Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. This week’s prompt is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf, but since I’ve already shared posts that include most of my recent additions here and here, I decided to pick a prompt from the archives. One of the great things about being new to blogging is the plethora of Top Ten Tuesday past prompts to choose from. I mentioned in my Top Ten Tuesday post last week that one of my goals for 2020 is to reread books, so that’s the prompt I went with!
In this list I’m not including some of my favorite series that I’ve already reread more recently, like Harry Potter and The Raven Cycle. I’ll be focusing on books I haven’t reread in several years, but that have stuck in my memory as some of my favorites. I’ll be listing them by oldest last date read to most recent date read. And, I’ll be sharing some past Bookstagram posts featuring these books.
(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book cover.)
1
Moonlight Bay Series by Dean Koontz
Synopsis: Christopher Snow is different from all the other residents of Moonlight Bay, different from anyone you’ve ever met. For Christopher Snow has made his peace with a very rare genetic disorder shared by only one thousand other Americans, a disorder that leaves him dangerously vulnerable to light. His life is filled with the fascinating rituals of one who must embrace the dark. He knows the night as no one else ever will, ever can – the mystery, the beauty, the many terrors, and the eerie, silken rhythms of the night – for it is only at night that he is free. Until the night he witnesses a series of disturbing incidents that sweep him into a violent mystery only he can solve, a mystery that will force him to rise above all fears and confront the many-layered strangeness of Moonlight Bay and its residents.
Read in 2000 or 2001.
2
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Synopsis: When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
Read in 2010.
3
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
Read in 2012.
4
The Emperor’s Edge Series by Lindsay Buroker
Synopsis: Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire’s most notorious assassin, is in town. He’s tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills… or someone wants her dead.
I fell HARD for The Emperor’s Edge series back in 2011. I’ve since read it at least three times, with the last time being in 2013.
5
Eleanor & Park and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor & Park Synopsis:
Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book – he thinks he’s made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor… never to Eleanor.
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.
Fangirl Synopsis:
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan..
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Read in 2014 and 2015.
6
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Synopsis: The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public.
Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family.
As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant.
Read in 2014.
7
Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Synopsis: Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie’s off-campus housing falls through, her mother’s old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side … and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.
And there’s that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That’s because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie’s suddenly lonesome soul.
To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that … well … doesn’t quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.
Read in 2014.
8
The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer
Synopsis: CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future.
This is not the fairytale you remember. But it’s one you won’t forget.
Read in 2014 and 2015.
9
The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Angel Synopsis: The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…
Read in 2012 and 2016.
10
Just One Series by Gayle Forman
Just One Day Synopsis: When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
Read in 2014 and 2016.
Honorable Mention: Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
I know there is quite the dichotomy in the book world over Twilight, but for me it is the book and series that reignited my love of reading, therefore it will always have a special place on my shelf. It’s the series I’ve reread the most, although I haven’t reread it since 2015. I would love to make that happen in 2020, but I doubt I will. <3
Did I include any you would love to reread? Maybe some you’ve never even read before? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Really need to read more of Gayle’s books, and someday I should give one of Rainbow Rowell’s a chance too – especially as I love contemporary! Never read “Water for Elephants,” but do remember seeing the film once. Hope you re-read all of these, and enjoy the experience. 🙂
If you’re a fan of contemporary, you should give them a try! Fleshed out characters that are beautifully written. <3
Some great choice here – Gayle Forman, Eleanor and Park are right up there for me!
I’ve heard good things about Water for Elephants. Enjoy.
My TTT .
It often gets mixed reviews, but I adored it. <3
I’ve only read Fangirl and Eleonore and Park but they were amazing. I need to read The Scorpio Races. I just love Maggie’s writing. Also plan to read The Lunar Chronicles this year
The Scorpio Races is a must if you’re a fan of Maggie. It’s so good! And The Lunar Chronicles is addictive. Enjoy!
I need to read Fangirl one of these days for sure.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Oh I hope you get to. It’s so good. 🙂
I still need to finish the Lunar Chronicles and will probably need to reread the first three before I read the rest. A good choice there.
I reread them before I read Winter. It’s the best way to appreciate the whole series. Happy Reading!
I’ve only read Troper’s “How to Talk to a Widower” which I thought was very good. This sounds good too!
I’ve read that one too! I’m never disappointed with his books, but This Is Where I Leave You has been my favorite. 🙂
I would love to re-read Flat Out Love. I re-read Left Drowning last year. I forgot how much I loved that one.
