Top Ten Books You Would Classify as All-Time-Favorites

Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish to share lists (because we love them) about books and bookish things.

This week's theme was to select our top ten favorites from the past three years. For some of these I'm not sure if I read it in the past three years because I really only started tracking my reading in the past six months, so some of these are guestimations. For this, I don't think I would be able to put these in any definitive order. For the sake of a list, I've put them in an order, but I'm sure that a week from now, it won't be the same.

10. Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series

This one is kind of a cheat because it is a series. If I had to pick a favorite from this series, it would be the final book in the series, The Last Olympian. If you have no idea what this series is (first of all, I commend you because it probably means that you aren't sucked into the black hole of the internet) it is an awesome middle-grade series that follows an eleven year old boy named Percy Jackson and his friends on their adventures, but the special thing about Percy and his friends are that they are half Greek god and half mortal.

9. Paper Towns

I love road trip books probably because it's a tradition in my family to take a road trip every summer. But this book as to make my favorites not only because of the road trip in it, but it's a favorite because of the friendship in this book. The friendship that Q, Radar, and Ben is so pure and is actually apart of my top 5 friend groups that I'd like to be apart of it. And in all honesty I really related to the main character, Q, and that kind of made the book for me.

8. The Hobbit

Ah, Middle Earth. I haven't read the Lord of the Rings trilogy yet (please don't kill me!) but this book is such a fun fantasy adventure that just throws you into this wonderful land. I can't wait to read more of Tolkein in the future.

7. All the Light We Cannot See

Ah! I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I read it last month, so I couldn't not put it on this list. This book is such a wonderful representation of WWII and two (three) different perspectives from this time period. Everyone who raves about this book always mentions that it follows two perspectives: a blind French girl and a German youth. And it does, but at times it also follows the perspective of an adult man that works with the Nazis. In truth, it is mainly the story of Marie-Laure and Werner that stuck with me the most, but the story of this particular man has also stuck with me significantly as well.

6. The Bone Season

This book was amazing, and I think it will be a book (and hopefully series) that sticks with me for a while. Again, it's mainly Paige, the main character, that sticks with me. I love that she is a sensible protagonist and her decisions actually make sense. The story line is incredible, and I often felt like I was in the situation with Paige and watching the story play out in front of me.

5. Redeeming Love

I wanted to put this higher on the list, but I couldn't just because I put it down and picked it up again for years. Literal years. Like since eight grade, and I'm a senior in high school. Yeah. In all honesty, I just think that I wasn't ready for the content in this book because it does deal with mature themes. If you don't know, this is a kind of retelling of the book Hosea of the Bible set in the California gold rush.

4. The Phantom of the Opera

I admit it. I read this book because I love the movie. And the soundtrack. I watch it at least twice a year. But this book is even better. Also, Christine is blonde! The more you know. The book is very similar to the play/movie, but we experience much more of the madness of Erik (the Phantom) and also much more depth. Everyone needs to read it.

3. Fangirl

How could I not? This book is a wonderful representation of a fangirl. I really loved Cath as a character and I love the development that she goes through as a character. I also love the romance and kind of wish that it wasn't a stand-a-lone contemporary. Seriously, Rainbow Rowell, write a sequel.

2. All the Bright Places

These last two are the main two that I think will switch around, but I think the next has an advantage as my favorite because I've had more time to mull that one over. This book was absolutely beautiful and is most definitely a book that has not left my mind since I read it and I have recommended to so many people since I finished it. I'm even getting it for my friend for her birthday, and I'm so excited that I will have someone else to talk about this book with. This novel follows two perspectives, Violet and Finch, who have both had thoughts of suicide and meet one afternoon on the school bell tower. Finch saves Violet that day, and then they partner up for a school project to go see the wonders of their state. This book is dark and bright and great. Read it.

1. A Tale of Two Cities

This book. This book, guys. Imagine: a love triangle with unrequited love set during the French Revolution with themes of sacrificial love and family. Don't let bad experiences with Great Expectations keep you from picking up up this book because it is easily the best of Dicken's work.