Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

by Tee

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  This week we’re discussing the Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First time.  Ahhhh, you know the feeling when you get so swept into a story that you don’t ever want it to end.  Or maybe it’s so incredibly engrossing that it’s like a drug.  Or maybe it evokes memories of a certain time in your life.  Either way, with certain books, no matter how many times I read them, there is nothing like that first time.

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffinegger- This is hands down my favorite book of all time.  I read it many years ago over the course of two days when my husband was out of town and I—pregnant with my second child—couldn’t sleep (gotta love that pregnancy insomnia).  Henry, Clare and their beautiful story left such a lasting impression on me that I’ve often looked for books that can recreate the way this one made me feel.  This is part of why I’m so stoked to read Tamara Ireland Stone’s book Time Between Us, which is being called a YA version of The Time Traveler’s Wife.  It’s still quite a wait though.

2. Any Harry Potter book– Yeah, I wasn’t real specific here because I loved all of them and felt completely engrossed in every detail of the story.  It was so magical and fun, while still being complicated and well-planned.  There are few books as perfect as these.

3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See– I love books that delve into other cultures. This story is set in 19th century China and revolves around a lifetime friendship that blossoms between two girls during their foot binding periods.  It is such an interesting look into this culture, but more so, it is such a beautiful tale about friendship.  I wept, people. I really did.

4.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl–  Holy cow I love this book.  I think I’ve read it at least thirty times and only two of those times have been as an adult.  It  completely transported me to Dahl’s incredible, whimsical world and made me wish it were real.

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte– Gah! I read this in high school and fell in love with Mr. Rochester almost immediately.  The only person I loved more than him was Jane.  She is still one of my favorite heroines of all time.  I read this every year and it still gets me.

6.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen– Of course when I read this six or seven years ago, I knew the basic story: Mr. Darcy has a stick up his butt and he falls in love with sassy old Lizzie Bennett and both are too prideful to see their own faults and errors.  But oh,  I had no idea there was going to be such humor or that I was going to love Elizabeth so much. Darcy won me over too, of course.

7. Twilight by Stephenie Meyers– Should I duck to dodge your flaming arrows of hatred?  When I read this series, the last book (and none of the movies) were out yet.  There weren’t crazy old ladies throwing their panties at Taylor Lautner and Trya wasn’t asking Robert Pattinson to bite her neck.  (I mean, whew! Thank God all that’s over because those things made me hate Twilight fans).  I’m not saying these are the most amazing books, or the most well-written—but I like the story.  I don’t care about whether or not I agree with Bella or whether or not I think Edward, swoony as he may seem, is a stalker (even though he totally is).  I just loved that I cared enough to keep flipping the pages at one o’clock in the morning.  I was excited to buy the next book and find out what was going to happen.  I love any series that can do that for me.

8. Where She Went by Gayle Forman– You guys, I wish I could bottle the way this book made me feel.  Part of it was the pure relief that a sequel to a book I adored could be SO good.  Part of it was that it was heartbreakingly beautiful. Part of it was that it was totally romantic.  And part of it (I know! There are alot of parts here) was being able to see Mia, who I’d grown to love so much, in such a happy, healthy place in life.  It was so perfect that I cried at the end (in a good way).

9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden– This one also goes back to the fact that I love books about other cultures.  It was particularly interesting and  so beautifully written.  Have you read this?  You should. Don’t see the film instead. You have to read it.

10.  Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding– This book was hilarious! The first pages had me giggling like crazy.  I love Bridget (and Mark. Of course I love Mark) and all the stupid, completely embarrassing things she does, including listing every drink and ciggy she has.  Plus she uses words like F&*@wit, which I think is brilliant.