JFx's Top Ten (10-6)

My good friend and fellow blogger divertido had not so long ago suggested to me about writing a blog dedicated to my top ten books. Without much ado, let the countdown begin..

10. ICON - Fredrich Forsyth



Icon is a historical fiction novel by British author Frederick Forsyth. Its plot centers around the politics of the Russian Federation in 1999, with an extremist party close to seizing power. Published by Bantam Books in September 1997. Icon became a New York Times Bestseller. -wiki (Read more)

I haven't thought much about this book after reading it. Read it many years before and loved it at that time. Since then, it has been in my top ten. Thinking back now, I don't think many would say it deserves a place in it. Yet the book had something more than the excellent plot and detective style, it must have been the first book I read in which characters made an impact (Remember it was the time when I was still reading hardy boys just after famous five which were preceded by simpler Enid Blyton novels).


9. Crooked House - Agatha Christie



Crooked House is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1949 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in May of the same year. The action takes place in and near London in the autumn of 1947. Christie has said that this was one of her two favorites of her own works, the other being Ordeal by Innocence. -wiki (Read more)

Crooked House unmistakably is my favourite Agatha Christie novel. It is the quintessence of Christie's style - detailed and calm build up and superb climax, always with a twist in the end. Her knowledge about poisons shines through this one too, which along with other factors makes the plot very believable. The most amazing part in this particular book is it's ending which thrilled me so much, I can still recollect parts of it after 7 years.

8. Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer



Kane and Abel is a 1979 novel by British author Jeffrey Archer. The title and story is a play on the Biblical brothers, Cain and Abel. Released in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the United States in February of 1980, the book was an international success. It reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and in 1985 was made into a CBS television miniseries titled Kane & Abel starring Peter Strauss as Rosnovski and Sam Neill as Kane. - wiki (Read more)

Jeffrey Archer, the storyteller is at his best in this one. He builds up the story from the time the protogoniasts are born to their death. We feel like living a double-life both of which aren't our own, but are the lives of Kane and Abel. Many of Archer's books are conceptually similar in the fact that they follow the lives of two opposing 'heroes'. But every story brings about a new flair and different characters who grabs our interest till the end.


7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book of Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The book was released on July 21, 2007, ending the series that began in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This book chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), and leads to the long-awaited final confrontation between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. - wiki (Read more)

There is a whole generation of children who grew up reading the Harry Potter series, and I do not deny being one among them. Though I've never been an outspoken fan of Harry Potter, I'd always enjoyed reading them. The two books preceding Deathly Hallows failed o thrill me much, but the final book more than made up for it. Maybe it attracted me so much because the style was modelled on LOTR, and while reading the book felt like going through an epic journey over again.

PS. I'm almost through reading my first unabridged romance classic, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and it's fast climbing into my Top Ten.


6. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho



The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a bestseller that was first published in Brazil in 1988 and is the most famous work of author Paulo Coelho. It is a symbolic story that urges its readers to follow their dreams. - wiki (Read More)

To be honest, I do not have a clue what the story was. Read it long time ago, and just remember that it was something about following your dreams. I've already decided that Wuthering Heights would replace Alchemist at it's position.