The lovely Melissa Robitille has tagged me with an Alternative Booker Award. The idea is to mention five of your favorite books and then tag five other bloggers to do the same. Five? How can I choose five favorites? Hmm. I’ll pick five, but of course there are many more favorites out there.
In no particular order…
1. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
I can’t say for certain whether this will end up being an all-time favorite, since I just finished reading it last week. I enjoyed it enough to include it in the list, which says something. This one had been on my radar because I’d heard a lot of good things about it from lurking in the fantasy book groups on Goodreads. And recently three people who have reviewed my book said that Sydney reminded them of Vin from Mistborn. So clearly I had to read it! I’ll take being compared to this book as a high compliment. It was right up my alley, with thieves plotting to overthrow an evil empire and a street urchin with a mysterious past. I couldn’t put it down.
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
This was my first Neil Gaiman book. I loved the characters and the setting. “Mind the gap” took on a very different meaning when we were in London. I’ve read and enjoyed more of Gaiman’s work, but this one holds a special place in my heart.
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I cried at the end and several times during the book. Amazing, emotionally powerful. And as someone who can’t outline to save my life, I admire the incredibly intricate plot and wonder how in the world she kept it all straight. I have no desire to see the movie version. I don’t think it could do justice to the book.
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The book was terribly, terribly bleak and disturbing, but the prose was beautiful. The story haunted me for weeks after I finished it. I was a new parent at the time and the relationship between the father and son tore at my heart.
5. The October Country by Ray Bradbury
My first introduction to Bradbury, bought at a really neat used bookstore in Providence, RI. I loved his prose and the quirky, creepy stories.
So there you have it. I’m not sure what these books say about my psyche, if anything, other than I’m eclectic in my reading tastes. There are a lot more that I consider favorites. If you asked me a week or a month from now, I’d probably come up with a completely different list.
I’m tagging five bloggers to see what’s on their list of favorites:
Cindy Young-Turner 
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Hi Cindy, love the books you chose and we’ve read a few and cherish them as well. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is one of my fav’s and both of us have added “The Road” to our must reads. I like what you said about the book staying with you, haunting you. When a story can do that to you…I just love it!
On another note, we wanted to let you know, that we have nominated you for the Versatility Award. Just head on over to our blog for the details and congrats my friend!
Aw, thanks so much for nominating me! You’re too sweet.
I got the Time Traveler’s Wife from the library and have been considering buying my own copy because I liked it so much. Cormac McCarthy has such an interesting writing style in The Road. Took a little while to get used to it, but I really liked it once I figured it out.