Part of being in a loving, caring, lasting relationship is viciously chucking books at your spouse’s head while screaming, “READ IT!”
Wait … I’m doing this marriage thing correctly, yeah? I mean, no one’s told me I shouldn’t do that after I got married, so I just assumed I should carry on with business as usual. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you can’t chuck books at the people you love, who can you chuck them at? Except for everyone who ever crosses your path, obviously, duh.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is technically book events/festivals I want to go to one day, but ugh, leaving my home sounds awful, guys. I only do it as often as I do because I work at a library, which I wish I could live in (though my director has given me a firm no on that department … which I have chosen to believe really means only if I don’t catch you.)
So instead, I’ve decided to take a step back and look at all the books hubby has forced me to read over our 13 years together. It’s not as many as you would think, since we tend to have different taste in books. With that in mind, though, let’s see how well he’s done as far as choosing books for me.
Meditations
I figured we’d go waaaay back to the beginning. This is actually the very first book hubby ever gave me, as a birthday present the month before we started dating. Does that count? I’m going to count it, because I had already been trying to get him to ask me out at that point. Not that he paid any attention, the dork. Still, I knew we were clearly meant to be, because he gave me a book for my birthday, without me having to ask.
What I enjoyed about this:
- Wise life lessons applicable to a variety of situations.
- Written in small, digestible chunks you can go back to over and over again.
- Super quotable! The sort you’ll want to hang on your walls.
- Literally everybody should read at some point.
The Art of War
Hubby is pretty much obsessed with this book, so of course he was going to force me to read it sooner or later. Actually, he’s pretty obsessed with all sorts of tactical military books, which is obviously why I married him. I’ll need someone who can lead the army when I take over the world, and goodness knows I don’t have the attention span for it.
What I enjoyed about this:
- Advice applicable to all sorts of things in life.
- Also written in bite-sized chunks.
- Nuggets of wisdom for pretty much any situation.
- Generally all-around good advice.
Steelheart
This was the first Brandon Sanderson book hubby ever threw at me, and he used the superhero-esque feeling to pitch it to me, since he knows I’m a sucker for superheroes and supervillains. I loved this one so much that I demanded he preorder the next two, and I stole them before he could read them each time and read them first. So I’m not sure if that worked out for him or if that backfired.
What I enjoyed about this:
- Lots of action and superpowers!
- The protagonist is really bad at similes/metaphors, but he tries anyway, bless his heart.
- Prof. He’s a fantastic character, in general.
- Super unique world full of danger and destruction.
Elantris
Me loving Steelheart really opened the door for hubby to throw other Sanderson books at me, and this was the next one. Not gonna lie, I totally groaned. It’s a lengthy book, and it’s high fantasy, and I didn’t have very good luck with the high fantasy I’d read prior to this. After I loved this one, though? I just caved and resigned myself to reading all Brandon Sanderson books.
What I enjoyed about this:
- An in-depth and complex world full of strife.
- A super interesting (and slightly broken) magic system.
- Plague! Man, that feels familiar somehow …
- This romance got me. What can I say? It was cute.
- Raoden is just a fantastic character in general.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Hubby actually had me watch the movie for this while we were still dating, as my introduction to this series. I obviously loved it, because who wouldn’t? Marvin is my spirit animal. After I loved the movie, it was super easy for him to hand me the book and have me read it, because he’s sneaky and smart.
What I enjoyed about this:
- So funny, I couldn’t stop laughing.
- Really ridiculous plot that I couldn’t get enough of.
- Characters that are super easy to fall in love with.
- Fun universe where there’s always something new to discover.
Interview with the Vampire
You know … now that I think of it … there seems to be a pattern here. Because hubby had me watch Queen of the Damned before handing me this book. Am I really that easy?! Okay, yes, obviously, but darn he figured that out early on.
What I enjoyed about this:
- Lestat is just a gem of a character, if not a drama queen.
- Louis is fun, too, of course.
- Really interesting take on vampires and a deep delve into the lore.
- A series that does some really interesting and unique things with an overused fantasy creature.
- I still need to finish this series (which hubby reminds me of periodically), but I read and enjoyed the first two books, at least.
