Books and Prejudice: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Today's top ten theme is:

Top Ten books for readers who like Fantasy!!! WOOO!

I tried to have a pretty large variety in books here. So in absolutely no particular order here we go.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - This must have been one of the first fantasy novels I ever read (I was...10?). I loved the crazy different world with wizards and elves and everything. It lead me to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy along with a lot of other works by Tolkien. To date, I think I own almost his entire bibliography (including The History of Middle Earth). This was a starter book into the fantasy genre for me. And it is not an easy book to get through. When I was 18 I read it in French, you know, for funzies.
Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert - These books are by no means for everyone. They are weird and confusing and are super far in the future. When I made an error regarding the date once at work, my boss said we were living in the times of Dune. I'm pretty sure I was the only one that got the joke. The last two books are super weird and kind of creepy. Maybe I would suggest just sticking to the first four. Anyone that can get through A Song of Ice and Fire should have no issue getting through Dune.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - This book... well all of them were so hilarious. I will be saying goodbye to someone and instead say, "So long, and thanks for all the fish!" And way more than a few times have I randomly stated to coworkers, "never forget your towel." Fantasy and comedy mix really well in this series of novels and I would love to reread them one day. Finally, a book where the world is destroyed!
Graceling by Kristin Cashore - Graceling is much more tradition to the fantasy and YA genres. The world created with a psychopath king and people who were "graced" for specific things was a truly amazing concept. This is a wonderful option for the young adult fantasy readers.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - I feel like this one is obvious. But everyone loves Harry Potter. The first novel is a bit light, even though you see into the dark part of Harry's life with the Dursleys. Slowly the world gets darker and darker. Rowling's writing gets slightly more adult as she ages the characters year by year. It's wonderful to go through such a long coming-of-age tale full of magic and intrigue. I personally own the British editions of these books.
A Song of Ice and Fire by Georger R.R. Martin - I mentioned these books above, so of course they would be in my list. Absolute, true fantasy at its core. This is the series the acclaimed HBO hit series The Game of Thrones is based off of. Of course, the screenwriters constantly change things and make the readers angry. But that's what they're there for isn't it? But things that are actually in these books: dragons, twincest (yes indeed), zombies of a sort, and the most complex plotline you could imagine wanting to follow without reading James Joyce. Also, like, a lot of people die. Super action packed book is full of action!
Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee - This is another of my favorites. And the like Harry Potter series, it is what I call a "real-world" fantasy, because the plot takes place in what we would currently call our home planet, world, land, whatever. This book is full of biblical references and twists them into something dark. Angels are a warrior race that came to bring the apocalypse to humankind. Is this the rapture?
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - I just reviewed this book here. I really think this would be a great starter books for teens just getting interested in reading or for someone who wants to read a fantasy novel.
Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor - Okay, you caught me. This book is pure fiction. It's not fantasy. But it is one of my favorite books of all time. This contemporary revision of Inferno by Dante Alighieri is weird in its own sense of the word. Thought your neighbors were normal? Well probably not.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I love the idea of a colony or a country on the moon. And I think it's a neat addition to have the lunars with mutations that give them their glamours. Cyborgs are real (though technically when you think about it they are now. Anyone with a pacemaker for instance?) and androids. A slightly futuristic society on the verge of collapse because of biological warfare and manipulation and bioengineering. Also these books are revisions of the Grimm fairy tales. So that's pretty awesome. I have always loved Cinderella.