Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish where we are given a topic and then we have to come up with a Top Ten list to go with it. Go over and see what everyone has to say this week.

So this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is

 Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

I broke this one up into categories because what I recommend has to do with what a person is looking for, as much as it has to do with me and my likes.

Series 

If you want  murder mysteries without all the violence,blood and gore

The Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny

This is not quite a cozy but you don’t have to worry about yucky stuff. This is definitely more cerebral I guess is the word than your average book like this. There is a lot going on beyond just the old someone dies and the police come in investigate and brilliantly figure it all out. Gamache is one of my favorite male characters ever, he is just so well written you can’t help but love him.

The Agatha Raisin Series by MC Beaton

This is  a cozy series. It’s fun, funny, sarcastic, and smart. Agatha is not the kind of person anyone would want as a friend in real life but somehow, Beaton makes her so darn likable.  The surrounding characters are also so well written that even though none of them would be particularly likable in real life you find yourself liking them as the series progresses.

Stand Alone books

If you want a creepy, crazy psychological book that messes with your mind

The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell

Well really any of Rendell’s stand alone books will really do it but, this one stands out for some reason. I got so creeped out by this one I thought about it for days afterward.

You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson

I have read a bunch of Patterson but, he got really repetitive, overly violent, and sexually graphic so I stopped. I haven’t read anything by him in about 2 or 3 years. However, this was a bit different from his others and really messed with my mind. I think I screamed out loud at the end.

If you want to uncover deep dark secrets 

The Killers Cousin by Nancy Werlin

Oh man I liked this book. It was so dark and twisted. When I read it I thought I figured out what the secret was but it was so much bigger than I imagined.

To The Power Of Three by Laura Lippman

This is about a group of friends who are all involved in this twisted tragedy. It takes most of the book to unravel it all. Just when I thought I had it figured out they would change the game on me.

If you want historical fiction

Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter

This was the first Carter book I read and it’s not for the faint of heart.  Carter packs a ton of information into this book and you really need to pay attention to understand what’s going on. It is set during the Harlem Renaissance and that just made the book come alive for me.

If you want to read about issues surrounding race  (non-fiction)

Skin Deep: Black Women & White Women Write About Race by Marita Golden

This is a book I read years ago when I was taking some sociology classes in college. It really held a lot of meaning for me at the time and I think it still does. The book tackles some serious issues but that’s the point I guess.

Don’t Play In The Sun: One Woman’s Journey Through The Color Complex by Marita Golden

Seriously go read something anything by Marita Golden she is amazing.

Alright that’s all I’ve got this week.

Until Next Time