Top Ten Tuesday: Books from the Last Ten Years I Hope People are Reading in the Next 30 Years

Tuesday, May 29, 2012


The Broke and the Bookish's prompt for this week's Top Ten Tuesday is top ten books written in the last ten years that I am hoping people are still reading in the next 30 years. Whew,  that is quite a title, but I really appreciate this prompt because it has made me think.



1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- This is a no-brainer, for me at least. This book affected me very profoundly emotionally, and its unique style makes it stand out in a sea of World War II books. I hope it is around for years to come.



2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling -- (And, by default, all the other Harry Potter books). I found some cute Harry Potter-esque recipes on Pinterest the other day and told my husband that in the future when we have kids old enough to appreciate it, we should have a Halloween Harry Potter party. My husband said without thinking, "Do you think people will still be into Harry Potter?" The thought of people no longer reading Harry Potter completely depressed me. Um, yes, I hope people are, at any rate!

3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly -- I think this is a really impressive piece of young adult literature, and I think it needs to stay around. I know that the YA genre is susceptible to fads and changes, but I hope that some of it endures and becomes classic for teens to read.

4. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls -- I think this would be a really good book for schools to assign classes to read. Everything the Walls kids go through is so shocking and their ability to overcome their circumstances is so awesome.

5. The  Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern -- I know this is by no means a perfect book, or one that worked for everyone who read it, but I personally loved the enchantment, atmosphere, and characters in this book. In fact, I might reread it every Halloween -- for a while at least. I hope that it is still around in thirty years giving people that same magic experience.

6. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen -- This was a huge title last summer, but I haven't heard any buzz about it lately. I thought this story was so beautifully written and had such a sweet, yet subtle message. I think it is a story that will have appeal for multiple generations, and I hope it lasts beyond its initial surge of popularity.

7. The Road by Cormac McCarthy -- This is an immensely disturbing book, but I think it causes us to think about our humanity when catastrophe strikes -- and I think it will strike sooner than we all like to believe.

8. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese -- This novel is just flat-out cool -- I have no more articulate way of saying that. I hope it sticks around.

9. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri -- To be honest, I remember little about this book -- I read it about six years ago. But I remember having a great experience with it, and I think it is a book that has real staying power.

10. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer -- PSYCH! I hope you know I'm kidding, although I had fun reading the books when they came out. But I am curious to know if they do last. I don't think they will, but you never know.

18 comments:

  1. Thank you for bringing up The Bird Sisters! The story captures the heart in such a sweet and subtle way. I absolutely loved that book last summer, but rarely see new reviews for it.

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    1. I am hoping maybe when it comes out in paperback there is a new wave of reviews for it. It really is an excellent book and I am sad that the hype has died down!

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  2. I've only read 1 and 10 from your list - I should check the other books, too. I agree with you on The Book Thief. I don't know about Twilight - I love it (yes, still :P), but we'll have to see what happens with it in 30 years.

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    1. I think now the hype with Twilight has died down to the point where its new fans will dwindle out, but I'm curious to see!

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  3. I've only read The Glass Castle from this list and totally agree. It's a fascinating read.

    Tanya
    Girlxoxo.com

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    1. I really love that one -- I hope it stands the test of time!

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  4. Yours is the second list I have read with The Road on it. I agree - very disturbing. I have No Country for Old Men on my list, and I think it is probably equally disturbing, though I liked it better. You really can't go wrong with McCarthy, though!

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    1. I haven't read any other McCarthy and I really need to. I'm a little nervous, but I've heard mainly good things (in a sense -- good and yet disturbing) so at some point I'm sure I'll pick up more of his work.

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  5. If I counted correctly, I've read four. Love the list.

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  6. Great choices! I'm pretty sure Harry Potter will survived the test of time. But, it will be interesting to see if the others do. And, while I did enjoy the Twilight Saga, I'm like you, I don't think it will last. But, I'll be interested to see if it does.

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    1. I never see Twilight on the bus or the train, but I definitely am still seeing Harry Potter. Hopefully now that the movies are over, people are still enjoying the books and will continue to enjoy them. I'm so curious to see how J.K. Rowling's next book is, and if it holds up as well as the Harry Potter books!

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  7. Great list! The Night Circus should have made my list! I keep getting reminders of all the books I've loved!

    Check out my Top Ten!

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    1. I can't wait to reread The Night Circus -- it really was a stellar book!

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  8. Unfortunately the Twilight books probably will still be around. ;) This is the second time I've seen Revolution on a list today. I'm thinking I need to check it out.

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    1. I'm curious to know what you would think of it! It is a really unique book and I absolutely loved it. There were a few times the writing style bugged me but the story is really powerful.

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  9. I've seen The Book Thief on so many lists and am definitely interested in some of the other books you listed.mi don't think I've heard of the bird sisters before now, but I'll have to look it up. It sounds intriguing.

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    1. You should definitely read both books! The Book Thief is pretty popular and well-deservedly so, and The Bird Sisters needs more attention, because it is fantastic.

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