My Top 10 Fav Books of All-Time!!!!!

I absolutley LOVE reading. It is my favourite pass-time and I could spend hours doing it. My husband can't understand and gets quite frustrated with me sometimes, as I tend to go into my own little world when reading and don't hear what's going on around me, including him! So, to that end, I thought I would share with you all my top 10 favourite books of all time. It's rather long, I tend to get very passionate about my books!

10. Kiss the Girls by James Patterson - This was the first James Patterson book I ever read and it's still the best one. This book has also been made into a movie and suprisingly it's pretty good. The thing I love about murder mystery novels is trying to figure out the murderer before the detectives do and this was one of those books where I was certain I had the right guy and I was totally wrong. Blew me away. In a good way.

9. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - A great book about how we think and how our brains work and the how and why of the decisions we make. Explains why we have 'gut feelings' and why it's never a good idea to dismiss them. Great read, highly reccomended.

8. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - One of those books where the subject matter isn't the happiest but it's written with such empathy that you just can't help but get sucked in. Focuses on a young girl and her fight for medical emancipation from her parents (the reason why is heart-breaking) and the strain it puts on her parents, brother and sister. If you don't mind a tear-jerker and you like books about issues, this is one for you.

7. Animal Farm by George Orwell - Everybody thinks I'm such a nerd when I say that I liked this book, seeing as most people had to read it for school and therefore hated it. I, on the other hand, read this when I was in Year 12 for pleasure and loved it. It probably had a bit to do with having read 1984 (for 3unit English) and hating that, and the fact that I was studying 20th Century Russia for Modern History and it really helped! I just like the whole metaphor Orwell uses and it's a book that makes you think.

6. People Might Hear You by Robin Klein - I first read this book when I was 14 and I was engrossed. At first I wasn't sure if I liked it much, coz it is quite depressing and a sad stituation the girl finds herself in, but it's absolutely intriguing and makes you wanna keep reading till you get to the end. One of the best written books by an Australian author for young adults.

5. Tomorrow, When the War Began Series by John Marsden - This is a series of books I think every teenager in Australia should read. My most favourite series of books for quite a long time, I read the first book when i was 14 and in year 8 and I finished it in 5 hours. I just could not put it down! The most fantastic story of a bunch of teenagers who go camping for a weekend only to come back and find Australia has been invaded and everyone form their small town has been taken as prisoners of war. Chronicals their struggles to stay alive and their resistence against the invaders.

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - This was one of three books I had to read for 3unit English in year 12, the subject being distopias. Incidentally the other books I had to read were 1984 (which I mentioned previously as hating!) and Utopia, possibly the most dry book ever writtern!). I really enjoyed the way the story was written and how information about the society and what has happened is revealed bit by bit. A very intriguing story and one to get you thinking about our society today.

3. Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich - I absolutley LOVE Stephanie Plum. She is my favourite fictional heroine. I love her so much I named my first car after her! These books are the most hilarious stories I have ever read. Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter (not by choice) working for her cousin's bail bonds company apprehending people who have failed to show up for court. The problem is that Stepahine is absolutly terrible at being a bounty hunter, she hates carrying a gun, and she always wrecks at least one car per book. These are the books that when I read them on the train people look at me funny coz I laugh out loud so often. If you like your stories funny and light-hearted, with two of the hunkiest men fiction has to offer, then this series is for you.

2. Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling - I have two things to admit about this series. One, I am just a tiny bit obsessed with these books and the movies (though nowhere near as good) that go with them. Two, I was a late comer to the craziness that's Potter-Mania. Having worked in bookshops you would think this is one series I would have read. But I only read the first book on my honeymoon last August. Now that i have read them all I can't stop! I read a different book at least once a month in between other books that I am reading. I am desperate for the next movie to come out. The story is just so classic, J. K's style of writing is gorgeous and reminds me of reading classic children's authors like Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton. The final book is the most amazing and ties up absolutley every little detail from the saga

