Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week our list is Top Ten Books that make you think.
This is a challenging top ten assignment. Most of the books I really enjoy make me think, but the ones I'm really left mulling over tend to focus on three themes: the nature of happiness, the cost of freedom and the line between man and monster. The books below fit into at least one of those groupings.
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1.Blindness by Jose Saramago
In a world where everyone is blind, is there any chance for humanity to survive? There are so many questions in this book, but it really comes down to what makes us human.
2.The Magicians by Lev Grossman
If your dreams come true and magic turns out to be real, will it be enough to keep you happy? The Magicians is a gritty portrayal of what would really happen if Harry Potter (Quentin) found Hogwarts (Brakebells).
When most women lose the ability to bear and their rights become completely subject to the ruling men, can there be any happiness or freedom for either gender? This story portrays a future of inequality that is not so far off as we might think.
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4.Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
What if people who needed organs didn't have to wait on a list because there were clones whose job it was to make "donations" to the real people? This story dissects the price of both freedom and happiness.
5.The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars is a newer book by John Green which really made me wonder about the price of loving people when you know your time is limited.
6.The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson
Most people know the story of the Dr who drinks a potion and turns into the monster Hyde. A common misconception, though is that Jekyll begins as pure good and then turns evil. The story really leaves a lot of questions about the man Jekyll and where his descent into monstrosity began.
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7.Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Obsessed with his own ingenuity, Dr Frankenstein creates a "monster". In an epic battle of wills, the two hunt and torment each other until you are no longer sure where one ends and the other begins.
8.Beloved by Toni Morrison
The only Morrison book I've ever liked, this one deals with a past that literally comes back to haunt a woman. It made me think about how much you an grieve without being destroyed by it.
9. 1984 by George Orwell
What if the government was always watching and had complete control over everyone's life? Many books look at this issue, but 1984 stands out among them with an emphasis on how this lack of freedom undercuts happiness and the ability to love.
10.The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
This modern classic explores the nature of identity, love and happiness through the scattered life of a young man who runs away.
YES for The Fault in Our Stars, Jekyll & Hyde, Frankenstein, and the Catcher in the Rye.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we could argue this until the end of time...but I can't believe Beloved is the only Toni Morrison book you've liked! It's the only one I've hated! lol. Paradise, Sula, and Song of Solomon FTW. :P
That is because you are entirely cray cray. Beloved was literary horror and magical realism. Was there ever a chance I wouldn't like it? I barely remember the others we read in class, but I never read Sula so there is still a chance.
DeleteUGH. Hated it. :P It was too bizarro for me. Sula is good! I hated it when I read it in college, but liked it in my grad lit class. And it's shorter if I remember correctly!
DeleteI still have to read TFioS, but I've seen it on quite some lists! I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Need to read John Green's book soon. Its been sitting on shelf for too long.
ReplyDeleteCheck out our TTT
Completely agree with TFIOS, that's number one of my list this week.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my TTT
I need to read the Handmaid's Tale like...ASAP. Also, if you're interested in books like that, I had one on my list--A Case of Need by Micheal Criton. It was written in the 60s when abortion was illegal, but reading it last year, I felt that it was extremely current considering all the hubub around women's health rights right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation! It would certainly be interesting to see how the subject has evolved, and I enjoy Criton's writing style.
DeleteGreat list! The Handmaid's Tale is on my to-read shelf, I need to pick it up soon, I've heard lots of good things about it.
ReplyDeleteI need to reread a couple of these that were originally assigned in high school. Required reading is almost a guarantee that I will TRY to never think about it again (1984 and Catcher). Blindness sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlso loved TFioS. Thanks for stopping by!
I really need to check out The Handmaid's Tale. I've been seeing it on alot of these lists today. Also, it's been on my TBR list forever, and I really should move it closer to the top.
ReplyDelete~Allison @ Good Books and Good Wine
I really Want to read 1984 and the catcher in the rye. Awesome TTT! Check out my TTT here; http://adventuresofateenagebookworm.blogspot.ie/2012/09/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-made-you.html
ReplyDeleteI have Orwells Animal Farm on my TTT
I've read everything on your list except Frankenstein and Hyde and Beloved. Maybe I should go read these now!
ReplyDeleteHere's my top ten list of books that made me think. I hope you will stop by!