top ten books

I have always loved to read. I have read more books than I can remember, but I feel like it's important to list off the books that I not only remember, but could probably retell the plot in detail.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Funny thing is, I would probably never have read this if it wasn't assigned for school and now I've read it several times and am going to be writing a senior thesis on it. Life is strange.

2. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Obsessed. The only time I put this book down was to sleep or drive. I dreamt about it, talked about it for weeks, and saw the movie the night it came out.

3. Beauty by Robin McKinley
I read this when I was in middle school and it is for young readers, but it is a different version of Beauty and the Beast that I found fascinating and read so many times that my copy of the book is falling apart.

4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I had very little desire to read this book, but my mother recommended it to me so I gave it a shot. It was excellent. This book takes place in the era of racism in the South and the bold women characters were to die for.

5. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
This book took me a while to get through. The beginning was pretty slow and I almost gave up on it. However, once it picks up it is hard to remember why I would ever think of not finishing it. And who doesn't like the circus?

6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
I know many people find this book to be lame or poorly written, but after I finished this book I was convinced that all of the happenings in it were real and that my whole sense of the Bible was just utterly destroyed. It took me a while to deal with the fact that it is in fact, fiction.

7. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The size of this book was daunting but once the plot sucked me in, I didn't ever want it to end. The emotional ups and downs of the characters were like a soap opera. Just a warning though: The movie really missed the mark.

8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold can write. Her words created an entire Heaven where I felt I was running around with the novel's main character. I could picture every scene perfectly through her descriptions. The novel's plot is also pretty thrilling and keeps you wondering what's going to happen next.

9. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Yes, Dennis Lehane is my recent favorite author. Mystic River was thrilling and scary but in a much different way than Shutter Island. I enjoy that many of his novels take place right in Boston because it makes picturing the scenerios that much easier.

10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A classic. When I read this book, I couldn't help but picture fabulous parties full of beautiful party dresses and men in tuxes. I had a crush on Gatsby and I don't think I'll ever quite get over it... even if he's a little nuts.

That's my list. Hope you take the time to read any of these books. You won't regret it.

NOTE: There were no Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, or Twilight books on this list. Overrated.