As always, TTT is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic: top ten books you would recommend to someone. I choose to compile a list to recommend to reluctant readers of all ages.
1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
-I couldn’t compile this list without this series.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
-This has turned a lot of younger teens into readers. Controversial maybe, but if it gets people reading and searching for more (e.g. the YA dystopia explosion), then that can only be a good thing in my opinion.
3. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
-Say what you will about it, but it gets people to read.
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
-An enduring classic, it’s straightforward, imaginative, interesting, and thought-provoking enough for older teens and adults.
5. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
-The first twenty pages or so are difficult, but what I really love about this book in particular is that, as it’s modeled after Chaucer’s The Canterbury tales, you get a range of different stories. And in this case, those stories are pretty well representative of different genres, which makes this a decent starting point. Also it’s intriguing, imaginative, and just awesome.
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
-Okay, so this might be good for a very specific reader. Yes it’s sad, but before it gets really heartbreaking it’s interesting, fun, beautiful, and keeps you turning the pages. This is a good book for a person ready to be introduced to the power books have to move people.
7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
-A good one for adults. Picoult’s are well-done, thoughtful, and easy-to-follow. Also her style is similar to a lot of other authors in a similar genre, setting a new reader up with a vast realm of possibilities.
8. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
-Dessen is a great YA author and this novel is one of my favorites of hers, as well as being the first one I read.
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
-More of the traditional style of novel. This book finds meaning in the simple and the not-so simple. Whether it’s Scout’s fear of Boo Radley or Atticus in the courtroom, there are many opportunities for a reader to be drawn in.
10. The Passage by Justin Cronin
-A lot of these titles I’ve picked supposes the reader isn’t used to reading and maybe possesses only an average vocabulary. This book is for the educated reader who for whatever reason, doesn’t really enjoy reading. Interesting, imaginative, sweeping, dramatic, beautiful, scary, haunting…this is one of my favorites.