1. The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenger - My absolute favourite book of all time! I can not praise this book enough. The idea is just so amazing and fantastic, it makes the mind spin. Henry suffers from Chrono-displacement syndrome (I think that's what they call it) which means that periodically his internal body clock re-sets itself and Henry finds himself either thrown forwards or backwards in time. This causes quite a few problems, the biggest one being that his wife Clare first meets him (Henry) when she is 6 years old and Henry is 38. Henry is time-travelling back to when Clare was a little girl. However Henry meets Clare for the first time when he is 28 and working in a Chicago library. Clare knows everything about Henry, Henry knows nothing about her. That's because meeting Clare as a little girl hasn't happened yet. Confused? i was for the first few chapters with all the jumping around in time until I got my head around it and then I was completly engrossed, hooked. It's the ULTIMATE love story and if you haven't read it you absolutley must!

So what do you think? Do you like the same books as me? What are your favourite books and why? Let me know so I can go read them too!

Comments

Alycia said…
I LOVE Animal Farm! Also read it in year 12 by complete choice, after having read 1984, not by choice, and not actually hating it but not loving it either!!! It was fabulous for increased understanding of Russian history - so I made all my friends read it - they struggled but then 'got' it - both the book AND the history!!!


I couldn't name my top 10 but might think about it!!


Two of note that I'll mention though I'm sure it isn't new news...I am a big fan of John Steinbeck, not just The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men either.... Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes (I'm sure it's Daniel) is superb. I cry every time and I'm not someone who cries. Oh and a third - All Quiet on the Western Front. Reading this should be compulsory for participation in life after the age of 15.
carly said…
iv read both my sisters keeper and the tomorrow when the war began series - have you read the follow up of the ellie chronicles - ahh bliss.

i love books. i remember looking at animal farm at school but never read it - though have seen the movie with all the animals way back when it was out..

il post my top ten in the next couple of days. =]

ohh. and did you know that they are making my sister's keeper into a movie? cameron d is playing sarah - the mum =] though fingers crossed they DONT RUIN the book..
Cat said…
You have an interesting and wide selection there! :)

I'm a massive Margaret Atwood fan (have all her books) and also love our friend Harry and the Time Traveller's Wife a lot!

I posted about my fave books some time ago myself - soooo hard to narrow them down! http://beloverly.blogspot.com/2009/07/cold-sweat.html

Anyhoo, I think you might enjoy these few....

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zukav
"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Let me know if you ever get to them cos I'd be interested in your take on them. :)
Thanks Cat, I will check yours out now.

Your the second person to reccommend The Book Thief, one of my girlfriends just finished it and loved it. I'll def check out The Thirteenth Tale, and I've been meaning to read The Secret History for a while, it's one that I ahve my shelf, but haven't got too, so now I'm keen!
Mimi said…
I love this blog!
This is officially my one stop place for my next read...
Thanks Mimi! I'm currently on a mission to read 200 books by my 30th birthday and I'm going to try and post a review of each of them. I'm also going to go back through my shelves and review some other books I've read (only about a thousand of them!) so hopefully there will be plenty you like the sound of.
Anonymous said…
Yay you! I love to read too. I've read My Sister Keeper (before the movie of cause) powerful and sad. I've also read The Time Travellers Wife (again before the movie) and I agree it's a great read. I'm gunna have to see the movie just to see how they do it. Might take up some of your other suggestions as I'm always on the look out for an engaging read. Thanks for the work Mrs P
Anonymous said…
loving Nicholas Sparks at the moment, I just read The Lucky One, i thought is was great, i couldn't put it down and i didn't want the story to end!
Enid Bite'Em said…
Ooops, I think my other comment was supposed to go on this page, so here it is, AGAIN :). People Might Hear You was my FAVOURITE Robin Klein book, even above Hating Alison Ashley (which was a close second), and The Time Traveller's Wife is ALSO one of my favourite books of ALL TIME. Have you read Her Fearful Symmetry? I also think Margaret Atwood is a genius. You've really inspired me to think of my top 10 :)

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