Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I’d like to see under the Christmas tree

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I actually don’t need any more books – I already have enough to read one a week for the next two years, and still have some left over. So while I shouldn’t buy myself new books, it’s completely OK if other people want to buy them for me.

So here (in no particular order) are ten books I wouldn’t mind finding under the tree on Christmas Day.

The Complete Works of Primo Levi by Primo Levi
This one’s a bit of a cheat since I’m about 99.9% certain that I will find this under the tree. But! It’s still something I wouldn’t mind seeing under the tree, so it’s ok for me to include it on my list.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
I’ve never read this but I have wanted to for a long time. And since there’s a movie out soon, I should probably invest some time in reading it ASAP.

Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig
I’m kind of obsessed with Zweig at the moment so he couldn’t not be on my list. An author known more for his short stories, Beware of Pity is the only novel he wrote and was actually the inspiration for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. Speaking of Wes Anderson…

The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matt Zoller Seitz
I’d like to take this time to thank Wes Anderson for his excellent film, without which I might never have heard of Stefan Zweig.
This is easily one of my very favourite films from the last couple of years. I have it on DVD but I still have to watch it when it’s on TV – I just love it. So this book about the movie’s conception is basically a must have for me.

John le Carré – The Biography by Adam Sisman
Considering le Carre is at the top of my ‘favourite author’ list, it’s beyond my why I don’t already own this. And since I highly doubt that I’ll be finding this under the tree, I think I might purchase it this week before my book ban commences in the new year.

This Sweet Sickness and Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Since reading The Talented Mr Ripley a couple of weeks ago, I’m all about Highsmith. That one book has basically ruined any future psychological thrillers for me because I just know that they will never be able to compare. As such, I guess I can only read psychological thrillers by Highsmith from now on, so these two books wouldn’t go astray under the tree.

The First Word by Christine Keneally
Probably the most interesting book I read this year was The Invisible History of the Human Race by Christine Keaneally, which was all about our DNA and how it makes us what we are. Even though it was a sciencey sort of book (which is not my forte at all) it was easy to read and understand, all thanks to Keneally’s writing. So I’d like to read this other book by her, which is all about the development language.

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Fates and Furies was one of my favourite books this year, and I have it on the good authority of a couple of other bloggers that Groff’s other novel, The Monsters of Templeton, is another excellent read.

Snowpiercer Vol 2: The Explorers by Benjamin Legrand (author) and Jean-Marc Rochelle (illustrator)
Earlier this year I read my very first graphic novel, Snowpiercer. Even though I much prefer the film adaptation, I still had a pretty great time reading it/looking at the pictures. Actually, it was probably the illustrations that saved it for me as they were just outstanding. So I’m keen to continue on reading this series, especially as there’s a third volume being released in 2016.