Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. The Top Ten topic this week is: Top Ten Favorite Books You’ve Read During The Lifespan Of Your Blog.

My blog is at one month old merely a baby blog, so it would be a little premature to post a Top Ten list for my blog. But in early 2011, I started keeping an Excel Spread-sheet log of the books I was reading and my brief opinion and review grade. So I compiled my Top Ten from this review list. According to my spread sheet I’ve read 155 new books, not including rereads. I gave an A grade to 19 books which is roughly 12% of the books that I read. For this Top Ten Tuesday I selected my favourite 10. Just for fun I’ve included my initial opinion in a text box – eloquent I am not 🙂

            

1. What I did For A Duke – Julie Anne Long

Julie Anne Long is not an author that I’ve read often. But I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this story. My spreadsheet opinion:

Really enjoyed this book. Great characters, believable actions & a great non-asshole alpha hero.

2. The Informationist – Taylor Stevens

The Informationist is a thriller, which I almost never read but this story surprised me.

Loved it. Don’t usually read this genre but I really enjoyed this book. Main character was great & the story just raced along.

3. These Old Shades & Devils Cub – Georgette Heyer

I’ve cheated and lumped these two together because I just can’t choose – they’re so much crazy fun.

These books are considered classics. I can understand why. Loved the characters and the dialogue.

4. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game had been sitting in  my TBR stack for a criminally long time. I’d come across this book in so many lists but was wary of the hype. No hype, just a great story.

Great book. Sad story though, Ender is used and manipulated dreadfully by his teachers at the Battle School.

5. Telling Tales – Alan Bennett

A friend lent me my first Alan Bennett book, The Uncommon Reader. I was enthralled by this charming and funny novella in which the Queen of England becomes a bookworm. Shortly afterwards I was travelling and found Telling Tales in an airport shop.

I adored Snap shots from a childhood in Leeds. Great writing and poignant memories.

            

6. Magic Slays & Silver Shark – Ilona Andrews

I’m  unashamedly a Ilona Andrews fan-girl. There were about four of her titles in my list. I’ve cut it down to my favourite two.

Ilona Andrews delivers again. Loved it. Great characters and imagination.

7. A Long, Long Sleep – Anna Sheehan

A Long, Long Sleep was my favourite read of 2011 which I read because of a recommendation by The Book Smugglers. Those girls are rarely wrong.

Futuristic. What happens when Sleeping Beauty wakes up? Really great read. Thought provoking with fantastic characters.

8. Elfhome – Wen Spencer

Pity about the horrendous cover but I adore this unique and original series by Wen Spencer.

Book 3 of Tinker.  Wen Spencer delivers again. Wonderful.

9. The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

My first title by John Green and it won’t be my last. I literally inhaled this book. Didn’t stop reading till I got to the end – I was a cranky zombie the next day but worth it.

Amazing story about teenagers living with cancer. A brilliant story about living and a really sweet romance. Loved it. Cried for about half an hour at the end of the book.

10. Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss is probably on several lists. The story and characters and settings are just enchanting.

Contemporary. I loved this story about a girl attending her final year of school at a private French school. The characters were real and believable. Loved Anna and St. Clair.  Really good read.