What are the top ten unique books you've ever read? That's what the ladies at The Broke and The Bookish are asking us this week. I like to think that I'm a pretty eclectic reader but, let's face it, I really do tend to stick to my go-to genres. On the other hand, in all of the course of my reading years, through all of my reading phases, there have been a lot of books that really were unique for me at the time I read them.
1. City of Thieves by David Benioff (yes, Game of Thrones fans, that David Benioff) - Me? A story about survival during a siege? Not only did I read it, I loved it.
3. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami - Ti (Book Chatter) convinced me to go waayyy out of my comfort zone with this one and I'm so glad she did. Even if I'm still not sure what it meant.
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - I never learned to love science when I was growing up. It's something I certainly never thought I'd enjoy reading about as an adult. Skloot showed me that science can be just as interesting to read about it is to listen to on Radio Lab.
5. Night Film by Marisha Pessl - On the Nook this was a truly interactive experience. Any way you read it, it was mind blowing.
6. Only Milo by Barry Smith - Unique story, unique typography, unique writing style. Dark comedy fun.
8. The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell - my first graphic novel.
9. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - The entire book is an unnamed narrator having a conversation with the reader, who plays the role of an American stranger.
10. Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman - Filled with stories of magic and the unexplainable, this collection was so far out of my wheel house that it literally made me uncomfortable to read it.
What books would you put on a list of your unique reads?
Graphic Novels definitely fit the bill for me in terms of uniqueness. For me I think the most memorable unique book I've read was Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins. It is the only book I've read in second person point of view and I've since read and enjoyed several of his other (very bizarre) books. Ahhh, Night Film. I must read it soon!!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I hadn't thought of some of these - Animal Farm, Interview with a Vampire, and Henrietta Lack but I'm wishing I had! They're definitely unique! City of Thieves sounds fascinating and I might have to give the Gaiman a try. I've been a little nervous to invest the time in a full length book by him since I haven't cared for the episodes of Doctor Who he's written but short stories would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteOh, I did not know this was the same David Benioff guy. I was thinking initially that wow, now I know two David Benioffs and I like both of them. Nice to have that confusion cleared. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd have to peruse my shelves, but the most unique book (at least for me!) that comes to mind is Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. I've never read anything like it and it remains an all-time favorite.
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