Top Ten Tuesday (5)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and the Bookish where a new top ten list is posted each week. This week is: Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time. I had a really hard time putting my list together this week, as I cherish most of my first time book memories so mine are mostly books I wish I'd read under different circumstances or in a different way.

1. Evermore by Alyson Noel
This is the first book that came to mind. I first read it sitting in a chilly McDonalds nursing a Coke because I'd missed my train connection. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know how much of that is down to me being bored out of my skull, cold and stressed out. I wish I'd read it under calmer circumstances as it seems to be a love it/hate it book.

2. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
So usually you either see the film then read the book, or read the book then see the film right? I read half the book, saw the film and then read the second half which I don't recommend as I confused the heck out of myself. I wish I'd finished the book sooner so I'd read it all first.

3. The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
I know this was on my list last week as well, but I seriously wish I'd read it during the day. I was exhausted by the time I finished but it freaked me out so much I couldn't sleep until I was done. It's responsible for my new 'do not start horror novels at 11pm' rule.

4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
I was supposed to read this in high school but I never got into it, so I somehow managed to pass the exam using Cliff Notes. I think the reason I didn't enjoy it was because the class were reading The Time Machine and Brave New World and my advanced English group got The Time Machine and The Handmaid's Tale. I really really wanted to read Brave New World, so no matter how good The Time Machine might be I was always going to hate it.

5. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I read this in its entirety along with The Hobbit in a single weekend when I was 9. I now can't figure out how I managed to read that much in that period of time, but I wish I could read the trilogy again for the first time as I think I'd appreciate them more as an adult.

6. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling
I took over reading this to my sister when our Mum had to go into hospital, and I started about 5 chapters in. I ended up swiping the book and reading the whole thing while my sister was asleep. Now I've read the entire series...apart from those first five chapters. I wish I could read it again for the first time from the actual beginning.

7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I found out before I read the book (it may even have been before I bought my copy) exactly what the Jace/Clary twist was. Although I loved the book, in some ways I wish I could read it again without knowing what the twist was just to see if my reaction would be different.

8. Undone by Rachel Caine
Another book that has crossed over from last week's list, but I really wish I hadn't read this when I did. I would love to be able to wait until the last book is out in February and then curl up with all four. It's the only Rachel Caine book I've read that I wasn't happy with.

9. The Devil Who Tamed Her by Johanna Lindsey
I read this for a reading challenge and it is way out of my comfort zone. I'm not a massive historical romance fan (there is literally one I've read and enjoyed) but I kinda wish I'd read this before I moved to London. There is this amazing thing called a map and clearly the author didn't check one as she put streets and parks together that in reality are miles apart. It drove me nuts and was part of the reason I hated the book.

10. Anything by Christina Rossetti

I had to study her poems in high school, but my teacher sucked all the fun out of it. However, I've really enjoyed the poems I have read since then so I'm thinking it was probably the teacher rather than the author. I wish I'd found her by myself so I could enjoy her work from the start.