Tuesday 3 May 2011

Top Ten Books That Came Recommended



Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: recommended by my mom. I was 15 at the time, very much into Victoria Holt, and one day my mom said: "You know, you'd love Jane Eyre." And I really, truly did.

2. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: that became my favourite novel. Recommended by a friend/fellow student at university.

3. The Collector by John Fowles: recommended by Suzana at Bookalicious Ramblings. I am so glad I listened to her! This is a fantastic book.

4. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz: recommended by my uncle and his daughter/my cousin: this book was an epic philosophical trip for me that answered a lot of my questions.

5. A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss: recommended by the same cousin. This book introduced me to the world of historical romances and boy did I love it!

6. Wyndspelle by Aola Vandegriff: recommended by my other uncle. Introduced me to Gothic fiction, which pretty much defined my academic path.

7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: recomended by a friend. One of the best reads in recent years.

8. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: recommended by the previously mentioned cousin: I am a big fan of the author now, so a really good recommendation, indeed!

9. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon: recommended by a university professor. I never expected a fan of John Dunne to recommend this, but I totally loved the book.

10. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: recommended by a friend from Finland as an antidote to modern YA vampires and a great bonus for fans of Dracula. A great recommendation.

11 comments:

Anne said...

The Book Thief and The Historian are on my list as well- great books!

Ann said...

The Book Thief is one of my absolute favourites, and I really enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring too. In fact, Tracy Chevalier's latest book has been recommended to me. I loved the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - such a clever story!

Here's my list of recommendations:
http://thebookgatherer.blogspot.com/2011/05/10-books-that-were-recommended-to-me.html

Blodeuedd said...

I remember reading the Historian and not being able to stop :) And of course Haddon was the best book I read last yea

Bookalicious Ramblings said...

Thanks for the mention - so glad you enjoyed The Collector, which is among my favourites too! :)
Also, that's quite an impressive list there. :)

Birdie said...

ROFL--I love the bit about the Historian being an "antidote" to YA vampires. And you (and your friend) are so right!
Great list

Trish said...

Curious Incident made it onto my list too. You've got some great titles here! #1, 7, 8, & 10 especially.

Carole Rae said...

I'm glad you love 'The Phantom of the Opera'! I love that book too. I really should reread it. my friend Sarah (she's not much into reading) said to try 'The phantom' by Susan Kay. It's just about the phantom and his life. Maybe we could both read it. :D

Anonymous said...

The Book Thief was recommended to my by my Grandma, who always seems to know what I will enjoy! She was the one who introduced me to Tracy Chevalier (Remarkable Creatures) as well as The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time! Still haven't got round to reading The Historian! I really should!

Great list Irena! :)

The Insouciant Sophisticate said...

Your family makes great recommendations! Jane Eyre, Quo Vadis, A Rose in Winter, Wyndspelle, and Girl with a Pearl Earring are great reads!

LBC said...

I've had a number of Fowles books recommended to me and have yet to read one. Maybe someday...

Check out my list here

Unknown said...

Wow, you have really enjoyed so many books that have been recommendations. I think I recommend a lot of books to other people rather than them recommending titles to me. Interesting!