Top Ten Tuesday | Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read

Posted March 31, 2025 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 21 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read

I had some trouble with this topic, I won’t lie, it’s too hard to pick from all the great books out there! But I hope you’ll find some good ones on this list and I hope you’ll enjoy them if you choose to read them.

Top Ten Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read

  1. The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber – I read this book almost ten years ago but I still think about it occassionally. It sticks with you. It’s a story about a missionary who leaves his wife behind (for years) to go to a new planet and spread his message to the aliens living there, but it’s the exploration of human nature and humanity that struck me. I need to reread this sooner rather than later.
  2. Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee – Another book that delves into the human psyche and what it means to live a hedonistic lifestyle. If nothing is important, then what is it that makes life meaningful?
  3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – This trilogy is marketed under YA and launched a whole trend of dystopian YA books, but it is honestly in a league all its own. It still holds up after all these years, and again, the exploration of human suffering and what it means to be human is the thing that gets me.
  4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Another exploration of human suffering, with a vengence! Literally. I know this is a thick book and can be daunting but it’s so fast-paced and thrilling that you don’t even notice it once you get started. There are so many exciting twists and turns, especially if you’re reading it for the first time, but even after a dozen rereads, I still get excited reading it again.
  5. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – This is one I’d recommend listening on audiobook because the author reads it. His performance is a work of art and you really feel like he’s a friend having a conversation with you and telling you his stories. I’m a huge fan and I have so much respect for him for so many reasons.
  6. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – I’ve only read a couple of books in this series, but it’s so fun and different that I can’t not include it on the list. It’s so rich and funny, and yet, also poignant in some ways. You’d be a fool not to at least try it, really!
  7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel – I love the fantastical elements of this story as well as the exploration of our religious beliefs and spiritual values. You could say they actually go hand in hand in many ways. This book made me think about why I believe what I believe.
  8. 11/22/63 by Stephen King – Honestly, you’d be a fool not to read at least one book by Stephen King. It doesn’t have to be one of his big horror books, in fact, his non-horror books are some of my favorites. If you don’t know which one to pick, I’d recommend this one, but he’s just got so many good ones! I may be biased, but I’m also right! 😂
  9. Circe by Madeline Miller – You might have heard about The Song of Achilles by the author, and it’s good, but I think this one is better! For some reason, I never wrote a review for the book, but impressions stick, and I remember feeling all my feelings for a while after reading the book.
  10. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly – This is a well-known classic but it’s popular for a reason. The more I think about this book, the more impressed I become. I love how this story came to be, I love how insightful the author is about the topic of human nature and monsters, both literally and figuratively. It is a haunting story.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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21 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday | Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read”

  1. Rissi JC

    Apart from seeing some TV shows or films inspired by Frankenstein, I’ve never read the book. May be one I should add to my possible autumn TBR list though! Seems like it would be a fitting autumn read. 🙂

    Reply
  6. TNT

    I read The Count of Monte Cristo and Frankenstein many years ago, long enough that I couldn’t say whether I enjoyed them or not. You’ve got an interesting selection of books here. Thanks for the list and happy reading!

    Reply
  7. Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits

    I completely agree that Born a Crime is a wonderful book, and is best on audio! It’s so great to hear Trevor not only tell his story, but also switch into the different accents / languages spoken in South Africa.

    Reply

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