H. L. Walton's Top 10 Books
- hlwaltonauthor
- Oct 24, 2020
- 9 min read
Don't you love it when you sit down to read a book and it's pages reach out to you with invisible hands, pulling you into the story so deeply you can't seem to drag yourself away from it. You tell yourself, 'just one more chapter, just one more,' and when you're not reading it you're thinking about when you can get back to it because you have to find out what happens next.
These are the books that make full grown adults believe in magic because they sure do put you under some kind of crazy spell. There are many books I have read throughout my time that have hooked me in and kept me enthralled from front to back but here today I'm just going to name ten of them (in no particular order because that would be too hard to decide which order they should go in). At the end of the post let me know if you've read any of them and what you thought and if you haven't read some, be sure to add them to you Goodreads 'to read' list.
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic fantasy centered around a pandemic of a weaponized strain of the flu which wipes out the majority of the world's population. Only a few remained and it follows several of these characters as they journey towards a city they are all being drawn to.
One thing you need to know if you haven't read this story is it is one behemoth of a book. If you're not into reading extremely long novels, this one was also made into a two part mini-series which was also really good, however I always love the book better than the movie or show. Being apocalyptic fiction definitely gets this one on the list and I had to put it at number one because it's by far one of my favourites.
This is another one that needs to be high up on the list for me because I have read it countless times. It was my favourite book as a teenager and although it is meant for young adults, I still love it even now. It's a rather dark fantasy about a boy named Johnny who after the death of his sister and his parents divorce find solace in books. His favourite are gothic novels and Grimm's Fairy Tales and he finds he is being sucked into the stories themselves.
Finding himself trapped in one, he winds up at Gothic Hospital, an infirmary for orphans and soon discovers things here are not quite right. All the children seem to be missing something; a leg, an arm, an eye. The man who runs the hospital, Dr. Gorman - or Gorm as they call him - is hiding something and Johnny knows it has something to do with his own father who is also a doctor.
It's very well written with some nice little plot twists and even if young adult isn't your thing (it's not mine either) I definitely recommend having a read if you like a dark and mysterious story.
Roots of Evil is a murder mystery with a difference and is about a woman named Lucy who is used to the legend of her grandmother brought up from time to time. The infamous silent-screen actress who was known for her many lovers and scandals was killed in a bizarre double murder/suicide at the film studios many years ago and when a body is found at the now abandoned studios in similar state to mirror the 50 year old case, disturbing facts about the past start coming to light. Including clues that point to the strange legend about a child named Alraune who was named after Lucy's Grandmother's most famous film. Lucy is on a path to discovering the truth about what really happened and the mystery of the child Alraune. If you love a eerie mystery read then this one's for you.
Another one by Stephen king and to be honest, I am a huge fan of the majority of his work so I could probably fill this list with all King books (note to self, do blog post of top 10 King books) but I didn't want to do that so chopped it down to only include my absolute favourites.
This is another novel I've read many times because it's hard to not go back to it. It is a chilling supernatural novel focusing on a man named Edgar who after losing his arm and his memory in an accident, then separating from his wife ends up moving to a place called Duma Key in Florida where he rekindles his love for sketching.
Soon he makes a close friend in a man named Wireman and a sick old woman names Elizabeth whose roots are tangled deep in Duma Key. Edgar begins to paint and finds his paintings take on their own power of which he can't control. He is soon discovering many disturbing things about this place, including the ghosts of Elizabeth's childhood and her past.
This is just another one of those books you won't want to put down and turn page after page just needing to know what comes next (even after you've already read it more than once)!
This book is the first in a series that had me wondering if Stephen King's Dark Tower novels are in fact the best series ever written and to be honest I still can't pick between the two.
Seven Ancient wonders is a action adventure that is highly addictive and with each book you get more and more hooked (I am currently reading the latest book in the series (The Two Lost Mountains) which has only just been released.
The main character, Jack West - call sign 'Huntsman' - is about to embark on the biggest treasure hunt in history, going up against contesting nations in a race to locate the seven wonders of the ancient world. Almost 5000 years ago there was a huge golden capstone that sat atop the pyramid of Giza which would bestow upon its behold global power. But it was broken into seven pieces and each piece was hidden in one of seven great structures of that time.
But now there is a race on to secure all the pieces and rebuild it before the solar eclipse and Huntsman and his small group will go up against the most powerful nations on earth, terrorists, croc infested swamps and booby traps galore to get the job done.
This book and the others in the series are so well written and researched to be based around actual facts, places and legends of history it is really exciting to read them.