Fruits Basket
Hubby was the one who really introduced me to anime as a genre when we first started dating, so I suppose it would make sense that he’d also introduce me to manga a year later. I was super resistant on both fronts, so sure that I’d hate it, so when he handed me the first book of Fruits Basket, I definitely groaned. Not gonna lie. I ended up loving the series (which he doesn’t particularly care for, but he figured I would). I’ve read the whole series multiple times, and now we’re enjoying watching the remake together as a family, with our daughter!
What I enjoyed about this:
- Protagonist who is too good and pure for this world.
- Hanajima and Uotani are fantastic characters, both on their own and with the heavy found family bonds they’ve got going on.
- The Sohma curse is fun and unique, while still being dark and ugly, which is an interesting combination.
- Shigure, Hatomi, and Ayame, who will always be my favorite trio.
- There are some super surprising plot twists towards the end of this series, especially, that I loved!
Upcoming Reads
Because after all these years, I obviously trust and value his judgment and immediately take his recommendations when he tells me to read a book, right? *snort* But really, he’s much more tolerable when I just read his dang books. Even if I usually enjoy them.
Mistborn
I’m actually reading this one right now, and I’m not too far into it, so I just left it as an upcoming read, because I haven’t finished yet. Hubby has been trying to get me to read this one for at least six years now, because this series is one of his favorites. I just never picked it up. I don’t even have a good excuse, except that it’s kind of fun to have him keep insisting I read it.
What I enjoyed about this:
- Sanderson! I mean, I love his writing in general.
- Really unique magic system.
- An interesting world with some interesting history and legends.
- Kelsier! I knew from the moment he graced the page, I was going to love him.
Howl’s Moving Castle
This is the first anime hubby actually had me watch, on our second date, when I already told him I wasn’t into anime, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes when he showed up with an anime movie to watch anyway. Joke’s on me, I guess, because I ended up absolutely loving this movie, and it’s still one of our favorites (we actually just watched it the other day with Minion, since she loves it, too). So it seems natural that we’ll read the book series it’s based on, and we actually bought the books as a joint Christmas present last year.
I feel like I LOLed so often reading this post HAHAHAH! Loved this! You and your hubby are goals!
I’m not sure you wanna be like hubby and I, but I’m glad the post made you laugh. xD Gotta find entertainment however you can when you’ve been married so long haha.
This is a fantastic list! You are really lucky your husband loves to read too. I can’t get mine to pick up a book to save his life🙁
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…OPIUM AND ABSINTHE by Lydia Kang – Review
Have you tried chucking more of them at him? Maybe you haven’t hit him with enough. xD I knew before we even got together that he was a reader, though, so that makes it easier.
I can’t stop giggling at the premise for your post. Too funny! And The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a must read for sure.
My TTT .
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Things I Collect
Oh, for sure. I’m glad he talked me into that one. But shhh, don’t tell him. He’ll become unbearable.
Great list! I love Howl’s Moving Castle and Fruits Basket – I’ve been loving the rebooted series – and Mistborn is one I need to cross off my TBR at some point.
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Festivals and conventions I want to go to
You do! If I can do it (in theory, because it’s still a work in progress), then you can! To be fair, I love Sanderson’s books, but they always feel forever long lol.
I love the idea of this list and a marriage where you can read together is delightful – I keep buying books for my wife … and then reading them myself.
My TTT is here.
Bwahaha, well, I mean, bonus points for getting a pass on buying new books because they’re for her! We don’t read a whole lot of similar books because we have such different tastes, but it’s always nice when we find something we can both enjoy!
Haha, I loved this post! Unfortunately, my husband is not a reader so I can’t chuck any books at him or get any books chucked at me, but I’ll keep him anyway 🙂 Love that you get recommendations though, I’ve been meaning to try Fruit Baskets especially!
Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads recently posted…Bookish Activities I Wish Were More Common
I mean, you technically could totally still chuck books at him. Just for the fun of it. xD Just maybe wouldn’t be as effective. You should definitely give Fruits Basket a try! It starts a little slow, but it’s so easy to fall in love with the characters and the story.
Ooooh, enjoy reading Howl’s Moving Castle! I love that the anime is based off of it, but that they’re two very different stories. It means they are both able to focus on the strengths of their respective media. (Fun note, I read the book first and Mr. Wyrm watched the movie first, so we both got to enjoy sharing “our” version with the other!)
