Monday, July 7, 2014

Reading by the Numbers...

I love lists, especially book lists. I've run across quite a few recently: Ten Best Beach Reads, Ten Best Books Read (So Far) in 2014, Top Summer Reads, etc. It got me wondering if I could come up with a list where the numbers themselves determine the books. (I even came up with a classics version minus numbers nine and ten, because I couldn't think of any books for them.) The result is a bit random and eclectic, but that's what makes reading by the numbers fun.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen
In one second an electromagnetic pulse changes America forever; what follows is one fast-paced, non-stop, action-packed ride. "It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when." -Gen. Eugene Habiger

Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast is back to solve another chilling case....only this time it's personal.

The Three by Sarah Lotz
(I'm actually cheating a bit with this one because I haven't read it...yet. (But I've got it on hold at the library so will for sure be reading it this summer!)

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
An ancient text, an unsolved mystery, and an unexpected murder make this novel a stand-out literary thriller.

Circle of Five by Dolores Stewart Riccio
Mystery and magic combine when Cass Shipton and her fellow Wiccans work together to find two missing boys.

Six Years by Harlan Coben
His first line drew me in: "I sat in the back pew and watched the only woman I would ever love marry another man." Once you start reading this book you won't want to stop.

Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
This delightfully funny mystery is Agatha Christie at her best!

The Great Eight by Scott Hamilton
Subtitle: How to Be Happy (even when you have every reason to be miserable.)

Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
This is my ALL-TIME favorite Mary Stewart novel--a perfect novel of romance and suspense. If you've never read her before, start with this book!

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
This YA books is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians; you might even call it a  modern-day rip off, but with more teen angst. Still, it reads fast.


And, as a bonus, here's my "classics version" of Reading by the Numbers:
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
1984 by George Orwell
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
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If you like reading lists (like me), here are a few more you can check out:

10 comments:

  1. This is such a great idea! It's certainly making me think about what books I'd pick :)

    Gemma

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    1. If you come up with your own list let me know!!

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  2. Oh, this is such a fun list! Now you've got me thinking...

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  3. That's a great list. I love Nine Coaches Waiting! I've been trying to think of classics for nine and ten but couldn't come up with anything either.

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    1. I know, right? I tried and tired but came up empty on those two numbers.

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  4. What a fun list. There are so many cool ways to organize your reading! I think there is one challenge that deals with weather terms (storm, rain, etc) in the titles and one that you organize by the setting of the story.

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    1. I've been playing with the idea of coming up with a list dealing with colors..."Can you read a rainbow" or something like that. I like the idea of weather, though. That's fun.

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  5. Love this list! I have read some of these, but think I might try a few others. You've inspired me...maybe I will come up with a list idea of my own. Thanks for the great post!

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    1. Let me know if you do! I'd love to know what books you come up with.

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