Top Ten Tuesday (1) Top 10 Favorite Books I read before I was a Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Click the link above to see the original list for today, plus links to a whole slew of other blogs who've joined in the fun.




Today's topic is: Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

In no particular order:

1. Election by Tom Perrotta.
Election is definitely in my top 3 of all time. This slim book is pure perfection, following the lives of several people involved in a seemingly innocent high school presidential election. (Also a movie starring Reece Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick which is also quite good.)

2. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
This book is genius. I first read this straight out of high school after reading a review in Sassy magazine. (Anybody remember that? Best magazine ever!) While I really enjoyed it, I didn't see the deeper meaning until years later. It wasn't until after extensively studying goddess archetypes in the years directly following my (first) college experience that I realized that not only is this novel a retelling of the Grimm fairytale The Robber Bridegroom, but that each of the characters is a fully realized goddess archetype. Seriously, this book is so inventive and smart that just typing this is making me want to re-read it and write a real review...

3. The Complete Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty
Jessica Darling may just be the coolest, smartest, best protagonist ever. I can't even tell you how many times I've read and re-read this series. If you've never read them, pick up Sloppy Firsts, um, first. You won't regret it.

4. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld's writing is magical. Back in high school there was a short story in Seventeen that I read and re-read (sensing a theme yet) that was just unbelievably simple and well-written. Years later, when my husband told me I had to get rid of the stacks of magazines littering our house, I searched for the story so that I could save at least that before he threw it away only to realize it was written by Curtis Sittenfeld. Prep follows Lee Fiora during her years at a affluent East coast prep school that she attends on scholarship. It's amazing. I love this novel.

5. Less Than Zero by Brett Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is hit or miss for me. I loved Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction while positively loathing Glamorama and Imperial Bedrooms. Less Than Zero is probably my favorite of his (with Rules being a close second). It's another of those deceptively simple novels that can be read in a span of a couple of hours, but that stays with you for much longer than that.

6. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
What can I say that hasn't already been said. It's freaking Harry Potter. If you haven't read these books, I feel sorry for you. That is all.

7.The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
See Harry Potter above. Ditto.

8. Jemima J by Jane Green
One of those cute fairytale books that should be enjoyed on at its surface level. I know that I shouldn't enjoy a book about fat girl who gets skinny and then gets the guy, but I do. Don't judge me.

9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
So while I've never reviewed Pride and Prejudice proper, I've reviewed several books inspired by it. I can understand why authors try to recreate this magical formula, but nobody, nobody has ever gotten it completely right. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy will always be the best literary couple. Ever.

10. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Like Kubrick's movie based on this novel, A Clockwork Orange is one of those books that nettles its way under your skin. This movie is the epitome of senseless violence and the boredom of teenagers. Though the language takes a while to get used to, it's so worth it to push through.

Whew! It was hard choosing just 10! What are some of your favorites?