Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique Books I've Read

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
What I love about Top Ten Tuesday is these lists are purely subjective. You can see what people say about a certain genre or certain experience. Some people hate contemporary, others breathe in Sarah Dessen. This week's topic is about the most unique books I've read, whether it's because of a character or how it twists something around. I'm sure a couple of these won't be unique to others, but that's the beauty of this feature. In no particular order:

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anna Blankman
I've read plenty of retellings, but this was not only refreshing because of its historical spin, but THOSE ANTAGONISTS. They're even creepier because one of them (Hitler) was real. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Most girls talk about their love interest's eyes, body, or how lush his hair is. In this, she talks about her obsession with his chin, and his hair is far from perfect. Also, it includes fan fiction and realistic college experiences. 

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
A girl with a disability and a boy with OCD. Hello, love.

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg 
My favorite part of the whole book: the transcripts of present-day Macallan and Levi at the end of each chapter. 

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 
There might be other books out there with a diary format, but for me, Princess Diaries is the only one I've read. It can be tiring, but really fun. 

Can we all give Rae Carson and her character Elisa a round of applause? From the start of the book, Elisa is described as fat and weak. But when she starts getting stronger and more exercise, there's no fat shaming and from what I gathered, she still wasn't considered "slim." But she loved her body and rocked it. 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (ghost-ish)
A girl decides if she should stay with the living or go and be with her parents after death. All the while, she's basically a ghost. I consider that unique.

Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
The writing style can be annoying has so many crossed-off words like this

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
DRAGONS!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Many authors either want their characters to be rough, tough, and kicking some booty or somewhat girly and non-athletic. With my dear Celaena, she's a GIRLY assassin. She kills, but she loves her parties and dresses.

Bonus: Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson - SUPER close to finishing so I can't list it officially, but that twist halfway deserves recognition.

What are some books that were unique to you?

27 comments:

  1. Summer you have so many books on your list that I have loved so much too! Shatter Me, Throne of Glass, Princes Diaries (Michael *sigh*) and Fangirl! I am also thrilled to see Better Off Friends and The Girl of Fire and Thorns on your list, as I will be reading them really soon *squeeeee*

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    1. Oh man, I can't wait for you to read BOF and TGoFaT! Especially the latter :) I think you'll really like it!

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  2. Oh my god, your list is perfect! :) I loved Throne of Glass and all the others are on my TBR list since I've heard so many great things about them! Happy reading!

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    1. Thanks, Sofia :) GET ON IT! You won't regret it, promise.

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  3. Ah, love your inclusion of If I Stay, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and Fangirl! Thanks for including links to Goodreads - I'm super interested in Say What You Will. I also agree that it's wonderful that these lists allow you to be subjective and to just have fun. Great post.

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  4. Such a great list, Summer! I still need to read Say What You Will, but I'm so glad to see so many of my favorites on your list. And I'm super happy to see that you consider The Kiss of Deception a unique read, as well, thanks to that twist. I mean, GAH! I can't wait to see your final thoughts on that one. (I also included it on my list, lol.)

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    1. You really do, Jen! There was one point where I thought it dimmed my enjoyment, but I liked it overall! DMing you helped my emotions <3

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  5. Ooooh thank goodness for not having perfect hair, haha. This actually makes me want to pick this book up next lol :D YOU BEWITCHED ME WITH THIS LINE SUMMER <3 :D OCD? Ooooh, that reminds me. Have you read OCD Love Story? Loved that one. Ha! I've heard that it's a tad confusing--Levi and Macallan speaking at the end of each chapter. but I can't wait to explore their relationship :) And everyone claims the uniqueness of GoF&T so bring it!! If I Stay? One of my all time favorites. Love. Shatter Me is unique even if I'm not a fan.AND THRONE OF GLASS. Um, that one would be unique even with just Chaol :') GReat picks, my friend! As for me, I'd put Maggie Stiegvater (any book), The Lunar Chronicles and Daughter of Smoke and Bone as well on my list :)

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    1. I had to stop for a minute and go, "Whaaa? Is Siiri on crack?" Then I realized you were talking about Fangirl, oops! Ha, it's been a long day for me ;) I HAVE! Man, that would have been PERFECT for this list. Have you read her Life by Committee? That would've been a good one too. I haven't read any of Stiegvater, but I keep meaning too as well as Laini Taylor!

      Bewitched. It's such a fun word. I feel like quoting Mr. Darcy.

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  6. Prisoner of night and fog, The girl of fire and thorns, Throne of glass: hello some of the best books I've ever read :D

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  7. I'm really excited for Prisoner of Night and Fog! And Seraphina is one of my favorite books because of the whole dragons turning into humans part. :)

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  8. I'm thinking about reading the Shatter Me series. It's definitely not something I would normally read, but I'm curious about it. I also agree about Fangirl. I've never read a book like it... and Cath is totally unique.

    My TTT

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    1. I say go for it! And that was one of the main reasons why I loved Fangirl so much. She was unique, but I could still relate to her so much.

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  9. I totally agree about Fangirl! I didn't find the strikethroughs in Shatter Me annoying (but I can see how they would be irritating). I felt more connected to Juliette because of it. And I can't wait to read Prisoner Of Night And Fog. Great list!

    Nicole @ WCW

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    1. I thought they were cool until I reached a certain point and then I felt like some pages had TOO much. But I definitely see the other view. Thanks!

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  10. So many of these I need to read! I had the same thoughts on Shatter Me when I read it. Very unique writing style. I look forward to Better Off Friends, Girl of Fire and Thorns, Seraphina and Throne of Glass. Can't believe I haven't read any of those yet!

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  11. I just read Seraphina not too long ago and really enjoyed it! And I keep hearing so many good things about Taherah Mafi. So many books too little time!

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  12. The crossed off words in Shatter Me were exactly why I didn't finish it. I don't think I even made it through the first chapter because the writing style annoyed me so much. I keep wondering if the story is good enough for me to need to give it a second chance, though.

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    1. It seems like people are either for it or against it, so I'm not surprised!

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  13. If I Stay was such a good book. I want to read Fangirl.

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  14. The whole antagonist situation in Prisoner of Night and Fog is so original and memorable - I'm mad at myself now for not thinking to include the title on my list! I started reading Say What You Will yesterday, and I haven't read anything quite like it either. I already love the characters' voices - Amy's essay about how she doesn't hate her disability actually brought tears to my eyes (which is unusual in itself), and I had to stop them since I was sitting in Spanish at the time.

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  15. PoNaF was definitely a memorable read. Aghh, the Princess Diaries, such a fun series. I like that it's in diary format, and would actually love to see more books in that format. Shatter Me was unique for sure; the writing style really worked for me. :) Seraphina and The Girl of Fire and Thorns were both awesome as well.

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