The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
War. Brutal war. The experience of soldiers during the Vietnam War.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Catholicism vs. traditional healing...or can there be a way to have both?
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
What is the role of art and creativity for a fundamentalist?
Civility by Stephen L. Carter
The necessity of civility in a healthy democracy.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Philosophy.
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
A good man amid the wicked.
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams by Darcy Frey
A chance at riches and fame for four boys in poverty.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Action. Adventure. And I'm a person who isn't big on that. Or so I thought.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Murder. True crime. Compelling writing.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I anticipated a scary book, and
I am not a fan of scary books.
This is not a scary book.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
I have no interest in sailing or whales.
Nevertheless, Moby Dick is at the top of my favorite reads ever.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
I am not interested in war. Or peace.
Until I read War and Peace.
What books have surprised you?
Have you read any of these?
What did you think about these?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
Ooh nice! Lots of new to me ones here. I still want to give Frankenstein a try one of these days, but now am a little sad it wasn't creepy! Lol.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I feel like I would enjoy the last three classics you mentioned but I think they intimidate me too much, which is why I have yet to pick them up! 😅 I do love when a book surprises me in the way you mentioned though—definitely another good reason to not judge a book by its cover!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that great? I love it when a book surprises me. In Cold Blood is on my list to read. I did read Moby Dick, and althought the writing was excellent, I was too bored with all the whale hunting descriptions. Frankenstein is a really great novel.
ReplyDeleteI thought The Things They Carried and Bless Me, Ultima were outstanding novels! In Cold Blood was also excellent. I have yet to finish Moby Dick, which is my husband's all-time favorite book. I've gotten several chapters in, but haven't been able to read the entire novel.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein was such a good read!
ReplyDeleteI've read I, Claudius, Zen... and In Cold Blood and enjoyed them all. I plan to do War and Peace. I'm sorry I didn't do the chapter-a-week blog thing a year or so ago! But that might be how I approach it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad these were good for you.
ReplyDeleteMy Name Is Asher Lev has been on my TBR list forever!
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday.
It's always fun when we expect to dislike a book and end up liking it.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing list, Deb! I haven't read many of these, but it is always nice when you end up enjoying a book more than you expected. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've only read Frankenstein and it amazed me at what a rich book it was. I should read I,Claudius--I've had it for years. Also I've tried War and Peace twice. I was a Russian Studies major even! Made third time is a charm? I'm going to look for The Last Shot--have you ever watched the 1990s documnetary Hoop Dreams [not the t.v. show]. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the first three book on your list. The Things They Carried profoundly touched me. My Name is Asher Lev is fantastic, and Bless Me, Ultima is due for a reread. I adored it. The writing, oh my. Now that I am determined to read the big books everyone should read before death and I'm reading 12 pages of a classic book a day, I will eventually get to Moby Dick and War and Peace. I think I'll try Anna Karenina first just because I have a physical copy of it, which I've owned since junior high and never read. Oh dear!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn't especially enjoy reading True Crime, I really enjoyed Truman Capote's book. Of course, it read a lot lot fiction, which helped, I am sure. The Things We Carried was so good! I was surprised by how much I liked War and Peace too.
ReplyDeleteI am reading War and Peace at the moment, and really enjoying it! I read Anna Karenina and thoroughly enjoyed that one too!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about Zen but ended up loving it too. As for The Three Musketeers, it was one of my first favorite adventure reads!
ReplyDeleteIt’s nice that you found books you like despite what might have been said about them. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein is a sad book. Moby Dick, too, in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteInteresting list! I don't think I've read any of those...
ReplyDeleteOh. I’m just learning your moral: so true. I loved Bless Me, Ultima and many other of Anaya’s books. Perhaps Civility is a book for these times? I was surprised by War and Peace and Frankenstein. Happy Reading!
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