Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & The Bookish.
So, I skipped out on last week's topic Top 10 Tuesday topic, but Hi! I'm back. I'm also super excited for all of April's topics, starting with this one!
What I love about this week's topic (Top 10 Most Unique Books I've Read) is that it really spans genres. And it makes me think about what makes a book truly special--and sometimes it's universal and sometimes it's just about timing. It might be the first book you've read in a genre, so it completely blows your mind.
To get more info on any of the books, just click on the cover image to go to its Goodreads page.
Since I read Kiersten White's And I Darken about 3 months ago, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it or raving about it to everyone I know (or don't know). This book is unique in many ways, particularly in regard to what we normally see in young adult fiction. It's unique in the characterization of our main characters and the storytelling itself. It has the pace of a family saga (because it basically is a family saga), which has been off-putting for some reviewers, but I loved it so much and can't wait for Now I Rise.
I feel like I've been writing and talking about this series a lot lately, which is fine by me. The Daughter of Smoke & Bone series continues to be one of the most impressive and unique series I've read to date.
I began reading the Razorland series when I was reading lots of dystopian novels (some with zombies and some without) and was honestly just looking for another one to add to my reading frenzy. I honestly, and embarrassingly, didn't care if it was very good or not. Enclave surprised me so much, and each book in the series kept getting better and better. By the time the third came out, I was waiting by my Kindle at midnight just waiting for my pre-order to arrive.
I don't like to write in all caps very much but THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST FUN BOOKS I'VE EVER READ. I never wanted it to end. It was smart and cute and hilarious and I can't gush enough over this one. AND I JUST FOUND OUT THIS IS JUST ONE IN A SERIES OF LADY JANIES BOOKS AND I CAN BARELY STAND IT.
My friend Eva told me over and over again to read Fangirl, and it took me a while to pull it off my TBR, but I devoured it within a few days and never looked back (except to look back and sigh and be sad that it was over and I'd never get to read it again for the first time).
Rae Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns also turns a lot of YA tropes on its head. Our main character is not particularly special, and not particularly fierce--she has to become those things on her own, over time. The storytelling itself is unique, with huge and unexpected twists and turns even in just the first book in the series.
Room is one of those books you just don't ever forget. It's devastating and beautiful, and written from the POV of a five-year-old boy who has ever seen the outside world. How did she do that?! (For the record, I also loved Slammerkin, which should have also been on this list, honestly.)
I could have put practically any of Joyce Carol Oates' books on this list. I chose Blonde because it was the first one I thought of, and I recognized that meant something. It's also unique just in the realm of Oates' books. It's a dreamy, poetic imagining of Marilyn Monroe's life and all its parts, from childhood to womanhood to celebrity and her death. It's also around 1000 pages, so it's no small feat to get through.
It took me a while to get through The Night Circus, I would pick it up and read and reread certain passages because they were so pretty, and then I'd put it down for a while and then come back to it and start the cycle all over. It's such a magical and romantic and fun book.
The way Megan Abbott gets into the heads of her characters is breathtaking. I hated almost everyone in this book, but I couldn't put it down because it's also so heartbreaking and engaging and also so creepy you can't look away. You can read my full review here.
What did I miss? Do you have any books to recommend? Please comment below!
Check out other Top 10 Tuesday Posts:
Thanks again to The Broke & The Bookish for another Top Ten Tuesday.