Top 10 Book Lists

I was planning to post the "Top 10 Books of All Time" but I keep finding books on these lists that I can't imagine getting through. Middlemarch? I don't know anyone who's ever managed to finish it without wanting to gouge their eyes out with a grapefruit spoon.

So, I decided to do my own Top 10 list - at least my Top 10 today . . .

1. 1984 by George Orwell. Particularly timely in this political climate, Orwell creates believable, interesting characters that you care about. Hard to believe it was written 78 years ago.

2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Beautiful, engrossing story woven together with poetic imagery that doesn't get in the way of the plot. It makes you remember that people are shades of gray, not black and white.

3. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. You think it will be boring since it's her life told from differing perspectives but it isn't. Creative, interesting and hard to put down.

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I love and was appalled by the storyline when it was published. Another timely story for our current political situation.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Classic that I can read over and over again. Lee does a wonderful job of speaking in the voice of a child and drawing you into that Southern world.

6. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Once I read the first line of this novel, I couldn't put it down. By telling it from the perspective of the dead girl, you're able to keep reading through all of the pain and tragedy. Beautifully done.

7. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Love the terseness of the prose and definitely one of his less macho books, which makes it easier to read. Love his use of language and description.

8. Time and Again by Jack Finney. I have a soft spot for time travel stories and he is a master. Great characters, interesting plot and lots of surprises along the way.

9. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The Arthurian legend from the perspective of female characters changed everything I ever thought about King Arthur. Great twist.

10. Room by Emma Donoghue. Brilliant decision to tell the story from the child's perspective - removes much of the horror when he has no idea of the situation. Gripping.