I’m sure you’ll recall that last week I wrote about several books that I would never read under any circumstances. If not, you can read that post here. Immediately after writing that post I thought it only fair that I write the opposite post. So now you guys get a few books that you absolutely positively must read. Ready? Off we go.
1. The Diary of a Young Girl
I was lying in bed trying to come up with a short list of books to include on this list and this one was a given. It took about eight seconds for me to come up with it. Any person over the age of probably 12 who has studied any bit of world history knows something about the story of Anne Frank. I learned about it in high school and I’d already known a bit about it before. The thing is that when you’re being taught about the happenings of her family in the middle of a curriculum that is already overloaded with information you get to spend so little time on specific topics. Which is why her diary is a must read. You get EVERYTHING. From her. Fear. Hope. Depression. Happiness. Everything. You should have read this by now. I wrote a post about this book as part of my journey to read the Amazon 100 books list that you can read here.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
This needs little to no explanation. My reasoning for naming the first in the series is because I’d never recommend reading any series from a middle book, and especially not one as great as this. I’ve also written a post about this book for the same reason as Anne Frank that can be read here.
3. Dracula
This was another easy pick for me. I surely hope you’ve read it by now because this is definitely one of my favorite books that I somehow don’t own! But seriously, when I think vampire I think Dracula. When I think evil I think Dracula. When I think monster or man vs monster I think of this book. It makes no difference that it was published over a hundred years ago. This is one of those books that will remain for all time. At least I hope so.
4. The Hunger Games
You didn’t think I would write a post like this and leave my favorite series ever out of it, did you? No. I couldn’t do that. Honestly, I like Catching Fire just a bit more than the first in the trilogy but again, I can’t recommend that you begin a series with the middle book. That’s crazy. I stated in my post about my favorite series that Suzanne Collins had me crying within the first chapter of the first book of her series. The rest of the book was just as well written, paced, and truly fantastic as that opening chapter. If you don’t want to read this, fine, leave my slice of the blogging world. Leave now!
5. Divided Within
Did you catch what I did there? That’s MY book! Ha. No, I don’t think my book is anywhere near any of these others. BUT I would love for you guys to read it. It’s my baby. I’ll stop short of demanding that you buy it as soon as you read this post because, quite frankly, I’m not that worried about it at this point. If you’d like to read it thennnnn please go ahead. If not, I still like you. Okay, I like you a little less now. Can’t be helped.
A little note about this list. I only included books I’ve actually read. So I’m sure some of you guys will wonder how come none of the all-time greats are listed. That’s why. Because I haven’t read them. Remember, that’s the whole point of my tackling the Amazon list. One book that I almost included on this list was The Great Gatsby. But I read that book so long ago and so many since that I just don’t remember hardly any of it. And I haven’t read LOTR. Yet. So don’t yell at me that my list is flawed. It can always be updated.
What do you think of my little list here? Like? Dislike? Want to throw me out a window? Let me know!
Bought your book just now! Will let you know what I think 🙂
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Oh no. I promise I worked REALLY hard on it!
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Haha, I say that about my book: I never want people to buy it!
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As soon as I get out of my bed all sleepily, I shall look into yours.
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Oh no don’t do that! haha. I’m jealous of your book cover by the way.
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Yes! I’ll let you know. 🙂 Thanks!
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Believe it or not, I’ve never read Anne Frank’s book. I’ll add it to my TBR now. I think ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a good alternate book for your list. It’s a really great story.
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Please please please please read it. If you don’t care about anything else I’ve written here. Take that recommendation seriously.
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The story of Anne Frank always makes me cry. There are lots of books about that era, written by people who experienced it and survived. But her diary is one of a kind, maybe because it is not a retrospect, a fact that makes it honest and painful and human
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Yes. Yes. Yes. That’s all I can say
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Awesome list! Divergent by Veronica Roth is a really great book too!
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Unfortunately that’s on my other list. Sorry!
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Great books. I love Dracula. And Harry Potter, of course. 🙂 Have you read The Book Thief? A little longer than Anne Frank, of course, but up there as one of the best Holocaust books I’ve ever read.
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Nope. It’s on the Amazon list. So I will.
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Oh yes, I’ve read in in three days and my mum as well. It is so wonderful and sad. And what a brilliant idea to have death himself as the storyteller. I laughed and cried, it’s just an amazing book!
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Absolutely positively 100% agree.
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You’ve done what no one else has been able to convince me to do: add The Hunger Games to my to-be read list. OAN, I absolutely loved The Diary of Anne Frank!
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It needs to be on your currently reading list!
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[…] of the bloggers I follow posted a list of “Books You MUST Read” today, and it got me all excited thinking about my favorite books. So I decided to steal his […]
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Throwing you out the window just sounds fun…it has absolutely nothing to do with the post, and I’d give you a harness and rope. Plus, I love the title of your book. Very catchy.
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I don’t know how I’d feel about that. Even with a harness. Eh. If I can go skydiving a window would be nothing.
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Lol the Hunger Games made your list…. I would’ve never guessed
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I’m sorry. I’m obsessed. I have posters and toys and everything. Okay, not really. Or do I? I’ll never tell.
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Part of me rlly wants to buy the katniss barbie
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Well I won’t be buying a Barbie anything, BUT you should. Then leave it in the box for like ten years or something so you can sell it later for more than you paid. Lol
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Same here
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I’ve read most of these, and loved them, but not the Hunger Games or your book, and I wonder which one you’d be more angry about, haha! I absolutely love the HG films though, I just never got round to reading them! And I, too, share the obsession with Jennifer Lawrence. Your book’s going on my ‘to read’ list though John 🙂
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No. Whatever you’re doing right this second is secondary to what you SHOULD be doing. Go read about Katniss and company. Now. I’m serious. I won’t be mad at you if you read that before my book.
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Is it okay if I wait a few days? My housemate has the books and has offered to lend them to me, but she’s currently away! God damn the Easter break!
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Ahahaha I found that last sentence ironic. And hilarious. Okay. I won’t yell at you until next week.
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Thanks John! Now I have time to mentally prepare for screaming. Or buy the books. I know which one I’d prefer!
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Haha I won’t yell. I promise. I’ll just be sad. And look at pictures of puppies to cheer up. Until you start one of these wonderful books.
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Being a Dublin man, Bram Stoker is somewhat of a legend back home. Dracula was one of the first books I read… took me months, I couldn’t follow the story and was disappointed but that was as a kid as an adult rereading it, I loved it and it took me considerably less time to get through
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I think I read it once. Then reread most of it maybe two years later. I really love that book.
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Oh and I also bought your book, its on the reading list (o:
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You’re officially awesome!
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Good stuff ! 😀
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Gracias! 🙂
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[…] On this day in 2014 I published Books You MUST Read. […]
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