Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. For more information and a list of past and future topics, go here.
Not all of these books are super old but they are more than a few years old so I’m going to count them.
1. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – This is more of a middle grade book but it can be read by older readers. It’s a Cinderella retelling and it’s one of my all-time favorite books. I re-read this book at least once a year.
2. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen – Technically I could list pretty much all of Sarah Dessen’s books but this one is my favorite. The Truth About Forever is really sweet and funny and it’s another book that I re-read regularly.
3. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen – I actually only read this one recently but it was published in 1988. It’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but it’s also historical fiction about the Holocaust. It’s a really moving story and beautifully written.
4. The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares – This whole series was so wonderful. I read this at a time when I wasn’t really into reading and it helped me get back into it. This series started my search for more YA books.
5. The Au Pairs by Melissa de la Cruz – I adore all of Melissa de la Cruz’s books but The Au Pairs series is definitely my favorite of hers. It’s contemporary, takes place over a series of summers, has some steamy romances, and such a perfect ending.
6. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – Grave Mercy is the latest awesome historical fiction with a female assassin but Poison Study was the original. Poison Study is fantasy and it’s one of my favorite trilogies. The character’s are some of my all time favorites.
7. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – Uglies was the first ever dystopian novel that I read and at the time I didn’t even know what dystopian was. I just found this series so fascinating and unputdownable. While I did have some problems with the final book, the series overall was really great.
8. A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray – This trilogy is paranormal historical fiction at it’s best. The writing is so lush and descriptive, the characters are great, and the story is so amazing. The size of the books is a little daunting but don’t let that get to you!
9. Megan Meade’s Guide To The McGowan Boys by Kate Brian – Kate Brian is another author that I adore but Megan Meade’s Guide To The McGowan Boys has got to be one of my favorites from her. It’s super sweet and cute and so funny. It’s pretty much the perfect book for a rainy day.
10. Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder – Pretty Little Devils was recently reprinted but I read it way back when it first came out. At the time I was looking for something similar to the Pretty Little Liars books and I definitely found it in Pretty Little Devils. There are crazy schemes, secrets, lies, and betrayal. It’s also a standalone which I really liked.
What are some of your favorite older books?
I. effing. LOVE Ella Enchanted. The bomb was a joke and a half compared to the incredible novel. I think it is a must read for everyone. Yes, it’s middle grade but it shows how to develop a RELATIONSHIP before being automatically forever and always (Char & Ella), plus how to fight adventure in the face. 😉 Love it!
My favorites are His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman – the only one that didn’t make it – and then I have a list on my blog.
LOL I found Pretty Little Devils at my library and read it not too long ago… it’s definitely a pre-PLL book, lots of craziness!!
Sarah Dessen made my list this week too… oh and I love Kate Brian as well 🙂
My TTT
I definitely hope Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is around for awhile. I love Ella Enchanted, I read it thanks to my daughter. I bought her a copy at her request and she let me read it when she was finished. Terrific choices.
I am seriously LOVING seeing a great and terrible beauty on so many TTT lists! YES FOR LIBBA.
I have seen the movie from Ella Enchanted a couple of times, but I still haven’t read the book. *ashamed*
I read Briar Rose and I didn’t like it..
The Study series by Maria Snyder is high on my list. The same for Uglies and Gemma Doyle.
Great list! 🙂
My TTT @thedailyprophecy
Totally with you on The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. it’s what got me (back) into YA. I’ve been meaning to read Ella Enchanted for awhile, I’ll have to hop to it.
We have The Truth about Forever & AG&TB as shared picks! The AU-PAIRS! So ok…back in the day..when I totally was NOT a YA reader..my sister who is two years younger than me was reading this book and LOVED IT. She still owns it so I may have to steal it from her. I thought it looked lame (because I was all about “smart” books then and thought TEEN books were anything but that!)
Poison Study is so great! Everything by Maria V. Snyder is great!
I KNEW Ellan Enchanted would be at the top of your list 😉
I love Ella Enchanted. I still reread all the time it in secret, lol. The heroine is just so spunky and well-developed. I’ve been meaning to read Briar Rose after hearing about it in class last year. Here’s Ours
I love Ella Enchanted! That book is fabulous. Completely agree about #2, 7, 9, and 10 too.
Nice Top Ten 🙂
I’ve only read Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, but I plan on working my way through her works! I want to get to Poison Study too, it’s just sitting on my bookshelf, staring at me!
My TTT
Briar Rose was on my list, too! That book = awesome. Thanks for sharing!
I love so many books on this list! Ella Enchanted is just such a good book, even after multiple re-reads!
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was probably the first contemp YA book series that I read, so I have found memories of that!
I also loved Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study trilogy. Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Triology) was just perfect! The writing was so beautiful and the world that she weaved was just so amazing!
Crazy Red Pen
Ella Enchanted made it on my list, too. It was the first fairytale retelling I ever read, and definitely one I judge other retellings by. I recently read A Great and Terrible Beauty, and although I think it is really well written, I have to say I wasn’t really invested in the characters.
Awesome list@
Quinn from Quinn’s Book Nook
Nice list:) Personally, I love the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce, and I’ve always been a fan of the middle-grade series by Gordan Korman called On the Run.
Oh man, I loved Uglies. I still need to finish that series!
Poison Study and Briar Rose added to my to-read list ASAP. Anything that’s compared to Grave Mercy has my immediate attention, and a fairy tale retelling PLUS the Holocaust? Yes please.
My TTT: http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-10-tuesday-top-ten-older-books-you.html
Any books by Sarah Dessen and R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series.
Poison Study and A Great and Terrible Beauty are such great books! Definitely shouldn’t be forgotten!
I LOVED the Truth about Forever – it’s my favorite Sarah Dessen book (although it’s so hard to choose). Also love Poison Study!
I couldn’t get into BRIAR ROSE. I thought I would love it, but it ended up being a DNF for me.
I LOVE Libby Bray’s Gemma Doyle series!! I can’t seem to get the kids at school to read it though! 🙁 I need a new strategy!
Gemma Doyle! <3 <3 Say it’s like a female version of Harry Potter. LOL. That *might* work. They’re such incredible books. I wish the books would be adapted for TV. It would make a great series!
Gemma Doyle!!! <3 <3 <3 So glad to find other fans.
Also, The Truth About Forever is my second favorite Dessen novel only behind Just Listen. <3
I LOVED the Ella movie. Everyone’s raving about the book, so it should be added to my list soon 🙂