Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Top 10 Books I'd Hand to Someone Who Says They Don't Like To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top 10 Books I'd Hand to Someone Who 
Says They Don't Like To Read



We all know them. We sometimes like to pretend that they don't exist, but they're still there - those strange people that don't like to read. They may be foreign to us, but it's our jobs to help them out. Here are a few books I'd hand to someone who says they don't like to read.

  1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - A classic.
  2. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent - If you were wanting someone to get into historical fiction, this would be a good place to start.
  3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - As my all time favorite book, I'd be eager to share this with those that don't like to read. Maybe the main character's love of books could rub off on the reader!
  4. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein- Sort of like Lord of the Rings, but really not at all. The Hobbit is 49839857 times lighter and not quite as wordy and thick.
  5. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - does this really need an explanation?
  6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - another obvious choice!
  7. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen - You know, I've never met a single person who says they didn't like this book. Even my dad, who only likes war stories, enjoyed it.
  8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I recently forced my best friend who hates reading to pick this up and HE LOVED IT. Mission accomplished.
  9. Roots by Alex Haley - Besides the fact that it's really long and intimidating, it's an enjoyable and interesting read I think most people would like.
Okay, so I could only think of nine, but what about you? What would be your top recommendations?



49 comments:

  1. I actually had cause to say this already once today, but Roots is a beast. It is excellent though. I would actually recommend The Lord of the Rings over The Hobbit, but for different reasons. You're right--they are completely different!

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  2. Why I didn't think of To Kill a Mockingbird I'll never know, but it's an excellent choice. :) And you can't go wrong with The Book Thief either. Great recommends, Kelly!

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  3. Good list! Amusingly, I said almost the same thing when recommending Harry Potter :)

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  4. I couldn't make it through all three LOTR books (despite LOVING the movies), but I seriously enjoyed The Hobbit. I've actually been thinking of giving it a re-read =]

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  5. Excellent list! This is so fun. I loved The Book Thief (got it on my list, too) and To Kill A Mockingbird. Thanks!

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  6. I have a few of the same ones on my list: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games. Great choices! I've been looking for a copy of Water for Elephants for months, but for some reason the multiple different bookstores I've visited didn't have it in stock.

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  7. As soon as I read your list, I wanted to go back and toss a few more on mine. :) I tried to tie my list to what movies/TV non-readers like and what other factors I consider in what books I recommend to which non-readers.

    I've stopped recommending Harry Potter as often b/c everyone seems to have either read it or seen the movies, and if they've seen the movies, they're not the most motivated to read them, which is a darn shame.

    Annabeth at Cloudy with a Chance of Books

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  8. Jitterbug Perfume, Slaughter House Five, Little Big Man?

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  9. Super excellent choices! I participated this week too :)

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  10. we have quite a few overlaps!
    and I'm also a fan of to kill a mockingbird! great list!

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  11. Mockingbird and Tree in Brooklyn are two of my favorite books - great picks for non-readers!

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  12. A great top 10 today. This one really got me thinking!

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  13. Hunger Games and Harry Potter made my list too.

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  14. I have The Hunger Games and Harry Potter on my list too! I can't believe I didn't think of To Kill a Mockinbird, such a good book!

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  15. I also had THG and Harry Potter. That's the mark of icons, I guess :)

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  16. Oooh, I very nearly included The Book Thief and The Hunger Games on my list, and Harry Potter, too! Water for Elephants is a good one, too! But, you know, I LOVE to read books, so it's hard to know just what might appeal to the generic non-reader . . .

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  17. Great list! This particular topic could very easily have been a Top One Hundred Tuesday and not just ten. And now I remember that I need to read The Hobbit (never have). Thanks!

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  18. Hm interesting choices, though having a brother who is a non-reader I can say that he wouldn't give many of these books a chance because of the mere size of them.

