Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. 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 ‘Books Written Before I Was Born (submitted by Davida Chazan @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog)’, and I just know this topic is going to make me feel old as hell. This week I decided to talk about books that were all published the year I was born, in 1991, and were therefore all written before I was born!
Blood Price by Tanya Huff: This is the first in Huff’s urban fantasy series starring a human detective and the vampire she teams up with to solve supernatural crimes, who, naturally, is the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. I still need to finish this series!
Regeneration by Pat Barker: I had to read this one during my A Levels and I believe it’s something of a modern classic here in the UK, but it wasn’t really for me. Mostly thanks to the use of the phrase ‘furry cup’ during a cunnilingus scene that has haunted me ever since I read it.
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett: Pratchett is an author I’d really like to try, and I’m particularly interested in his witch novels!
Wise Children by Angela Carter: This is another one I had to read during my A Levels, and another one I was not a fan of. Even by Carter’s standards, this novel is WEIRD.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang: One day I will get around to reading this one, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for years.
All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey: This is one of those classic series I never got into as a child, to be honest I don’t think I was even aware of it until I was an adult and I heard other SFF readers talk about it, but I know it’s loved by many.
The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson: Wilson was my favourite author during my late childhood and early teens, and thanks to the CBBC series Tracy Beaker was a huge part of many UK childhoods.
Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques: This is another series I simply wasn’t aware of as a child and I so wish I had been! I loved animal books as a child so I would have loved this series. Oh well!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Will I ever read this book or watch the series? Who can say? I would like to give it a try at some point, though.
The Awakening by L.J. Smith: We started with vampires, so we might as well end with vampires. I never got into The Vampire Diaries, but I remember the TV series being HUGE throughout the 2010s.
Jessticulates 
I read The Awakening and I couldn’t stand it. I definitely prefer the tv show. 🙂
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You have me so interested in Wise Children. It’s a Carter book I haven’t read, and I’m all about weird…
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“the vampire she teams up with to solve supernatural crimes, who, naturally, is the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.”
Naturally. (That sounds wild as heck!)
I haven’t read most of these, but I did get to Wild Swans in high school, one of the few I voluntarily picked off my mother’s bookshelf. I was impressed by how readable it was.
And now because you’ve made me curious, my top 3 of 1991, at least based on what’s on my Goodreads account:
Black Unicorn – Tanith Lee
The Cat Who Went to Paris – Peter Gethers
Shiloh – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
–RS
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You feel old??!! I was in high school when you were born! Haha! I finally caved and read Outlander a few years ago. I’m still making my way through the series and I’ve watched the adaptation, as well. I’m a huge fan now. 😉
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Witches Abroad is the only one of these I’ve tried, and I strongly recommend it, The Witches and Death are my favorite Discworld sub-series
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I liked the Vampire Diaries series but I loved The Originals. Never read the books though. Loved your twist on this topic.
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I loved the Vampire Diaries series, but never read the books. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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Great list! Outlander is a fave, so yes, you should read it! Ah, The Vampire Diaries — I loved the first few seasons of the TV series, but stopped watching at some point. I also read the first couple of books, and they’re very skippable!
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I love your twist on this topic! While writing my post I discovered I’m four months older than Game of Thrones, so that was a fun discovery. I might need to write a post talking about all the books which were published the year I was born.
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Can you believe I’ve never read an Angela Carter book? I need to change this.
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Hehe.. these always make me feel old! Outlander, that’s a great book! So funny… the series is still going on. Crazy, how long some series take. Quality over quantity applies, I think! Great list.
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Lol, the first Redwall came out the year I was born, so stop saying you’re old.
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You feel old?! I’m another 1978 baby! You’ve got some great books on this list!
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I haven’t read any of these, though I know I should really try Gabaldon.
Here is my post, I choose only from those I read last year: https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/02/02/top-ten-books-written-before-i-was-born/
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I’ve only read outlander from this list and the only other book I’ve heard ove is the Terry pratchett book haha 🙈
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Oh I read and loved the first Outlander book and the first season of the tv show, though I never continued either… I also read the Vampire Diaries books, but I’d definitely recommend the series over the books for that one.
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What a fun topic — a lot of these books are older than i thought! I also had to read some Angela Carter during my a-levels and it was a very strange experience 😅
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Hi Jess! Oh gosh, now you make me feel old! I was born in 1978…. I wanted to do the same idea as you, take book that was published in 1978, by I didn’t get to it, bit busy.
Wow, I can’t believe Outlander is 20 + years old! Good grief!
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Several of my friends had children who became obsessed by the Redwall series as it came out. Good list!
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Tracy Beaker was a big part of my childhood too! Hope you get to read some Terry Pratchett books soon. I’d definitely recommend the Tiffany Aching books if you haven’t tried them already.
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Blood Prince sounds mad but I’m intrigued! I’ve had that Wild Swans book kicking about for ages too, I need to get to that one.
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Ah I loved Tracy Beaker when I was younger, can’t believe I forgot to put any Jacqueline Wilson books on my list this week as she was a massive part of my childhood, though I do think most of her books were published after I was born, or at least the ones I’ve read, so that’s probably why.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/top-ten-tuesday-301/
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Great list, Jess! I had no idea Outlander was published in 1991 (I have no idea when I thought it was published though tbh, haha) but that is a book that intimidates me with its size but that I do want to at least give a try. So many people love it! And I do want to attempt the book before watching the show… One day 😂
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I love that you decided to focus on books published the year you were born! That’s a cool way to do this prompt.
I wish I had read more Redwall books as a child. I think I read like two. XD
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Whew! You think you feel old!
It is an odd feeling to think they were writing books before we arrived here….
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I never read the first Outlander book, I wonder if I should give the series another shot. Happy reading! 😀 My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/books-written-before-i-was-born-the-classics-edition/
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LOL you say 1991 and I’m like, that’s so young! I can’t believe Outlander came out in 1991 – I just saw it on another list, too!
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I haven’t read any of these books yet, but I’m curious about them!
My post.
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You are brave, checking the year–I cheated out on my list going with classics, but we actually share a year! And yet I had no idea Tracy Beaker was born the year we were? She’s such a staple of my childhood, I assumed the book was a bit younger! Great list 🙂
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Heeey fellow 1991 baby! 😎 I loved the first three Outlander books and I love the series too so I hope you’ll give it a shot at some point.
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I remember really liking the Tanya Huff books when I read them. There was a TV series too more recently (which I think was what introduced me to the books). I’m not sure I finished the full series either though…
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How can you feel old being a ’91 baby? I had to delve back to 1973, but I did the same as you and stuck with books published in that year! I loved Wild Swans and remember confused as hell by the furry cup! And Anne McCaffrey is an author I am familiar with but have not actually read much (anything?) of.. These are the books published in the year I was born!
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I did the same and just concentrated on the year of my birth, and you’re definitely not old. I’m facing the scary 50 this year but I don’t feel that old, not really.
Here’s My Top Ten Tuesday
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You’re still just a baby! I was born in 1978! I had to go with classics 🙂 I hope you can stop by:
https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/top-ten-books-written-before-1978-222021.html
Colletta
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I’ve heard a lot of bloggers sing Tanya Huff’s praises… one of these days I’m going to try one of her books I hope! I’m surprised I haven’t read more McCaffrey too.
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