Top ten: Books I didn't expect to love

URL http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2011/05/jamies-top-ten-books-that-came.html
The theme this week is to come up with 10 books that someone recommended to you and that you wouldn't have read otherwise. I have made mine a little different by including novels that were requirements for school.

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:
At the time we were studying Victorian Era novels at school and mum pulled out a 20 something year-old dingy cloth-bound hardback that she got free from Reader's Digest as a teen. Reluctantly(at the time I was far more interested in reading something like Pride and Prejudice) I opened it up and got to work. One of the best things I ever did! This is now one of my favourite novels and I have secretly claimed the old novel and treasure it to pieces.

2)The Running Man by Michael Gerard Bauer
I was to read this book for a Year 10 Assignment where we had to pick a character and write a monologue. I was actually quite enchanted by this book. At first I didn't think I would like it because the main character was a young boy, but I think the refreshing perspective won me over.

3)The Twilight Saga
I was against the novels from the start, but when one of the girls at school suggested it to me I thought "why not?" because, that would mean I would have something else in common with the other kids in my year. So I went ahead and read it and quite enjoyed the series. Though I must say that I do agree that there are some negative things about the novel and they got worse as they continued. And while the movies are a way to see what you read, they are kind of "days of our lives" ish at times.

4) The host, also by Stephanie Meyer.
This book had always looked really interesting, until I overheard some girls in our group of friends complaining about how boring it was. The same friend who encouraged me to read twilight told me that she had really enjoyed it, so I bought it and was in such a state after reading it that I declared it to be better than twilight. To this day I still hold my word. Warning it takes about 8 chapters for you to really get into it.

5)Harry Potter Series
For some reason whenever there is a major series I think i'm going to be so anti social and quirky that I refuse to read what everyone else is reading. In about Grade 7 when the 2nd movie came out on dvd my class watched it so I fell in love. I ended up getting the first two movies for christmas presents that year. The books shortly followed, though I don't think I read the first two? I own them, but remember skimming over them.

6)Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
Hadn't even heard of it until a friend recommended it to me and I was pleasantly surprised. end of story.

7)Came back to show you I could fly by Robin Klein
read in Grade 9.

8)The sisterhood of the traveling pants series
It was one of those "I've seen the movie, so I don't need to read the series" opinions that I had about these books. I got them for a birthday, due to mum not knowing this and red them anyway. The result: A very happy teenager. Warning: don't read 3 willows by anne brashares, it's kinda predictable/dumb
Also there is rumored to be a fifth book in the series coming out in June. Can't wait!

9)Pride and prejudice
I was soooo annoyed when the teachers at school made us watch the movie, before I had even started the book. One of my friends said though that the BBC series was different to the Hollywood version and the BBC series was more like the book. So I was relieved to hear that and I enjoyed the book and the film equally despite their differences.

10) An Education by Lynn Barber
Technically this was recommended to me by a search engine on an online bookshop. I recognized the cover as a movie cover for a movie which I was a bit unsure of. So I decided to get the book instead and read one of the most interesting Autobiographies of all time.