Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish giving bloggers a chance to create their own Top Ten Lists based on a certain subject. This week it’s the books you were ‘forced’ to read–either by other bloggers, teachers or over zealous friends. I had a hard time coming up with these because normally I’m that friend who throws books at people and badgers them to read it.
About these choices— Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa is a manga series that was nearly constantly thrown at me by one of my friends who stressed that I HAD to read this. It’s really a second-chance kid for me. It’s one that I had tried to read when I first started getting into manga, and I didn’t really care for it. But on the second read, per the recommendation I really fell for it. It’s a really intense, great series that has a natural, non contrived ending.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak found it’s way onto my TBR pile because of bloggers, and found a solid place when I saw the preview for the film. I actually really enjoyed it, and haven’t gotten my review up, but I will soon.
x|1999 by Clamp is another manga series, this was recommended by the same friend who told me to read Paradise Kiss. My only complaint being that I waited so long to read this. Again, when I was first starting out with manga, I for some reason had this thing against the CLAMP circle of artists. I love their works now and want to own all of them one day. This series is very visually stunning, with great characters. It does randomly just end due to a couple of reasons.
Guilty Pleasures/Anita Blake Laurell K. Hamilton. I remember my freshmen year of high school this book was passed around my entire freshmen class. At least it seemed like it. I got it from a girl named Becca, who had gotten it from another girl named Ty. I read it, and kept up with the series for a little while before it disintegrated into what I consider a hot mess.
Hounded/Iron Druid by Kevin Hearne. My favorite Simon R. Green series ended, and I went into a depressed slump. Seriously. And my friend Jenny told me to read these books that they’d fill my need for a snarky asshole narrator who is an incredible badass. I haven’t looked back, and Atticus is very close to my heart. Right next to John Taylor.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I was forced to read this my junior year of high school by a friend who was appalled that it wasn’t on the reading list. He maintained that it was one of the greatest literary forces, and I have to agree. I read it and fell in love.
Marked/House of Night P.C. and Kristin Cast. I picked this series up because of bloggers, and I have a serious love/hate relationship with it. Once I’ve finished all the books I’m going to do a comprehensive review. Expect a lot of shouting, and maybe even some gifs.
Naruto Masashi Kishimoto is a manga series that I fought tooth and nail against, as it conjured pictures of otakus, and I was seriously scared of falling into that, or the dreaded weebo pit. (if unfamiliar with terms, please google and try not to judge). I’ve accepted that I’m an otaku, who sometimes borders the weebo-land. I’ve come to love this series. It’s really great. Believe it. (sorry). If you’re considering it, just read it, and stick with it. The art/story lines get so much better.
Relic/Pendergast Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Lovingly thrust upon me by my wonderful friend Kate, I read this thinking it was decent. Until three weeks later I was elbow deep in Pedergast and loving every second of it. I’m so far behind on this series, but if you’re in the mood for smart, well written mystery just please check these out.
Saiyuki by Kazuya Minekura. This was recommended to me by a friend who loves this artist. Minekura has one of the most beautiful, recognizable art styles. I’m so in love with this series, which is a retelling of the Chinese proverb Journey to the West. It’s so gorgeous. Just I have no words for it. It is currently unfinished in the English volumes, as Minekura has a lot of health issues and doesn’t release chapters very often. So I just re-read and lovingly pet the volumes that I do have.
Let’s talk about the books you were forced to read! Tell me about some of the choices your friends have forced you into, or you’ve picked up because everyone on the internet was talking about it. If you’ve got a Top Ten Tuesday post, feel free to leave a comment and link your post.
books and writing 
I agree that Anita Blake series is a complete mess. I’ve never read Lord of the Flies or Relic.
I made it to Narcissist in Chains, and I didn’t even finish the book. I couldn’t. One of my friends has kept up with it, and she tells me about them, and I’m glad I just stopped. Lord of the Flies is the ultimate survival story in my mind. It’s an interesting look at society.
I love that you have so many mangas on here! I had the same reaction to Paradise Kiss – I think I started it a couple years ago and didn’t love it but I’ve been eyeing it lately. You’ve convinced me I should give it another go!
And for some reason I’m only JUST NOW discovering that CLAMP has like a billion series. I was introduced to them through xxxHolic and it is now my mission to read all the others! Maybe I’ll start with X/1999 then.
I LOVE Nana, and so the friend who turned me on to that shoved Paradise Kiss at me again. I like that despite it’s flaws, there’s real emotion and the ending I love the way the series ends. It’s really nice and different for a shojo/josei series.
CLAMP has SO many. Legal Drug is amazing if you can get it, as they’re pulling it to reformat and put out again with more material and more volumes. Card Captor Sakura is one that I’m working steadily through. I haven’t tried xxxHolic yet that one’s on the list though. Tokyo Babylon is kind of the precursor to X|1999. You can read the last chapter of x|1999 online, they stopped doing it because they got actually rather superstitious. The fighting in that novel creates earthquakes to average people, and Japan was having serious earthquakes, so they stopped it but it’s a beautiful series. When you read Wish, have tissues ready, I sobbed like a baby.
I need to start House of Night asap, looks like a good series. And The Book Thief of course…
Happy reading!
My TTT
There was so much talk about The Book Thief amongst the blogger ranks that I had to give it a go. I was even happier when I found a perfectly new copy of it in a charity shop for a less than two quid, I think? Now it’s one of my favourite books and I joined the circles of people endlessly ranting about this book :p