Centered around the lives of a group of school mums, Big Little Lies is a contemporary suspense that shows the gaudy, the fake and the secret lives ordinary people can lead.
Someone has been murdered at a school trivia night and the plot follows the stories of each characters lives leading up to the event. I loved the way it all panned out in the end because it wasn't at all what you would expect but when it happens you are happy it worked out that way.
This was the first of Liane Moriarty's books I read and although it is very different to my usual reading material, I really enjoyed it and have now also read Three Wishes and The Husband's Secret by the author, both of which I would also recommend.
Low Pressure is the first Sandra Brown book and had me hooked on her books from there. It's an intriguing tale about a woman named Bellamy who publishes a book based on the murder of her sister eighteen years ago. She has published it under a pseudonym to protect hers and her family's identity, however when a nosy reporter discovers the book is based on a real life crime, he starts digging and Bellamy's identity and dark family secrets are exposed which is s problem for her sister's killer who was never caught and wants to remain undiscovered.
Sandra Brown writes compelling stories that keep you turning pages over and over again. A couple other books of hers I love are The Front and Smoke Screen but Low Pressure made the list because it was the first of hers I read.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn is a mystery novel that keeps you tethered to every page just turning each one needing to know more.
The story follows the main character, Libby, who at the age of seven testified in court that her then fifteen year old brother was the murderer who killed her sister and mother in a satanic sacrificial-like killing. Twenty-five years later, Libby is approached by a group of people who have a secret club of people obsessed with notorious crimes. They are hoping to uncover information and find proof that Libby was wrong. That her brother was innocent.
Libby doesn't think she was wrong about what happened that night; about what she saw, but she agrees to go digging into history to report back to the people at the "Kill Club" in exchange for a big fee. But her digging leads her to discovers some things she never expected and uncovers the truth about what really happened that night, putting herself in danger all over again.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins is a mind bending mystery you will want to have a read of.
Jules is forced to return to the town she left behind her. A place she never wanted to go back to. But when her sister is found dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town, concluded that she jumped from a cliff and took her own life, Jules must return to look after her teenage niece. But her sister was not the only one to have supposedly killed herself in that exact same spot for recently a teenage girl also took her own life in the same way and there are many secrets lurking in the river, some which Jules remembers from her past and some which she is soon to uncover.
Last of all is the novel, "Rainwater," another book by Sandra Brown which is a romantic historical story and let me tell you now, I am not a fan of romance books. I don't tend to read them at all but this one, although classed as historical romance, is not so heavily focused on the romance as it is on the characters themselves.
Ella is a strong, independant woman and a single mother who runs a boarding house while also caring for her ten-year-old son, Solly, whose strange behaviour, frequent meltdowns and inability to speak have a tendency to attract unwanted attention and comments from all who meet him.
Ella refused to give up on trying to teach Solly new things, raising him and caring him like a loving mother will and ignores people's suggestions he should be put in some kind of hospital. Now, this story is set in 1934, a time long before people understood what autism was so to them he was a very strange boy.
Then David Rainwater comes along, a man who wishes to board in the house. He is brought to the house by the respectable town doctor who tells Ella quietly, that Mr. Rainwater won't be staying for long for he is in fact dying. But with this new boarder, though a kind and decent man, comes a string of unusual events. Although good also comes from meeting David Rainwater, if only having his company for a short time, including the connection and the breakthrough he makes with Ella's son, something which no one has done before.
So that wraps up my top ten that I could narrow it down to. It was super hard to choose just ten as there are so many amazing books I've read.
Over the years my reading preferences have changed. Once I used to only read all Stephen King books and anything horror. Matthew Rielly's Hell Island was the first book I read that was horror or dark fantasy and although I never thought I'd get into adventure, action type books, I was hooked from the first page.
From there I just started exploring new authors. Sarah Rayne, Gillian Flynn, Sandra Brown, Patricia Cornwell and Liane Moriarty just to name a few. I also took a stab at a Dean Koontz book and the first one did not have me wanting to go back for more. I gave him a second chance and read another and it was good, so now I have a shelf full of Dean Koontz books I am yet to read so who knows, maybe he'll make the list next time.
I'm glad that I opened myself up to reading a broader range of fiction as I've discovered so many great books and new authors to follow and draw inspiration from for my own writing. Reading different genres has certainly helped me grow as a writer.
So let me know what you think about the books on my top ten list here. There is practically something for everyone there. Which of them have you read and did you enjoy them? What books would make your top ten?
Until next time, worry less and read more! Ta-ta for now but not for long.
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