For today's post I am sharing with you my top 10 books. I was going to do Authors but actually could only think of 3 as I read so many different books I don't always remember who wrote it!!
I have also gone with books/book series as otherwise my top 5 would be the 1st 5 books of my favourite author & be done with! I think I am making sense!!
1st up is the Cross Stitch (or Outlander) series by Diana Gabaldon.
I discovered Diana Gabaldon when I was around 18. I only read the 1st book Cross Stitch( or Outlander elsewhere) because colleagues at my work place had also read it & said I must do so too. I was hooked within a few pages. Combining history & time travel is normally always going to work with me & this just got me from the 1st. Following the story of Clare & Jamie. Clare a woman from the 1940's & Jamie & outlaw from Jacobean Scotland. I do not as a rule ever fall in love with the characters in a book but it is fair to say Jamie is definitely the one & only time. The story begins in the lead up to the Rebellion of 1745. I won't give anything else away as there are definitely places to find out more elsewhere on the internet.
There are currently 7 books in the series with a 8th on its way later this year. I think it is taking the longest route ever to get to us but I know as with every other of the books the wait is always worth it.
Diana has also written other books & Novellas of the characters in the books. These tend to be of the other characters although there are those that do include Jamie too. They are set in & around times ( & before in some cases) of the main story.
I could literally talk for hours about this because I love it so much & with a TV series set too my mind races even more - I have seen "Jamie" & "Clare" & they are as true to my idea of the characters without physically choosing them myself. Time will tell if the TV show can be a patch on the books.
Next up is
Another "series" but this time I have to say the 1st of Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series is by far my favourite. Every book has me rolling up in stitches. ( there are currently 6 in total.) Following the life of Becky Bloomwood through her fantasy world of where money is no object & the utter chaos she tends to cause is just a laugh a minute. It won't be for everyone of course but as a huge chick lit fan I adore them.
There are other books too from Sophie Kinsella that move away from the "Shopaholic" story although I always think her characters definitely have a spark of Becky in them too.
She also writes as Madeleine Wickham.
For my 3rd choice we have
I am not 100% sure this is my favourite of Fiona Walker or whether it is because it was the 1st of her books that I read. I originally picked up in 1998 on a holiday to St Lucia for a little light reading. Lets just say by the end I was hooked & gutted to have finished. I then came home & purchased the other 2 books she had at the time ( French Relations & Snap Happy - I am unsure remembering if had been released Well Groomed by this point although it would not have been long after if that was the case.) I just remember being hooked because the whole story was just hilariously far fetched.
What I love most about most of her leading ladies is that like Sophie Kinsella they come across as women juts like you & I. Regardless of whether they have money or not they all seem to me like girls you could have a fantastic night out with. More chick lit though so prob def not for you if you hate it.
On to 4 & this becomes a bit harder as like I said I could only pick 3 authors & this was them.
This was another series actually. The whole 4 books had my captivated but I do think the original book was the best. It takes a lot of explaining though so let the Wiki page do it for me!! lol! I have not read them in many years so maybe time to revisit them again.
5th & by no means last I am choosing ( this is too hard as there could be many for this place.)
So I thought I would choose an autobiography this time. Paul O'Grady has 3 autobiographies & all were fantastic. Filled with moments of sadness & happiness with mixes of other emotions too. A real inside into the man he is & because I read it with his voice in my head it made it even easier to follow & enjoy.
As I say this list would go on forever by choosing books because I have read so very many over the years & many have stayed with me. Whilst it was easy to choose my top 3 the last 2 were very hard. For instance I love the Stiegg Larson series , also 50 Shades & The Hunger Games ( yes I don't mind admitting it!!) There is also the classics from authors like Jane Austen & Charles Dickens.
Thank you for reading.
Amanda x
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