Tag: best books of all time

This week’s edition of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday is being brought to you by the number 5 and the letters U, V, W, X, Y, and Z. And yes, I used that exact joke for every single post this month. Deal with it.

HEY LOOK OVER HERE! MORE BOOKS!!

U – United as One
by Pittacus Lore

Again, this one is more about the whole series being great as one thing (and the fact that I haven’t read many books starting with U). Though, to be fair, this is the BEST book of the series. If you’ve tried to start this series before and was scared off by the first one or two, consider persevering. This last book is WORTH IT!

 

V – Vicious
by V.E. Schwab

Over to my TBR for this one, because I haven’t read a single book starting with V. This is one of those books that’s been on my shelf for over a year and I keep telling the world that “this is the month I’m finally going to read it,” but then it still doesn’t happen. I’ve put it off for far too long, but, this is the month I’m finally going to read it.

 

W – World War Z
by Max Brooks

Before I read Sleeping Giants, The Illuminae Series, or Robopacalypse, World War Z made me stand up and take notice of a book written in a unique and really enjoyable format. I’ve read it multiple times, even taking in the audiobook a few times (which stars Mark Hamill among many other voice actors.) Also, you should know this is NOTHING like the movie. The only thing the book and the movie share is the title.

 

 

 X – X-Men: A v X
by Marvel Comics

Okay. This is cheating, big time. But I really didn’t have an X-book. And this is one of the coolest stories out there. The Phoenix is coming back to Earth, and they believe it’s going to take Jean Grey’s daughter and they’ll have to deal with another Dark Phoenix situation (one of the most powerful beings EVER.) The Avengers insist on taking the girl to protect her, and the X-Men insist they’re plenty capable of protecting her themselves. Shouting happens, ego inflate, feelings are hurt, and then… super awesome fights.

 

 

Y – The Young Elites
by Marie Lu

Back to my TBR for this one. Plague, super-powered people, and a society bent on hunting down said people? So in.

 

Z – Zero Sum Game

Imagine James Bond was a brilliant mathematician instead of just having several horseshoes up his butt, and that’s what you’ve got here. Our lead seems to see the world more like the Matrix, with numbers and calculations everywhere. So when she does something nearly impossible (which is all the time) it wasn’t chance. She made it happen.

Fun fact about this post: Almost picked World War Z for Z instead of W, but felt like more cheating…

This week’s edition of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday is being brought to you by the number 5 and the letters K, L, M, N, and O. And I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t I use that joke a few times already? I sure did!

HEY LOOK OVER HERE! MORE BOOKS!!

 

P – The Power of Six

Slim pickings for P… The Power of Six isn’t a great book on its own, but the Lorien Legacies series as a whole is pretty worth while.

 

 

 

Q – ????

Speaking of slim pickings, I have nothing for Q. Not a book that I liked, not a book I hated, and not even a book on my TBR.. I guess I’ll just have to pick a few books for the next letter…

 

R – Ready Player One

R – Red Rising

No surprises here. The two books that I try to squeeze into as many Top 5 lists as humanly possible.

 S – Station Eleven

This was a tough one. Six of Crows and Steelheart were up near the top as well, but Station Eleven is not only a great read, but it has a meaning that feels truly important.

T – To Kill a Kingdom

This was one of those books that I wasn’t expecting a lot from and then it floored me. Such a fun read.

Fun fact about this post: I just received an ARC for Alexandra Christo’s new book, and I’m so excited to dig into it!

This week’s edition of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday is being brought to you by the number 5 and the letters K, L, M, N, and O. And I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t I use that joke last week? I sure did!

HEY LOOK OVER HERE! BOOKS!!

 

K – Kingdom Come by Mark Waid
(Illustrations by the legendary Alex Ross)

What? WHAT?! Are you telling me a graphic novel doesn’t count? How dare you. How DARE you! In a world where none of our superheroes has aged in 70 years, this is one of the few stories out there that explores, what would an aging Superman do? What happens when the Justice League qualifies for the senior discount. Great stuff. 

L – The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

This one is a pretty fresh read, but I found it kicking me in the face with its unpredictability, brutality, and sentimentality with every chapter. It’s a MUST read. 

M – A Man Called Ove

Talk about fresh! This is only a few weeks old in my memory and I’m still smiling. 

 N – Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe

AND Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

This was a tough one. And for those of you screaming that comic books don’t count, picking 2 for N will bring the list back up to 5 books. 

 

O – On Writing by Stephen King

This probably doesn’t seem like a book for everyone at first, but it just might be. For people who are Stephen King fans, or those that just enjoy a good biography, the first half of the book is basically an auto-biography while the rest continues to sprinkle little bits of it here and there. 

