Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. Each Tuesday is assigned a topic.
This weeks topic: Top Ten Books That Live in My Head Rent-Free
These are in no particular order.
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Published: July 11, 1960
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: To Kill a Mockingbird
Synopsis:
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
This book was required reading when I was in High School. I will never understand why this book gets put in “banned” book lists. This book has such an important lesson for people to learn regarding racism and how we should not be judging people by the color of their skin and that we should not immediatly be blaming those who look different than us for the things that go wrong in our lives. Having a certain skin color does not make one superior to another. We are all just people. With a lot of things going on in the world lately, this book keeps popping into my head, and how more people should read it and hopefully understand the point it is trying to make.
Title: The Bookshop of Yesterdays
Author: Amy Meyerson
Published: June 12, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery
Synopsis:
A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy—and one final scavenger hunt.
I don’t read contemporary fiction often, but this one stuck with me. Immediatly after reading it, I wanted to read it again. That doesn’t happen often. The Self-reflections Miranda goes through were very relatable.
Title: The Fellowship of the Ring
Author: J. R. R Tolkien
Published: July 29, 1954
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Lord of the Rings
Synopsis:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
This book will always be in my mind. As one of the classic fantasy series I was first introduced to as a teenager. It never stops being enjoyable. Which is probably why this book will appear in my lists often.
Title: The Lost Village
Author: Camilla Sten
Published: April 4, 2019
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis:
The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.
Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.
But there will be no turning back.
Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:
They are not alone.
They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first?
This one lingered in my mind long after I read it, and still pops up now and again, reminding me that I should add it to my re-read pile. I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author so far, and definitely recommend her books if horror/thriller is something you enjoy.
Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Published: September 17, 1954
Genre: Fiction, Dystopia, YA
Synopsis:
William Golding’s compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them – the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories – and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.
This was another book that I read in my school years, that has stuck with me throughout my life. It’s commentary on society as a whole and how easily it can collapse. How one does not know what they are truly capable of until a specific set of circumstances presents itself.
Title: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Published: August 14, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Synopsis:
How long can you protect your heart?
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
So I admit I watched the movie first and I loved it, so the first chance I got to get the book, I jumped on it so I could read it and see if the book was any different from the movie version, or if I could pick up on any clues for the ending more than I had for the movie. I didn’t, but reading the story after seeing the movie gave me a greater appreciation for the story.
Title: The Hollow Places
Author: T. Kingfisher
Published: October 6, 2020
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery
Synopsis:
A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel.
Pray they are hungry.
Kara finds these words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring the peculiar bunker—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more you fear them, the stronger they become.
This book was my first introduction to T. Kingfisher, and after reading this one I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. This book was beautifully written, atmospheric, and incredibly disturbing.
Title: She and Her Cat
Author: Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa, Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Published: June 21, 2013
Genre: Japanese Contemporary Fiction, Short Stories
Synopsis:
For fans of Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs and Murata Sayaka’s Earthlings , this Japanese bestseller from renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai features four inspirational and heartwarming vignettes following women and their cats in their quests for love and connection.
Lying alone on the edge of the sidewalk in an abandoned cardboard box, a nameless narrator contemplates the indifferent world around him. With his mother long gone, his only company is the sound of the nearby train. Just as he fears that the end is near, a young woman peers down at him, this fateful encounter changing their lives forever.
So begins the first story in She and Her Cat , a collection of four interrelated, stream-of-conscious short stories in which four women and their feline companions explore the frailty of life, the pain of isolation, and the limits of communication.
With clever narration alternating between the cats and their owners, She and Her Cat offers a unique and sly commentary on human foibles and our desire for connection. A whimsical short story anthology unlike any other, it effortlessly demonstrates that even in our darkest, most lonesome moments, we are still united to this wonderous world—often in ways we could never have expected.
I had first seen the anime adaptation for this book years ago, the anime stuck with me. Last year Indigo had this book featured in their book bingo Japanese Fiction category, I knew I needed to add it to my collection. I definitely recommend it.
Title: The Ghost Bride
Author: Yangsze Choo
Published: August 6, 2013
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists
One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride. . . .
Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.
Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family’s only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, traditional ghost marriages are used to placate restless spirits. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.
After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lims’ handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.
I saw a few years ago that Netflix had made a TV Series based on this book and decided I would read the book first. Last year I listened to the audiobook version of this book and absolutely loved it. I still haven’t watched the TV series, I’m hoping its just as good as the book.
Title: The World of Winnie-the-Pooh
Author: A. A. Milne
Published: January 1, 1926 (original),
January 1, 1985 (this edition)
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy
Synopsis:
In 1926, “Winnie-the-Pooh,” a collection of stories about a rather stout, somewhat confused bear, was published in England and America. The enchanting tales of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin, and the others were an immediate success, and firmly established A.A. Milne, already an acclaimed dramatist, as a major author of children’s books. “Winnie-the-Pooh” was followed in 1928 by a second collection, “The House at Pooh Corner,” which continued the adventures from the Hundred Acre Wood and introduced bouncy, lovable Tigger.
This deluxe volume brings all of the Pooh stories together in one full-colour, large-format book. The texts are complete and unabridged, and all of the illustrations, each gloriously recoloured, are included. Here are the beloved stories of Pooh stuck in Rabbit’s doorway, of gloomy Eeyore and his nearly forgotten birthday, of playing Poohsticks on the bridge, and so many more.
I grew up watching the animated Winnie the Pooh TV Series. So it’s no wonder that I love the stories in the books just as much. Even though it’s stories are targeted toward children. I think that the stories A.A Milne are for all ages.
Thanks for reading!
Have you read any of these?
Do they live rent free in your head?
Leave a comment below and let me know!
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