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  19. Woo! I had Harry Potter and The Hunger Games too! And The Hunger Games totally worked for my non-reading sister :)

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  20. Great list! I've read The Hunger Games and Water for Elephants and loved them both. I have several from you list on my TBR.

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  21. Good list! "Water for Elephants" is a great choice. I would put "Hunger Games" and "Harry Potter" on my list but I sometimes feel like everyone has already read them! :)

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  22. Oh, The Hunger Games is a really good choice. I put a lot of non-fiction on my list, thinking people might want to learn more about things they're interested in.

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  23. This is so much fun. Loved your list. =)

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  24. Ooh, The Heretic's Daughter... I'll have to check it out!

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  25. Your list is awesome! I have The Hunger Games series on mine, as well. Great topic this week! :)

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  26. I love love A Tree Grows in Booklyn. Not enough people read that one. Great list!

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  27. We had three similar titles: HP, Hunger Games, and Mockingbird. I'll have to check out The Heretic's Daughter...I'm always on the lookout for good historical fiction.

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  28. I would read all those books since I've already read all but "Roots". I have seen the mini-series. Maybe I should read the book. kaye—the road goes ever ever on

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  29. I love your choices, and I would add Doc, by Mary Doria Russell. It's a lively book with an entertaining narrator and an interesting look at Doc Holliday. And if I may be so bold: I hear from readers that their freinds and family members who hardly ever read have enjoyed my novel, Line by Line.

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    1. P.S. I really do know how to spell "friends." :-) Sometimes my right hand gets ahead of my left.

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  30. Hmmmmmm, your list is interesting. Very different from mine, although I have Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I teach high school and some of the books on your list are books I hear a LOT of complaining about.....

    www.mysticbooklover.blogspot.com

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  31. Your list has great books - some of them are on mine as well.. I am sure we will see Harry Potter on many lists today..

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  32. Yes to The Hunger Games for sure! I would also recommend The Help. I don't know anyone who didn't love that book!

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  33. Missed Water for Elephants! Great one! Here's ours http://marmaladelibby.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-10-tuesday-4.html

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  34. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn! Oh always forget about this book, it has been at the bottom of my TBR for a while, but you have convinced me to place it as a higher priority.

    Like to visit my Top Ten? http://epiphanyrenee.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-ten-books-youd-hand-to-someone-who.html#comments

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  35. I didn't like the Lord of the Rings but I enjoyed The Hobbit. Good call.

    I did a post like this back when you did the freebies so I cheated and picked my own topic this week.
    http://www.deadtreesandsilverscreens.com/2012/02/top-ten-tuesday-im-cheating-edition.html

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  36. Harry Potter was one of my choices, too. My top pick was Erlend Loe's "Naive. Super", which I lent to someone who doesn't read at all, and they absolutely loved it. Success! :) kit

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  37. This was a really difficult topic! Harry Potter is tried and proven though.

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  38. I know we've never met, but I hated Water for Elephants. It was too melodramatic and predictable to me. It read like a daytime soap opera.

    Though I do have to agree on The Hobbit, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Those all made my list as well.

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  39. Nice list - you've included many of my favorites!

    I made two lists - one for grown-ups and one for kids/teens. Is there anything better than converting a non-reader to a reader?

    Sue

    Great Books for Kids and Teens

    Book By Book

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  40. I think my second favorite part of reading is handing a favorite on to a friend or a student! I love hearing how they liked (or in some cases didn't like) a book. I did this post on my site but specified for different age levels. Fun Top Ten!

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  41. I saw this on another blog and since I love to read and am always trying to get non-readers to read I thought I would join in.

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  42. I try to convince my non-reader friends to read all the time, so this list was perfect for me!

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  43. Allow me to be the first person to say they didn't like Water for Elephants...I just couldn't get into it.

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  44. This topic made me think, and I'm a day late. Sorry haven't really posted in a while, and am just starting back up again.

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  45. Even remembering and thinking back to these books jerks my heart </3

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