Top 10 Tuesday: Books I loved but didn't review on the blog
It's Tuesday, so it must be Top Ten Tuesday book sharing blog roundup day. I'm again joining Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl and the theme this week is "books I loved but didn't review". There are lots of books that fit that criteria! I didn't spend a lot of time hunting (or trying to remember) my very favorites. But, once again, my handy dandy Excel spreadsheet comes to the rescue. I highlight my favorite books so it's easy to scan through decades of books and find the best of the best.......here are 10, in no particular order.
When you visit The Artsy Reader Girl's site, you'll find lots of participants with a zillion books to fit the theme each week. Your TBR will never be the same!
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published 1989, 976 pages
I LOVE a good, long book and this one I found unputdownable! History, architecture, great characters, all wrapped up in an excellent story.
The Secret Place #5 Dublin Squad by Tana French
Genre: Mystery
Published 2014, 452 pages
I've read all French's books and really enjoy most of them. This one is a particular favorite that takes place in an exclusive girl's school.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published 1997, 434 pages
I read this 20+ years ago and still remember how much I enjoyed it. I read it for a book club and one of the members was a frequent traveler to Japan. She confirmed that much of the story is based on true as she saw it and understood it from her visits, which made the book even more fascinating.
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Genre: Fantasy
Published 1976, 432 pages
Another one I read over 20 years ago and have recommended numerous times. It's a story of an alternate universe and a woman with a life in both - or, is it a crazy woman who has grand illusions? I was kept guessing till the very end. Excellent read.
Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published 1982, 566 pages
Another golden oldie. At one time I read every Anne Rice - all the vampire series and all her witch books - and loved most of them. This one is different - it's about the 18th century castrati in Venice (the young boys castrated to keep their voices pure). It's dark but so well written. I remember being engrossed from the beginning.
Open by Andre Agassi
Genre: Autobiography
Published 2009, 288 pages
Here's a departure for you. Whether you're a fan or not, this look inside competitive tennis and the mindset of a top notch athlete is fascinating. His tell-all book is worth a read!
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Genre: Fantasy
Published 1982, 876 pages
I'm a sucker for a good King Arthur tale and this one takes the creative spin of telling it from the women's perspective.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Genre: Nonfiction
Published 2013, 416 pages
History and sports and a war and determination and so much more as the University of Washington crew tries to win an Olympic medal.
Shogun by James Clavell
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published 1975, 1152 pages
This book. I LOVED this book. Read this book.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Genre: General Fiction
Published 2009, 541 pages
A great family saga story set in Ethiopia about twin brothers growing up and the different paths they choose.
As I put this list together, I realized there are books here I DO need to review - if only to encourage other readers to try these excellent books. They're all SO good! I hope you find one or two that make it to your TBR for future reading. I'm looking forward to books that make the list on other participants posts - this should give me lots of new books to read........
