Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While. This'll probably be tricky... because when I love a book, I tend to let people know about it! However, since I've barely posted here lately, I guess I can talk about books I haven't gushed about in a while.

Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While:

Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver

This was the first book I read by this author, and I loved it. Though it was somewhat reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, with a girl going back and reliving the same day over and over again, what made it unique was the issues that the characters had to face. Bullying was a major theme, and it was interesting to see a book written from the perpetrator's point of view. While some people couldn't relate to the main character because of that, I really liked the way the author chose to tell the story.

Catherine, Called Birdy
by Karen Cushman

This is one of my favourite historical fiction books. It's about a young teenage girl living in England in 1290. The Crusades are going on, and one of the pastimes of fathers of the era is apparently to marry off their prepubescent daughters. The book is told in the form of a diary, and Birdy's voice is really fun to read. She includes information about all these weird saints, punctuates her entries with funny exclamations like "God's thumbs!", and comes up with some not-so-flattering nicknames for her suitors. The world-building is incredible, and it's obvious that the author is serious about doing her research.

A Certain Slant of Light
by Laura Whitcomb

While the plot does have some things that are potentially problematic for some readers, the strength of this book is definitely in its writing. Whitcomb's writing is gorgeous. It hooked me from the first page and didn't let me go until the last. The way the stories of the ghosts and the living were intertwined was done well, and I was left wanting to know more. (There is a sequel, but I keep putting off reading it. I'm afraid it won't live up to my high expectations!)

Fire and Hemlock
by Diana Wynne Jones

There's something about Jones's books that I just love. Whether it's the Britishness of them, or the fact that they seem so innocent, I'm not sure. But I've enjoyed a number of her books (Howl's Moving Castle and Deep Secret being another couple of favourites). Fire and Hemlock, though, has to be my very favourite of the bunch. It's a fairytale retelling based on two old poems (Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer), even though that might not be immediately apparent. I love the relationship between Polly and Tom. It starts out when Polly is a child and Tom is a young man (which is apparently problematic for some readers... but since it's a simple friendship based on a love of stories, it never bothered me). Later, Polly falls in love with Tom, which puts the rest of the retelling into motion. There's always something fantastic going on in this author's stories, and this book is no exception.

I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith

I didn't discover this "classic" until I was an adult. I really wish I had gotten to read it as a teenager; I'm pretty sure I would've loved it. There's a wacky family (including a writer father), a bit of romance, and to top it all off, they live in a ruined castle in England. How cool is that? I really liked Cassandra (the main character), and found her very easy to relate to. This is one of my very favourite coming-of-age stories.

Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare

Yes... Shakespeare. Am I crazy? I can't help liking this play, though. It's funny--even silly at times--and has a great cast of characters. Beatrice and Benedick's sparring is epic, and there are some good one-liners here. (If you'd rather watch Shakespeare than read it, I'd recommend the 1993 movie version with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. It's pretty close to the original play... even down to some things that I thought had been added by modern screenwriters. I certainly never expected Shakespeare to use a phrase like "Monsieur Love"!)

The Ruby in the Smoke
by Philip Pullman

Yes, this is the same author who wrote The Golden Compass. This series (there's a trilogy, plus one companion book) isn't fantasy, but rather historical fiction. Sally Lockhart is an independent young woman in Victorian England. She's a cool character because she's so capable and smart (and so, because of the time when the story is set, she's often underestimated). I also like Fred, the photographer who becomes her friend. He was probably one of my first literary crushes.

Sophie's World
by Jostein Gaarder

This is kind of a weird book, and it certainly won't be to everyone's liking. I learned so much about the history of philosophy from this one. The author managed to somehow write a fictional novel and make it half non-fiction. It's a story within a story. Sound confusing? It kind of is, and I admit, I got bogged down near the end and put it on hold for a while. But I eventually came back to it, finished it, and realized that I really liked this one overall. It's the sort of book that would be awesome to read for school, because it teaches something while also being entertaining.

The Thief
by Megan Whalen Turner

One day, I need to get around to finishing this series. There is, however, a big reason why this book is my favourite: unlike all the sequels, it's told in the first person by Eugenides (Gen) himself. He's one of my favourite characters, male or female: cheeky, cocky, and too smart for his own good. This is also an amazing quest type of story that would appeal to boys as well as girls.

The Witches of Willowmere
by Alison Baird

I've mentioned this book (and its two sequels) before, but I have to do so again because it's one of my favourite YA paranormal trilogies. There is some witchcraft, and a wonderful "otherworld", but much of the paranormal in these books comes from the concept of reincarnation... and this is one of the instances when I've seen it done well. The books are by a Canadian author and aren't widely available, which is a shame because they'd fit in nicely on a paranormal fantasy fan's bookshelf.

What are some favourite books that you haven't talked about in a while?
What are some favourite books that you haven't talked about enough?