Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten "Gateway" books

This week's topic for "Top Ten Tuesday" over at The Broke and the Bookish was "Gateway Books", so books that helped you along your reading journey, in whatever form that is.

Here's my list:

1. The Harry Potter Series by J. K Rowling

These are the books that really got me into discussing books with other people online. I remember when we first got the internet installed in my house and the first thing I asked my dad was “Are there Harry Potter websites?” There actually weren't that many at the time (giving away my age now) but there soon were lots and lots and waiting for each book in the series to be released and talking for hours with my friends about what we thought was going to happen was amazing. Goblet of Fire is also the first book I ever pre-ordered!

2. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend

I have mentioned this book before and I'm sure I will mention it again, but it is a very important series to me! This is the first book I ever had to repurchase in hardback because I read it so many times it literally fell apart!

3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This is the first book I read where I actually preferred the film adaptation. Only slightly, but I do think the film is a little more fun than the book!

4. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

This is the first graphic novel I ever bought. I went to see the movie with some friends having no idea what the film was about and loved it so much I went straight out and bought the graphic novel!

5. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

The first book that made me cry. I love this so very much.

6. Automated Alice by Jeff Noon

The first book I ever bought just because I liked the cover. It was very cheap and I'm a sucker for anything Alice in Wonderland and bought this without even reading the blurb! It's been years since I read it but I remember enjoying it very much.

7. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

The first book I bought online because I could not find a copy in store for love nor money.

8. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Seriously, why does this series not have a fandom?! This was the first book that my friends and I found ourselves discussing almost as much as we had with the Harry Potter series. I am so excited for the next book coming out in July!

9. Looking for Alaska by John Green

This is the book that got me back into reading contemporary after so many years. I had stopped reading anything that didn't have some sort of fantastical element or science fiction or something like that, but then I started watching the Vlogbrothers back when they were doing their Brotherhood 2.0 project and I had to pick up John Green's books to see what his writing was like! I loved this and it made me forgive contemporary and realise that just because it doesn't have a dystopia, doesn't mean it's boring!

10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (no picture because I don't actually own a copy!)

This was the first classic that I really enjoyed and couldn't put down. I love Jane and her sensible attitude to what happens to her. I love the myustery of the attic and the writing style is just beautiful.

What sort of books would be on your list?