Yes, Left Drowning could have made this list too! Have you read Restless Waters, the follow-up? I haven’t read it yet. I’ve been wondering if it’s as good. 🙂
Fangirl was so good. I have a date with The Scorpio Races for November, LOL.
I just finished reading The Infernal Devices (I’m rereading most of the Shadowhunter novels prior to Chain of Gold). There are several other books I plan to reread this year too.
I’m hoping I can reread The Scorpio Races in November too. It’s the perfect time! And I would love to reread The Infernal Devices before Chain of Gold is released. I’ll have to see if I can make it happen! 😉
Happy Rereading!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that cover of The Scorpio Games? But I want it. It’s gorgeous. I’ve actually never read a Rainbow Rowell book, but I really need to! I’ve heard wonderful things about the author and their books. Same for The Lunar Chronicles. I’m so far behind on popular series. xD
Oh I hope you get to pick them up! If you like contemporaries, you’ll like Rainbow Rowell. Although, she also has her fantasy, Carry On, which most readers like. And The Lunar Chronicles has been my favorite fairytale retelling. Not that I’ve read a ton. 😉 Happy Reading!
I’ve never even heard of Emperor’s Edge and for you to have read it multiple times seems like it’s something I should have heard about lol. Runs to GR to investigate further =D
Ha! I’ve heard that before. It was independently published and I picked it up after someone else highly recommended it. The first one is free on kindle. I hope you give it a try!
I’ve wanted to read Scorpio Races for a while, probably since I read The Raven Boys back in 2015, but I never got around to it. I hope you enjoy re-reading it!
P.S. I love your book photos!
Oh I hope you get to pick it up soon! It’s so beautifully written.
And thank you! <3
Lovely nostalgia here! I read Water for elephants immediately after the film!!
I can’t remember if I read it before or after, but I loved them both! ?
These are very nice choices! I’ve loved many of them. I haven’t read the first one, but it sounds so intriguing that I’m adding to my TBR ?
Oh yay!! If you’re okay with some intense nail-biting scenes, you’ll enjoy it! 😉
I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read any of these. But Moonlight Bat definitely sounds interesting. I love the premise of someone who has to embrace the night/dark. And Rainbow Rowell is someone I’ve been meaning to try for awhile and just haven’t gotten around to. Great list!
Yes, that’s what I loved about Moonlight Bay! He’s more comfortable at night in the dark. It’s his daytime, and it’s like a whole different world. It’s a fun series. I just wish Koontz would continue it. And if you enjoy contemporary, you should like Rainbow Rowell. She writes beautifully. 🙂
Thanks for visiting!
I would love to re-read The Lunar Chronicles at some point. That’s such a fun series.
Yes, it is! I’m hoping to make it happen this year. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I adore TID so much! Makes me want to reread it too! Fangirl and Eleanor and Park is amazing too (miss the controversy in Eleanor and Park). I wanna reread Cinder and Scarlet and finally get into the TLC bandwagon! ?
Oh, I hope you pick it up again. If you haven’t read Cress, it’s my favorite! Thorne is the best!
Really? Scarlet was a downfall after reading Scarlet. Maybe with that, I could have a motivation to continue on! Thank you! ?
Yes, Scarlet was probably my least favorite, although I liked it better after a reread. But Cress was sooo good. I hope you give it a try!
I will. Thank you so much for the heads up! I’ll probably reread it this February.
These are some amazing books! I actually just re-read the Infernal Devices because I was curious if they are as good as I remember them being like 6 years ago- they definitely are!!! I’ve also been wanting to read Fangirl again because I binged it, and I feel like I might get more out of it in a second read!
Yes! I speed through all of Rowell’s books the first time I read them. 🙂
I’ve reread Twilight many times, I love it as well:-) Although it’s been quite a while. I wonder what I would think of it now, especially having the movies in my head as I’m reading??
I was late to the party, and I was in the middle of reading them when the first movie came out. It did change the way I imagined some characters, but for the most part it only enhanced my reading experience. 🙂
This is such a great top ten list! I’ve only read Fangirl from your list but might check out some of the others soon.
I’m really curious and fascinated about your reading music playlist process. Do you have a blog post about it or recommended playlists for books that you could direct me to? Do you get distracted with the music while reading? Especially if it has lyrics??
Thank you!
