Top Ten Tuesday is a great meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!
Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time :
1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson - A good fantasy novel, solid magic system and a story that I just fell into. I lost an entire weekend to reading this series and how I wish I could do it again.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Feverishly gripping the cover of this book until 3am in the morning? Heck yeah, I want to do it again. I was so enthralled by this book and would love to experience that feeling again.
3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery- I read this for the first time as a pre-teen and would love to experience it again for the first time. I remember being so enthralled with Anne and in love with her antics – not to mention.. GILBERT.
4. Room by Emma Donoghue – This is a strange book to put on the list, but necessary because I really, really want to read it again but I’m afraid to because of how it impacted me the first time. The only way I would read it again, sadly, is as a first time. Hopefully that will change in the future.
5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - There’s something magical about this book, even in its re-reading but that first time through for me was very special.
6. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy - I just recently read this for the first time but I want to experience that again. It was so very fantastic.
7. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - Yet another fantasy that is magical, especially the first time through. I recently got to see it as a first time read through the eyes of my niece and nephew and it was magical.
8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - This was the first book of Patchett’s that I fell in love with. I remember sitting out on the sofa in my parents living room completely enthralled with the language and the story.
9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – I often refer to this book as a book lovers dream of a story. It’s so literary and dark and gothic and romantic and the language and descriptions are so lush. It’s a fantastic re-read but oh I’d love to read it again for the first time.
10. Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright – I’ve known this story since I was about 10 years old. I even saw the play in the Ozarks on a family trip (and was dragged up on stage to square dance with the actors). I recently re-read it and it was almost like reading it for the first time again. This is a very special book and, I think, my favorite out of this list here.
I had The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on my list, too. The Hunger Games is a great choice, too. I’m going to stay away from Room. I get the feeling it would not go well for me. :p
#9 didn’t make my list but it was indeed a fabulous book-lover’s book.
Wonderful list! I’ve also got The Hunger Games and Anne of Green Gables on my list. I was sure you’d have The Lord of the Rings on their too but you’ve got a great selection of fantasy.
I haven’t read The Shadow of the Wind or Mistborn yet but I want to. I am trying to read more fantasy, especially epic fantasy. I still haven’t tried authors like Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, or Terry Goodkind though I’ve heard good things about their books for years.
I highly recommend Brandon Sanderson, GRRM and I’ve recently been diving into Mickey Zucker Reichart and LOVING her books (Reading the Renshai series now). There’s something thrilling about high fantasy and how quickly it can grab you and make the world around you disappear.
Oops, meant to say “there” not “their”. I hate when I have typos. Sorry about that
Lots of new-to-me books on this one! I’ll be adding a few to my tbr list. Here’s my list.
I remember staying up until 3AM as well finishing The Hunger Games. The story was gripping, powerful and I just wanted to know what happened next! I’d definitely want to relive that too.
Room is such a unique and beautiful book. I was sure I wouldn’t like it before, but reading it for the first time is really quite an experience.
We have some overlap on our lists. I had a really great reading experience with Room that I’m sure wouldn’t be the same the second time around. I’m looking forward to reading Bel Canto eventually.
Come visit my list at The Scarlet Letter.
Prince of Tides is a book that I desperately want to reread but am terrified will not hold up to my memory of it.