I’m really enjoying reading the Fruits Basket mangas. However, I’ve been getting them from my library… which has not yet reopened for pick-ups. So I am sad that I haven’t been able to continue them since March.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday ~ Book Festivals
I’ve heard that they’re different, which makes me all the more curious to read the book series! I think that’s so neat that you each got to experience a different one first, though. Now I’m kind of disappointed that we can’t do that. I imagine it’s a totally different experience.
Aww that’s such a bummer! I was lucky that we found our series secondhand forever ago, so I had a chance to read them all at once. :3
Howl’s Moving Castle is such an adventure.
Here’s my TTT list this week.
Lectrice Vorace recently posted…Ten Things for the Perfect Book Festival
I definitely look forward to reading it!
I love Interview with the Vampire! I read it years ago when my husband and I were dating. He was reading it, and I was curious and started reading it too. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
I love that! Did you ever watch the movie? Hubby made me watch the movie after I read it, but he wouldn’t let me see it until I’d read the book. xD
If you work in a library, it’s really like you go to a book event every day, right??
Your topic made me laugh. My husband is ALWAYS complaining about how I read so many books but never any that he recommends. Here’s the problem: We have very different tastes in books. He loves books I can’t stand! So, yeah, it’s really hard for me to accept his recommendations. If he was recommending Brandon Sanderson books, it would be a different story …
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Oooh, that’s true! I never thought of that. 😉 Tell hubby he needs to recommend better books! That’s what I tell mine all the time. xD Same situation here, though. Hubby reads a lot of epic adult fantasy, and it’s just not a genre I tend to enjoy.
Maybe you should start throwing Brandon Sanderson books at him? xD
Interview with the Vampire is awesome. I love that she did the screenplay too for the movie. Lestat is Tom Cruise’s best role in my opinion. I have yet to read Sanderson, but I hear such good things about his books. They are on my list, but you know how TBRs are. Ever growing and shrinking at a minimum.
Oh what a fun post. My husband isn’t a huge reader like I am, but we’ve read some things together for my book club–other than that we generally have different tastes LOL. Also he is MUCH more of an RPG person than a reader. 🙂
Also, yay, Fruits Basket!
Lisa @ waytoofantasy recently posted…TBR Shelf Cleanup #27
Hey, that’s fair. There are lots of RPG games that have great storylines. My brother-in-law is like that. He plays RPGs and will dive hardcore into the lore like he’s reading a book, and that’s impressive to me. I don’t care that much when I play RPGs. I just wanna poke stuff with sharp things or set them on fire.
I thought the actors did a great job in the movie. I was surprised.
You should *definitely* give Sanderson a chance! He’s the author that made me give epic fantasy a try again, after so many failed attempts to read epic fantasy. Though, I started with his urban fantasy, which is a genre I love, before jumping over. xD
I totally get the TBR struggle, though. It’s a never-ending battle.
Haha, I love that you guys read together! Or, at least, recommend books to each other! So many of these are on my TBR. But, gosh, I LOVE Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. So. Freaking. Much!
Jessica at Booked J recently posted…the folklore book tag
Oh my gosh, so do I! I need to reread it, because I think I stopped halfway through the last book for personal reasons (which I don’t remember at all, but I think something was going on at that point). And now I don’t know how the series ends and I obviously need to. xD
I’ll be reading Mistborn very son and I’m really looking forward to it.
I hope you enjoy your re-read! I’m just getting to the part where I think it’ll pick up (and I’ve been told when it picks up, it REALLY picks up), so hopefully I can get through the rest of it a bit quicker. 🙂
Howls Moving Castle is a great movie and I loved the book 😀 And Fruits Basket is fun but I never finished the manga, though I own a few of them.
Annemieke recently posted…10 Books with Colors in the Title I Read In the Last Few Years | #TopTenTuesday 250
Oooh, you should definitely finish the manga! The anime was nothing like the manga (if you even watched that, I don’t know). The ending was so good, though, and everything tied together so nicely.
As a professional white hat hacker i spend most of my weekends reading books, i just finished mistborn and i loved it. I am currently tracing this guy who is cheating on his wife so I have been really busy, but once I am done with the Job I will definitely read Interview with the Vampire next.