About my playlists…. I do not have a blog post. Yet. I’m very new to blogging, and it’s one of the many post ideas I’ve jotted down to work on. Most of my playlists start from the author’s suggested playlists I’ve found on their websites. Then I add to them with my own songs. Years ago I used a website called 8 tracks that had a lot of book playlists, but I think it’s nonexistent now. Lately I’ve been finding playlists that are already created by other people on iTunes, but that takes the fun of the hunt out of making them. 😉 I can usually listen to them on low when I read, but I also like to just listen to them when I’m not reading–like when I’m driving, so I can think about the books even more. Ha! Obviously, I have a lot to say about playlists. I need to make this a priority post to work on. 🙂 Thanks for the question!
Yes please! I would be one to read and save that post for sure since I love music too and used to be a big fan of mix tapes but for some reason haven’t been able to figure out the mechanics of making a bookish playlist that doesn’t distract me from the book.
Thanks for all the other information you gave about your playlist process though. I used to use 8tracks too but sad that it’s nonexistent now? I find it hard to search for a kind of music on iTunes .. it usually has a lot of the popular artists suggestions.
Anyway, will be looking forward to your post on bookish playlists! Maybe you could publish a playlist recommendation with every book review that you write based on your own playlist as a recurring post!! I’d love to read that for sure ? Welcome to the blogging world!
I do like the idea of playlists with reviews… but I usually only make playlists when I read series because I usually read through standalones too quickly to make a playlist. But maybe I need to change that. 😉 Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll start working on a post and hopefully get that up soon!
Yay!!!! I’ll be looking forward to these posts?
I don’t re-read books very often really, but Fangirl would definitely be one that would make my re-read list as I remember really enjoying it 🙂
Yes, and I read it so fast the first time, I’m sure there’s things I missed or glossed over. 🙂
I want to reread The Infernal Devices and The Scorpio Races too. I really want to reread The Infernal Devices before Chain of Gold gets released but I don’t know if I’ll get to it since there are so many other books I want to read too!
Yes, same problem here. I have too many arcs I’m already behind on. I keep hoping I’ll fly through the arcs so fast I’ll have time for a reread. 😉
Love your list! I love rereading, and just wish there was infinite time to read all the books! I’d definitely reread the Lunar Chronicles books, as well as the Just One Day and Rainbow Rowell books. I really should reread Flat-Out Love too, because I know there are a couple of books that follow it, but I don’t remember enough details to continue. Great topic!
I know! I’m trying to force myself to stop requesting any new ARCs so once I get caught up, I can have time to reread. But it’s so hard to resist all the great new books coming out. 😉
Yes, I’ve read both of the follow-ups to Flat-Out Love, but I don’t remember enjoying them quite as much as the first. 🙂
I enjoy re-reading books! I haven’t done much of it lately, though, so I want to fit in some re-reads in 2020, also.
Here’s hoping we both get to reread in 2020! <3
Flat-Out Love is great, and so few people seem to know about it! Have you read the sequel, Flat-Out Celeste?
I have! As well as the novella, Flat-Out Matt. I didn’t enjoy Flat-Out Celeste as much as the original though. 🙂
I love this option compared to the original Tuesday post! I don’t reread books nearly as much as I would like. The only books I’ve read on here are those by Rainbow Rowell. I do need to reread Eleanor & Park though- I remember liking it okay, but I’ve heard a lot against the book that makes me want to give it another read now that I’m older. I also really need to read the Lunar Chronicles and Gayle Forman’s Just One series. I’ve seen both around, but for some reason haven’t ever picked them up.
I forgot there has been some discussion about Eleanor & Park. I would also be interested to see what I thought since it’s been so long. Our opinions definitely change over time. I hope you get to pick some of these up soon! Happy Reading!
Happy Re-Reading! 😀
Thank you! <3
I love the Infernal Devices! Cinder has been sitting on my Kindle for a few years now… I really really need to read it.
I still need to read a lot of these. Great post!
I hope you’re able to get them soon. 🙂
I love The Scorpio Races and reread it every fall. I want to reread The Lunar Chronicles sometime soon as well because it’s been so long since I’ve read them.
Awesome list! 🙂
That’s a tradition I could get behind! Hopefully we can both make time for The Lunar Chronicles soon. 🙂
Super duper list! Three of these (Water for Elephants, the Lunar Chronicles, and the Twilight Saga) I’ve read. Loved them – and that makes me think I need to go investigate the other 7 on your list. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Oh, I hope you do. And love them! <3