Top Ten Of The Most Unique Books I’ve Read

Alright, I’ve never done one of these Top Ten Tuesday posts from The Broke and the Bookish, but I figured this week would be a nice lead-in to get started. No promises that I’ll keep it up every week, but then again, you never know. 😉

These are in no particular order. In fact, I have no idea what’s going to end up on this list, so let’s hop on over to my Goodreads list and see what I’ve got buried there.

1. THE AXE AND THE THRONE

This book is killing me. Dark, gritty, strong prose, really right up my alley. What’s unique is that there’s at least 7 different POVs in the first 15% of the book. I’m a little bit past there and there’s more. Some killed off after 1 chapter through their eyes. While 2-3 POVs is my personal preference, I’m definitely enjoying the story. I think this author may kill more characters than George R. R. Martin.

2. THE COMPANIONS

My absolute favorite, most unique thing about this book is what Tepper does with the flora of her world. Without giving away too many spoilers, when Jewel arrives on Moss World, she and the other scientists discover that the mosses have a language of their own. Kind of makes you side-eye your garden plants.

3. THE ROGUE RETRIEVAL

This story blends Vegas-style magic and fantasy world magic. I wasn’t sure what to make of this story when I first picked it up, since anything Vegas makes me want to retreat to a quiet corner and ignore the world. However, as I dove into the pages, seeing an illusionist get his first real taste of magic made me think why has no one thought of this before? It’s a great blending of two worlds that made me want to never leave Alissia.

4. CONFESSIONS OF A FREELANCE PEN MONKEY

I always thought that to understand dog behavior a little better, I’d need to finish vet school. Or at least start (which I did years ago, but that’s another tale). Nope, if you ever want to know why dogs circle the yard 5,000 times and how it connects with the earth’s energy ley lines when they poop, this is the book for you. Or, you know, if you want to be a writer. Warning: I laughed so hard through most of this, some of my clothing might be forever soiled.

5. THE BOOK OF BUNNY SUICIDES

Just in case you were ever wondering if ‘Murder by Book’ was possible… it is. I read this set of comics on a flight from Seattle to Calgary years ago and nearly peed myself so many times. It’s now a permanent resident on my bookshelf.

6. SPHERE

I can’t tell you how many times I picked up this book to read it, got a few pages in, and fell asleep. Not kidding. The whole beginning is so dry, and then BAM! You can’t put the damn thing down. What’s unique about this story is not only the premise, but the fact that this book and I had a war of wills. Let’s just say somewhere around 1am I was starving and had to pee. I backed out of my bedroom, side-eyeing the book with a very stern glare. The frickin’ book won. As soon as it was out of sight, I raced back in to finish it. Get to the good stuff and you won’t be disappointed. Ignore the movie. 😛

7. THE BOOK OF D’NI

Although based on a video game I spent far too many hours glaring at, this whole series is near and dear to my heart. However, this particular book of the three is AMAZING. The world-building puts you right in an alien land with all the problems of modern society. Beauty and wealth meet the eyes everywhere you go, but as Atrus and his wife Catherine start to consider the possibility of taking up permanent residence, they discover D’ni society has a very dark and gritty underbelly.

8. THE EYES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Everything about this book is so unique. From the beauty of Jayvee 9, to the horrors that lie lurking in the cryo chambers, to the fuzzy pyramids and their rote song. I’ve never met a book that so beautifully combined anthropology, science fiction and horror into such a well-crafted tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

9. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

I’m not really a fan of YA books in general (and will avoid that section in bookstores whenever I can for the most part :P). However, this tale is near and dear to my heart and so well done. My absolute favorite unique thing about this story is how Lily’s father is handled. Instead of painting him as a jackass and letting it ride, there’s an evolution of discovery for the reader. By the end of this story, you feel almost sorry for the man as anger, grief and circumstance turn said jackass into a father who’s on the losing end of his own debilitating set of battles.

10. THE MORGAINE CYCLE

I read this in my early twenties and really liked each tale in the series. However, when I read it again as an adult, I saw a depth of world-building I hadn’t even noticed before. Cherryh blends science fiction and fantasy in a whole new way. While the story itself is rooted in fantasy, the reader gets glimpses of technology that far surpasses our own. And each time the characters jump through another gate, there is no revival. No turning back. Each time feels like the death of a world as you move onto the next, and yet you can’t stop wanting to see more of everything these gates have to offer.

Sheesh, don’t ever let me go through my book list. I want to read everything all over again. 🙂

And yet, I’m glad I did. Can’t tell I like science fiction and fantasy, can you? This was fun to do! If you do your own Top Ten list today, leave me a link in the comment section. I’d love to compare lists. ^_^