Top Ten Tuesday - April 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish.  The purpose of this meme is to create a list based on weekly prompts.  Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish, then add your name and blog post to their link widget.  That's it!

Today's topic is Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read.  This is going to be a hard one, but I'll do my best.

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is the first time I ever recall having read a story from the perspective of a ghost.  It's also unique in that the crime and culprit are revealed at the very beginning.  Suzy is a truly tragic character and her desperate attempts to obtain justice for herself and retain small shreds of her old life.  It was poignant and haunting in its telling.

The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street

This was my first taste of Jane Austen variations told from the point-of-view of a non-main character.  I absolutely loved the author's take on what Mr. Darcy may have thought throughout the events that took place in Pride & Prejudice.  Though it is in no way the only Austen variation out there, nor is it the only one told by a supporting character, but it was my first and was wholly unique in my eyes.

Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast

I still remember sitting in my dorm room and reading this really cool book I found at the library's book sale.  Never before had I read a romance that was so funny, so sassy.  I laughed to the point of tears and made my roommate think I was positively crazy.  I still love it to this day.

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem

I first encountered this book at the library in Baton Rouge during the short time my husband and I lived there.  Here was a heroine who was strong, powerful, and gritty.  This is not a romance, in spite of Firethorn's feelings for Sire Galan.  This is far more than that with one of the most unique characters I've ever beheld.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

I love Irish folklore and mythology.  A lot.  When I cracked open the cover of this book and began to read, I quickly realized that what I held in my hands was the first ever retelling of the Children of Lir legend I had ever seen.  It was beautiful.  It was engrossing.  It was one of the best things I had read at that point.  I still love these books beyond distraction for their unique take on one of my favorite legends.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame Smith

Well, I may not have liked it as much as the original, but it was certainly different.  Seeing the Bennett sisters as zombie slayers and Elizabeth doing battle against Mr. Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine, who is in her own right accomplished in martial arts, proved to be quite the unique experience.

The Book of Flying by Keith Miller

Reading this book was like being right in the middle of a surreal dream.  Full of important lessons that the main character, Pico, must learn, the book is like a collection of short stories in a way.  The best way I can describe this book is that it is a lot like reading a painting, which gives it a very unique feel.  It is simply lovely.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

Yes, I know there is a lot of Jane Austen-related books on my list this week, but that's because I'm always discovering something new.  In this case, we have a book in which an actual author is the character.  Stephanie Barron shows us Jane Austen in a new light: detective.  That's right.  If that isn't unique, I don't know what is.