Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

 

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! This week’s topic is books I want to reread (because I can’t stop thinking about them). There are a lot of reasons why I reread books. Sometimes I miss the characters and want to see them again. Other times, I fall in love with the setting and want to be there. Or, the book discusses an interesting topic, and I think I’ll retain more information if I read it again. Here are 10 books that have taken up residence in my mind and won’t leave. I can’t wait to revisit them.

 

 

 

 Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

 

 

 

 

Oryx And Crake by Margaret Atwood

 

Adult Dystopia / Science Fiction

 

Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. 

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: This book is one of my longest-lived obsessions. I first read it in college, when I was in my early 20s. I’ve reread it every few years since then. That’s a decade of rereading this book! I love it because of Crake. He’s my favorite fictional bad guy. He’s super-intelligent and has many opportunities to use his intelligence to create good things, but . . . he chooses a different path. If you like stories about complicated villains, check this one out.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

 

Adult Suspense Fiction

 

Suave, handsome Tom Ripley: a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. A product of a broken home, branded a "sissy" by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley becomes enamored of the moneyed world of his new friend, Dickie Greenleaf. This fondness turns obsessive when Ripley is sent to Italy to bring back his libertine pal but grows enraged by Dickie's ambivalent feelings for Marge, a charming American dilettante. 

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: Another book with a complicated villain. That’s going to become a theme of this list. I like evil characters because it takes a gifted author to make them believable. The Talented Mr. Ripley took a ton of skill to write. The plot is stunningly intricate. Tom’s crimes are always on the verge of being exposed. The suspense comes from watching him build a tangled web and then work frantically to keep it from crashing down around him. It’s fun (and stressful) to read!

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

 

Adult Literary / Contemporary Fiction

 Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, she’s accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can’t stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who’s disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma’s worst fears are confirmed.

Then Eamonn enters the sisters’ lives. Son of a powerful political figure, he has his own birthright to live up to—or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz’s salvation? Suddenly, two families’ fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined, in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: That ending. OMG. I did not see that coming, and now I want to go back and find out if there were any hints. This is another book with complicated bad guys. The story centers on three British Muslim siblings. The brother runs away to become a jihadist like their father, but then he changes his mind and wants to come home. Unfortunately, it’s not simple to escape from a terrorist group and re-enter the UK without serious legal trouble. While he’s running for his life, his two sisters befriend the son of a politician. Do the sisters actually care about the son, or are they just using him to get their brother home? You can’t trust any characters’ motives. The characters seem honest, but are they? Who are they most loyal to? It’s delightfully complicated. Then the ending happens . . . .

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

“The Masque Of The Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

 

Adult Horror Short Story

 

The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, has a masquerade ball within seven rooms of his abbey, each decorated with a different color.

In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: It turns out that “Covidiots” have been around for much longer than COVID-19. Who knew? This short story was written in 1842 and stars a castle full of rich idiots who throw a masquerade ball during a pandemic. Their party ends badly because of the aforementioned pandemic. Whenever my COVID-denying neighbors hosted a BBQ in 2020, this tale popped into my head. I was tempted to chuck a copy of the story over the fence.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

 

Adult Literary / Contemporary Fiction

 

Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is artist on the brink of an exciting career. They are settling into the routine of their life together, when they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: The opening chapter. This is how you start a novel, people! There’s so much foreboding. I was hooked instantly. This is another book where the characters are somewhat awful, but you can’t look away from their train-wreck lives. The husband and wife have affairs and make questionable choices. Their family members have opinions about their marriage, and they don’t keep those opinions to themselves. There’s so much drama. You hate everybody, but you feel bad for them at the same time. Those are my favorite kind of characters. Even though they’re awful, I miss them and want to read their story again.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Adult Historical Fiction

 

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.

When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: It lives up to the hype! The bookworm Internet has been rabid about this book since it came out in 2017. I understand why. Evelyn Hugo is an icon. She feels so real! I’ve talked to a few readers who Googled her because they weren’t convinced she was fictional. They thought she might be a real 1950s movie star. She’s definitely a product of the author’s imagination, and she’s one of my favorite protagonists ever. She’s confident, cunning, and will do anything to get what she wants. This novel is beautifully written and full of twists and surprises. I want to reread it because I miss Evelyn and her complicated love life.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

 

Adult Science Fiction

 

The Carls just appeared.

Roaming through New York City at three AM, twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: It made me laugh and think. That’s the best kind of book! It addresses the modern world’s problems in a humorous way. It’s about fame, the media, Internet culture, and how people choose to see the world. Also, there are robots named Carl, which is awesome. The mystery of the Carls is compelling. The plot is a rollercoaster. I loved it. I need to reread it so I can refresh my memory before picking up the sequel.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 

Young Adult Science Fiction / Dystopia

 

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: Neal Shusterman is one of my favorite authors, and Arc Of A Scythe is one of my favorite series. The world is complex, the plot is fast paced, and the books are full of gallows humor. I also like the parallels between the scythedom and real-world governments. I may have laughed out loud when the scythes were outraged about a potential ban on flamethrowers. Life’s not worth living if you can’t own a flamethrower! I want to reread this book because I’m craving something funny and immersive.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

 

Adult Literary Fiction

 

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: The first time I read this book, my mind spun into a blank, incoherent, screaming void. I’m pretty sure I spent a week on Twitter, yelling at random strangers to read it. It captivated me because the plot is somehow both outlandish and terrifyingly believable. The characters are young psychopaths who use their money and status to get away with murder. The writing and character development are so good that I need to read it again soon.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

 

Adult Literary Fiction

 

Jake Whyte is living on her own in an old farmhouse on a craggy British island, a place of ceaseless rains and battering winds. Her disobedient collie, Dog, and a flock of sheep are her sole companions, which is how she wanted it to be. But every few nights something—or someone—picks off one of the sheep and sets off a new deep pulse of terror. There are foxes in the woods, a strange boy and a strange man, rumors of an obscure, formidable beast. But there is also Jake's past—hidden thousands of miles away and years ago, held in the silences about her family and the scars that stripe her back—a past that threatens to break into the present.

 

Why I’m obsessed with it: The setting! And the atmosphere! Part of this book is set in Australia, which you usually picture as hot and bright, but the author makes dark and menacing. The main character is hiding secrets, and a stranger is lurking in the woods. I can’t wait to revisit this story. It’s creepily beautiful. There’s also a lot going on under the surface. The author subtly subverts traditional gender roles and uses animals as symbols for human relationships. I suspect I’ll get more out of the book when I reread it. I probably missed some interesting detail on the first read through.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

Which book do you want to reread?