 

The Gallagher Academy is a spy school for girls, and the books follow in one girls journey as a young spy. As I said, I haven't read them all, I don't know how they end, but I do love them.