Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read. The way I decided to approach this is to focus on books that, when I read them, were truly unique to anything I had read before or had even heard of before. I realize some of these books do get compared to some others, but while I was reading them, they felt unique to me. This week’s list is in no particular order.
The book is narrated by Death, and the prose is incredibly unique as well. I feel this truly is a unique book.
This book is extremely layered, and in the second part of it, I found myself continuously surprised by how everything was intertwined and tied in together.
3. For Darkness Shows the Stars
A Persuasion retelling set in the future and featuring genetic engineering? Unique, and awesome.
4. Cinder
What if Cinderella was a cyborg? And lived in a future New Beijing? Definitely a unique twist on a classic story.
The Hunger Games was my foray into dystopia and reintroduced me into the young adult fold as an adult. A lot has been compared to it, though it has been compared to one or two books as well, but to me, it was completely new and eye-opening.
The first and only book I’ve read about a main character with schizophrenia.
A book set in a place that doesn’t exist and feels mostly real, with the exception of the deadly water horses.
A book set in the future that focuses largely on playing a complex simulation game and is littered with references of the 1980’s, sci-fi favorites, anime, etc. (Review coming soon!)
An alternate history book that focuses on a world where everyone is born with two souls, but only one is meant to remain.
What I find unique about this contemporary is the element of using cassette tapes to tell the story of a girl who has killed herself. The snippets of audio that our main character is listening to are woven into his story of discovering why Hannah killed herself and as he tries to wrestle with his guilt.
What are the most unique books you’ve read?
So many excellent books on your list! I definitely agree with The Book Thief, Cinder, & Ready Player One. Oh, and The Scorpio Races. I loved the island setting of that book and how the island almost took on a life of it’s own. I totally forgot the cassette tape part of Thirteen Reasons Why–it’s been on my shelf for months now but I haven’t read it yet. Having it listed as an unique books really makes me want to pick it up, though!
If you read a lot of contemporaries 13 Reasons Why’s story probably isn’t too unique, but the format of storytelling was interesting to me.
We have a couple of books in common on our lists. On another note, you managed to list some of my favorite books as well: The Scorpio Races, For Darkness Shows the Stars, and you are the first blogger I’ve come across that’s read Finding Alice too. Great list.
My TTT
I love Finding Alice; it’s one of my favorites!
I just read The Scorpio Races and really liked it! Maggie Stiefvater just seems to have such a unique style.
She does seem to! I really liked some of the prose in that book.
Your list is so good. The Scorpio Races was fantastic. I wasn’t a big fan of her first series, but thought this book was a gem. Ready Player One was so clever and fun. I want to reread it, but I have so many books that rereading doesn’t really happen.
I know, I always wish I could reread but with my TBR pile always growing, it makes it so hard!
Besides the HG, I haven’t read any of these yet. Almost all of them our on my TBR list, though and I even own 3 of them. lol. I’ll have to get on it. There’s always just so much to read!
I completely understand that! Hope you enjoy them when you get around to them!
I haven’t read all of these, but many are on my ever increasing TBR list. I totally agree with “The Book Thief.” Death being the narrator is so unique and offers such a new perspective.
It truly was a new perspective!
I can’t believe I forgot What’s Left of Me! That’s probably one of the most unique books I’ve read!
It really is very unique!
So many good ones on your list and a few that I need to read soon!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
I would definitely recommend all of them!
Great list 🙂 I have read The Book Thief, Thirteen Reasons Why and The Hunger Games and definitely think all three are unique reads. Quite a few of the others are on my TBR list and I hope to get to them soon. My TTT.
Yes, these are all really good books so I do hope you have the chance to read some more of them soon!
What’s Left of Me has officially be added to my GR TBR. Seriously need to read this one.
It’s a really interesting concept! I also met Kat Zhang and she was really nice.
The Hunger Games by no means had a unique premise. However, its treatment of war, its consequences, and PTSD do set it apart. As someone who studied combat trauma in ancient epics/fiction/Greek theatre and has spent way too much time thinking about this stuff, I was very impressed (and subsequently had lengthy discussions of the matter with a friend before raving about it on my blog).
It was unique to me personally at the time I read it, both the premise and its treatment. It’s a good launching point for people who haven’t read much about certain points in history or in the dystopia genre.