Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #4

April 1: Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey (so your list could be a mix of a books that got you into reading, an author that got you into reading a genre you never thought you'd read, a book that brought you BACK into read)


  1. Harry Potter series by J K Rowling - This series was one of the first that I ever read. I was so enamored with this series and it really showed me that outside of school reading can be fun!
  2. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - This series was one that also really helped me see that reading was fun as a kid
  3. Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr - This series wasn't necessarily my first jump into Young Adult or anything, but it was the first series I really got into in a long time
  4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan -  I wasn't really reading much, but this series, along with a few other books, helped me get back into reading when I was in a really bad place, and I've been reading a lot ever since. This one was the most prominent in pulling me back in to reading at that time, which is why I picked to list this one.
  5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Though I had read some contemporary novels before this, this book was really the one that got me to like them a lot more, and since then, while it's not too many, I've began reading more contemporary than I used to and tend to enjoy them all.
  6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This book made me realize that I actually like books that take place a while back in time, whether it's paranormal or not. I used to not want to ever read historical fiction, but this book made me interested in that genre a lot more.
  7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - This book made me realize that I didn't have to dislike every book that school made me read. I used to hold unnecessary grudges against books I was forced to read, but with this book I was able to push through that grudge and actually enjoy it. Though I'm still usually hard on school books (classics really aren't my kind of thing. I appreciate them but I wouldn't read them on my own), I have learned to like them more than I did before.

8 comments:

  1. These are all great books!! The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han was one of my first contemp books that I just loved! I loved The Fault in Our Stars too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't read The Summer I Turned Pretty, but I've heard of it before and plan on reading it sometime soon. It's great hearing about books that get someone into a particular genre :)

      Delete
  2. I used to love the Series of Unfortunate Events and I should really reread those at some point! The Fault in Our Stars is AMAZINNG! And Harry Potter series of course too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I grew up on Harry Potter, my dad and brother were really into it and it ended up rubbing off on me. I want to reread the Series of Unfortunate Events too at some point, it's been so long! I loved TFiOS! I actually have two copies of it because I bought it to read and then later on, after I read it, I saw it signed in a Barnes & Noble and HAD to get it. I ended up buying two, one for me and one for my best friend, which cost a lot, but it was definitely money well spent :)

      Delete
  3. I have a hard time remembering all my firsts. I do know that The Mists of Avalon was my first fantasy (high fantasy) and it opened so many things up for me. Twilight was one of my first YA books because as a teen there wasn't much YA, though I read some, like The Outsiders.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot here that I read too. I think one of the first series I was really into was the Magic Tree House in first grade or something, but I completely forgot to put it in. There's so many books you read over your lifetime that it's hard remembering them all!!

      Delete
  4. I agree with the Fault In Our Stars, it really was a great read!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Harry Potter was such a gateway series for me too! I jumped started my love for reading again and I remember reading them over and over until I finally found something else to give a try. There's been no looking back since!

    ReplyDelete