Author: Agatha Christie
Title: And Then There Were None
Original Publication Date: November 6, 1939
Buy Here: http://www.amazon.com/And-Then-There-Were-None/dp/0062073486
Description:
First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.
Reason It Made The List:
I had never read Agatha C. before this and saw the www.audible.com sale included this title several months back. I think I ended up getting it for something like $2-$3 and thought I would give it a try.
My husband also loves audio books as he drives a lot for work so it was nice to "read" this together. We were both pretty enthralled by the mystery and although he claims he knew who the killer was I still have a hard time believing him because I had no idea!
Since then I have purchased a few more Agatha Christie books and am looking forward to getting into another great mystery.
This was one of my favorites because it got me out of my comfort zone and opened me up to a great new genre.
Author: Truman Capote
Title: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Original Publication Date: 1958
Buy Here: http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-Three-Stories/dp/0679745653
Description:
In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.
This volume also includes three of Capote's best-known stories, “House of Flowers,” “A Diamond Guitar,” and “A Christmas Memory,” which the Saturday Review called “one of the most moving stories in our language.” It is a tale of two innocents—a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend—whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth.
Reason It Made The List:
Ever since I was a young girl I have watched the film adaptation of this book over and over again. With each passing year and each new viewing you see subtle changes in the way you view the two main characters. I think the film did a great job of making the flaws in these characters a little more difficult to identify. You have to pay attention to some key actions and behaviors to really see that this isn't just a love story, but a love story between two very damaged and broken people.
The movie could have never been the way it was without the beautiful writing of Capote. Absolutely stunning characterization and depth. I read Caopte's "In Cold Blood" several years ago and plan to revisit it sometime in the near future because the way he writes is just unlike anyone else.
If you like romance with a twist you will enjoy this classic.
**This is another I read on audio book and was narrated by Michael C Hall. Definitely an excellent way to read this story.
Author: George Orwell
Title: Animal Farm:
Original Publication Date: August 17, 1945
Buy It Here: http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/812911612X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450276028&sr=8-2&keywords=animal+farm
Description:
Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Published in 1945, this powerful satire of the Russian Revolution under Stalin remains as vivid and relevant today as it was on its first publication.
Reason It Made The List:
http://readjezireread.blogspot.com/2015/12/5-most-uniquely-written-books-i-read-in.html
See previous blog post about it being:
A) Unique
B) Historical
C) Thought provoking
and you will have an idea why this continues to appear on my lists this year.
It has definitely inspired me to dive a little deeper into Orwell and I hope I will be exploring more of his work in the upcoming year.
Author: Margaret Atwood
Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Original Publication Date: 1985
Buy It Here: http://www.amazon.com/Handmaids-Tale-Margaret-Atwood/dp/038549081X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450276824&sr=8-1&keywords=the+handmaid%27s+tale
Description:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...
Reason It Made The List:
I loved this. It seems like a running theme for this post that most books on this list I read via audible.com and were read by someone famous. This version I listened to and it was read by Claire Danes. She did a phenomenal job.
I had been meaning to pick this up for a long time. Margaret Atwood is brilliant and since reading this I have picked up a few more of her stories and loved them.
This is the predecessor to all modern dystopian and I am thrilled the genre took off the way it did or we wouldn't have things like "The Hunger Games." It was detailed, exciting, and wonderfully written and everything I have read from Atwood since has triggered the same excitement and emotional response as this first go into her writing. If you haven't read this or anything Atwood then you should seriously consider it.
Author:Robert Louis Stevenson
Title: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Original Publication Date: January 5, 1886
Buy It Here: (Now part of public domain; read it free on Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Strange-Case-Jekyll-Hyde-ebook/dp/B0083ZR7BY
Description:
In this harrowing tale of good and evil, the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll develops a potion that unleashes his secret, inner persona—the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde.
Reason It Made The List:
I was surprised at how much I loved this book; again I listened to the audio book. It was wonderful. Full of dark gothic descriptions. Classy gentlemen experimenting in a brand of science that seems to evoke a deeper look into the human spirit.
This isn't just a story about a man and a monster. It is about the duality of all men and the ability to recognize and tame all sides of yourself. None of us are inherently good or evil but good people can do evil things because we all have the ability to choose.
This is short and concise but also thoughtful and provokes the reader to look a little deeper into themselves. Definitely worth the read and despite the time it was publisher it is not full of difficult language but instead has a great flow and reads with ease.
Summary:
Overall I worked hard to make sure I didn't stick to my usual genres this year. I explored out of my comfort zone and genuinely enjoyed myself and I plan to continue this trend in years to come.
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