Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we’ll be listing the Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read.

Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read:

1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Stoppard takes two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tells the tragedy from their rather clueless perspective. The result is a hilariously charming play that is both ridiculous and telling.

“Rosencrantz: I don’t believe in it anyway.
Guildenstern: What?
Rosencrantz: England.
Guildenstern: Just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?”

2. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Carroll’s classic is filled with unique sights from the vanishing Cheshire Cat to the pugnacious Queen of Hearts forever screaming, “Off with his head!”

“It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.”

3. Anthem by Ayn Rand

A frightening world where individuality no longer exists. The word “I” is not used until the second to last chapter though the book is told in first person.

4. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I’ve never read anything so real and honest and innocent as Anne Frank’s diary.

“It’s an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary; not only because I have never done so before, but because it seems to me that neither I – nor for that matter anyone else – will be interested in the unbosomings of a thirteen-year-old school girl.”

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The concept is original, and this coupled with the Ness’s use of phonetic spelling to represent young Todd Hewitt’s perspective makes it one of the most unique books I’ve ever read.

“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say.
About anything.
“Need a poo, Todd.”
“Shutup, Manchee.”
“Poo. Poo, Todd.”
“I said shut it.”

6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

I remember when I first came across this book. I was all guarded hope. Could it be? Could one of my favorite books be united with my love for zombies? The answer is an emphatic yes. But if you take your Jane Austen too seriously then it probably isn’t for you as I’ve come across many enthusiasts that scoff at the idea. I, however, find it rather amusing.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

7. Pretty Monsters: Stories by Kelly Link

An unusual collection of short-stories from a boy digging up the grave of his dead girlfriend to retrieve poetry to a girl hiding a ghost in her pocket. The stories are a bit confusing, but I cannot deny the originality. You can read my review here.

8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I love fairytale retellings, but a retelling of Cinderella with cyborgs? A wonderful combination!

9. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Female assassins working out of a convent, serving the god of Death. Need I say more?

10. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Told from Death’s perspective, The Book Thief is one of the most touching and unique books I’ve ever read.

“A small but noteworthy note. I’ve seen so many young men over the years who think they’re running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me.”

What’s on your Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read list?

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