Top 10 Books People Have Been Telling Me To Read

I came across an interesting weekly book meme on The Broke And The Bookish, called Top 10 Tuesday, and have decided to take it up. Hopefully, I’ll be posting every Tuesday.

The topic for this week is: Top 10 books people have been telling you that you must read.

Here goes my list.

 1. The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry and Alison Andersen

Quite a lot of my bookish friends have recommended this book to me. They say it is an awesome book, one that will make you stop and think, and one that I will be able to relate to. I even have this book with me but, somehow, have never got around to reading it.

2. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen

Yes, you read that right. I haven’t read THE Pride And Prejudice. I haven’t read any classics, actually, to be precise. Life just happened for me that way. A lot of people have told me that I should read at least this one classic book. If you read only one classic in your entire life, let it be Pride And Prejudice, I’ve been told.

3. The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This is an extremely beautiful book about books, one that book lovers will absolutely adore, I’ve been told. More than one blog friend has recommended this book to me. Another book that, somehow, I haven’t picked up in spite of a great many recommendations.

4. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Almost all the book bloggers that I read have highly recommended this one. It is beautifully written, they say, and brings out the complexities of human relationships wonderfully. I don’t think I am ready to read this one yet, though.

5. The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This is one more book that has been recommended by almost all of the book bloggers I read. It is a book about books and book lovers, empathy and the power of love, and is apparently heart-wrenchingly beautiful. However, I am afraid all the hype has spoiled the book for me. I even picked up the book a couple of times in bookstores, but didn’t buy it. I have the feeling it is not going to be all that special for me. I’ve heard this one has pulled out a lot of people from the reading slumps they have been in. So, I might just give it a try some time soon.

6. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Yet another book that has been recommended by almost everyone in book blog-land, something I have not read yet. I’ve been told it is a wonderful story, one that will tug at my heart. Another book that I don’t feel ready to read yet.

7. The Taj Mahal Trilogy by Indu Sundaresan

Consisting of The Twentieth Wife, The Feast Of Roses and The Shadow Princess, this trilogy has been recommended to me time and time again. I read The Shadow Princess about a year back and loved it too, but I haven’t been in the mood to read the rest of the series, yet.

8. The Secret Lives Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

A couple of blog friends whose reviews I trust have told me to read this one. Apparently, it is hauntingly beautiful, and is all about the bond between mothers and daughters. Again, I don’t think I am ready to read this book, yet.

9. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I don’t need to elaborate on the huge number of Harry Potter fans in blogosphere, do I? This series has been much-loved, and much-recommended. I am not a big fantasy fan, though, and the first book of the series that I read didn’t particularly charm me. I didn’t go on to read the rest of the series.

10. Persepolis: The Story Of A Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

I’ve been told that this is a book that will capture my heart, for sure, as it is about a little girl growing up in a highly conservative environment, trying to fight her circumstances. I have this graphic novel with me – I have had it for quite some time now, actually – but haven’t read it yet. I don’t know anything about the history the book depicts, so I think I should read up on it first before I pick this one up. That hasn’t been happening since oh-so-long!

Tell me, what are the books you have been highly recommended of late? I would love to know!