Fun fact about this post: my brain is mostly dead. Give me a letter of the alphabet and I’ll tell you I haven’t read any books starting with that letter. Then I go on Goodreads and find I’ve read 25 books starting with that letter. Honestly. SMH

This week’s edition of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday is being brought to you by the number 5 and the letters F, G, H, I, and J. And since I missed doing A through E last week, this post is actually going to cover A all the way through J! Enjoy!

A – The Art of Racing in the Rain

By the way, if you haven’t seen the trailer for the upcoming movie based on this novel, take the time and do it right. now.

 

B – Bag of Bones

Whenever I read something from a King (even if that King is a Hill) I don’t feel like I”m going to be that into it, but I end up falling head over heels into the story. This one was no exception.

C – Choke

This is the book that brought me out of a reading slump that lasted years and inspired me to write a book that had been marinating in my head for 5 years.

D – The Dream Thieves

Yup.

E – Ex-Heroes

This book is one of the best examples of pure fun I’ve ever read. If you like either zombies or superheroes, this has both.

F – Foundryside

I think the story was good, but it’s heavily overshadowed by the incredible characters, magic system, and world-building of Foundryside.

G – Godsgrave

Toughest letter so far. Gemina, The Graveyard Book, Game of Thrones, Golden Son… I could have picked one out of a hat and been okay with it.

H – Hex

This book haunted me the whole time I was reading it, and for weeks afterwards.

I – I Am Legend

If you’ve seen the movie, you HAVE to read the book. It’s not just better than the movie (what book isn’t?) It’s required. The book’s ending is so amazing and satisfying and the movie went a completely different and poopy direction.

 

J – Jennifer Government

Well, apparently this is the only book I’ve read that starts with J. It is a fun book, though. Super interesting—and terrifyingly possible—world building.

Fun fact about this post: Yes, for H I really wanted to choose a ‘Harry Potter and the [magical noun]’ but I couldn’t choose just one…

In this week’s edition of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday we’re talking male leads. This is a tough one. Instinct has me reaching for my top 5 books that have a male lead, but that would defeat the purpose. The best male leads aren’t necessarily in my all-time favourite books.

Darrow (Red Rising)

Okay. So maybe SOME of the my top male leads are from my favourite books. Darrow is the guy that you pull for every moment you’re reading and he tends to outsmart everyone around him, including the reader. (though he’s nothing without Sevro!)

Neanderthal a.k.a. Cliff Hubbard
(Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe)

I’ve said it before, Cliff is my spirit animal and if he was a real guy, he’d be a best friend, a brother, or maybe an identical twin!

Hans Hubermann (The Book Thief)

Maybe he’s not technically the lead, but he’s close enough for me. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a character so instantly and fiercely likeable.

Ignatius Perrish (Horns)

This poor S.O.B. Every moment was spent either rooting for him, weeping for him, and laughing at his hi jinx.

Mr. Wednesday (American Gods)

At best, he’s morally grey, at worst, he’s downright evil. Either way, he’s entertaining and fascinating at the same time.

Fun fact about this post: Honourable mention to Kaz Brekker, Tyler Durden, and  Kvoth.

That’s right. This week, Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday is a TOP 10! And it’s one of the easiest/hardest topics. All-time favourites. It’s like trying to pick favourite songs or movies off all time. A lot of titles come to mind instantly, but I feel like I’m going to forget some.

Odds are pretty good that it’s going to be the same books that always end up in my T5T posts. Let’s find out!

Ready Player One

We all knew it was going to be on here, so might as well get it out of the way first.

Golden Son (Red Rising Series)

The Red Rising Trilogy/Series was another no-brainer, but it I had to pick JUST ONE book, I would have to go with Golden Son. It’s like the Empire Strikes Back of the series. So good.

Hex

There’s probably something creepier out there, but I haven’t read it!

Six of Crows

I love a good heist, and this is one of the best.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Can’t wait to see this movie, though we all know it won’t be as good.

The Graveyard Book

I was shocked at how much I loved this book. Especially since it’s a children’s book and I didn’t read until I was an adult.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

One of the most recent reads on the list, but it was just so delighted/shocked/infuriated at every turn that I couldn’t leave it off the list.

Godsgrave (Nevernight Series)

Like Red Rising, it’s really the series (so far) I’m putting on my list, but I have to pick one of the two released titles, it’s Godsgrave all the way.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

I’m not usually much for historical fiction, but this one surrounds the birth of the comic book industry, something I’ve loved my whole life.

Steelheart

Speaking of superheroes, this book is everything you’d want from a sci-fi/urban fantasy and so cinematic it’s like watching a movie in your brain.

Fun fact about this post: This was way more fun and way less torture than I thought it was going to be…