Tuesday 2 February 2016

Top Ten Tuesday | A Whole New World


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!


This week's theme is 'Top Ten Historical Settings You Love/ Ten Historical Settings You'd Love To See or Top Futuristic Books You Love/Ten Futuristic Societies I'd Love To Read in Books', but instead of talking about generic settings this week I'm going to talk about some books, five historical fiction and five sci-fi, in which the world building is amazing.


Historical Fiction



The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton: I still can't quite believe this is Burton's debut because it's one of the most stunningly written books I've ever read. Set in 17th century Amsterdam, Burton fills each page with sumptuous detail and lyrical prose. So worth reading!

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: Set in 19th century Iceland, Hannah Kent's debut novel is the perfect novel for the winter because the bitter cold oozes from the pages. This is also a book that'll break your heart in two. Just so you know.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks: Year of Wonders is the novelisation of a true event in which a village called Eyam in Derbyshire closed itself off to the world when its residents began to succumb to the plague, in hopes of preventing the spread of the disease. The village itself almost becomes a character in this novel, and Brooks describes the isolation wonderfully.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I didn't love this novel as much as I'd hoped I would, but there's no denying that Morgenstern's circus is wonderfully fantastical. I want to go to the Night Circus, too.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: What I love about this novel is that the setting's unusual. So many historical fiction books set during the Second World War are set in Britain, France or America, so it was so refreshing to read a book set in Germany during the war which painted Germans fairly. It's good to remember that the vast majority of the German and Austrian population hated Hitler more than anyone else did.



Science Fiction



The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I love dystopian fiction that could be a fathomable reality, and in my opinion Collins succeeded with this trilogy. If we were to broadcast a show like The Hunger Games you can guarantee people would watch it, and that's what makes these books so terrifying.

Feed by Mira Grant: Ah Feed, my love. What I love about Feed is that it's a post-post-apocalyptic novel. Zombies exist but not every single society in the world has collapsed. Grant's world building is so well thought out and thorough. I just love this book!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: I think I'd marry this book if I could. It includes so many things that I'm passionate about and Chambers' world building is astounding. Read this!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: We all know by now how much of a trainwreck Requiem was, but I thought Delirium was a beautifully written YA dystopia - in all honesty I wish it had been a standalone. When I first heard it was set in a world without love I thought it was going to be really cheesy, but Lauren Oliver has put a lot of thought into what a world without love would really mean and it's so bleak. Wonderful novel, just pretend the latter two don't exist.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Obviously this series was going to be on the list. I love it and I love Marissa Meyer's futuristic universe. No more need be said.

What did you talk about this week?

8 comments:

  1. Ah! Every time I visit your blog I'm reminded of how massive my TBR is! I NEED to read The Miniaturist and Burial Rites, and The Long Way... is on my radar too. I also loved that The Book Thief was set in Germany and revolved around German civilians, it was a really fresh look at an area of history that we see so often in fiction.

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  2. I just added Feed to my wishlist! That sounds pretty interesting!!

    My TTT.

    Also, feel free to check out our giveaway.

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  3. Ooh I love The Book Thief, one of my favourite books!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/top-ten-tuesday-42/

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  4. Wonderful picks, my most favourite setting has to be WWII Germany in The Book Thief- astonishing read! Here's my TTT @ Emma's Bookery if you would like to check it out, have a great day :-) xo

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  5. I 100% agree with you on Hunger Games and Lunar Chronicles^^ SUch vivid and often chilling futuristic settings but that's what makes them so riveting! I still need to get my hands on The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, The Miniaturist, The Book Thief..and crack open my copy of The Night Circus but I'm sure that once I do read them, I'll agree with you on those too LOL!

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  6. I haven't seen those covers for The Night Circus or The Book Thief before. I love them both so much more than the covers I've seen. I loved both books, and those covers really represent the stories so much better!

    Obviously I love The Hunger Games and The Lunar Chronicles, but I haven't even heard of Feed or The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I need to read both of them now! I love that you covered both historical fiction and science in your post.

    Here's my list: http://www.momsradius.com/2016/02/top-ten-tuesday-10-top-ten-historical.html

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  7. I love your picks! Burial Rites is so gorgeous, and I love The Book Thief and Year of Wonders too! (I don't know many people who've read Year of Wonders... but everyone should! What a book!) I like your science fiction picks too, and I'm excited to see your comments on The Long Way... just got a copy and can't wait to read it!

    Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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  8. You've got four of my all time favorites on here - Cinder, The Hunger Games, The Night Circus, and The Book Thief!


    Check out my TTT.

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