Top Ten Books I'd Rescue

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted weekly by the lovely ladies at The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's topic is supposed to be "Top Ten Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Were Going to Be Abducted by Aliens," but I think if my house were going to be abducted by aliens (can a house be abducted?), I'd stay there and meet them, as long as they weren't bent on humanity's destruction or something. Aliens! That's exciting! What kind of reader would I be if I didn't want to see how that story turned out?

So instead of abducted by aliens, I'm going with "get flooded" for this one, since I grew up in Florida and we get a lot of hurricanes. (Option 2 would have been "fall into a sinkhole.") And is it cheating if I say I'd take my Kindle?

10. Furies of Calderon and Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher

These are the first two books of the Codex Alera series, one of my favorites and lots of fun. I absolutely adore this world and it's characters. I have the rest of the books on my Kindle, but I need the first two!

9. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I have an entire shelf dedicated to Harry Potter. I have the first book in German and Spanish as well as English, not to mention all the extra little books that have come out. I also have some books about the mythology in HP and a whole collection of newspaper clippings about the series. Yes, I spent most of my childhood obsessed with these books.

8. Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay

These books are seriously amazing. There's intrigue and betrayal and love and byzantine plotting. And also chariot races. Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite writers, and these books are some of his best work.

7. Medalon, Treason Keep, and Harshini by Jennifer Fallon

Another old favorite, the Second Sons trilogy is exciting and fun and one I've read many, many times.  I love all Jennifer Fallon's books, but I think these are my favorites. The plot is brilliantly complex and the characters are entirely believable.

6. Sunshine by Robin McKinley

This is one of those books that I somehow manage to mention at least once a week because I love it so much. I've read it so many times that it's in danger of falling apart. Next to the cover you can see my copy between two other, much less worn Robin McKinley books. This is because Sunshine is my #1 comfort read, which is a little weird since there is so much blood, but there are also cinnamon rolls and chocolate cake, so that's pretty comforting.

5. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

If pressed to name a single favorite book, this is the one I'd pick. It's beautiful and brilliant and the last 50 pages make me cry every single time. (And there have been quite a few times. Definitely at least four.) I love, love, love the characters and their friendships. This is such an amazing novel.

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All of the above books would make me sad to lose, but I could replace them without much difficulty. They're readily available in bookstores, and honestly I'd probably just get ebooks if I lost them for some reason. The next four, however, would be a lot more devastating to lose, because this is my autographed collection:

4. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

About a week after Clockwork Prince was released, I managed to go to a signing with Cassandra Clare and Michelle Hodkin, which was fun, if over-blessed with excited tweens. Fortunately I managed to grab a seat with the over-20 crowd and had a great time. I also happen to think Clockwork Prince is the best Cassie Clare book thus far, and I'd be really disappointed to lose it.

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Before I went to the Cassie Clare/Michelle Hodkin event, I had only vaguely heard of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but I figured, why waste a chance to get the book signed? I'm so glad I did it; The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is absolutely enthralling and I love it.

2. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

I didn't personally go to this signing, but my friend Jen of At Random was awesome enough to send me a personalized copy of Touch of Power. Sadly, I haven't managed to read it yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I really, really love all Maggie Stiefvater's books, and if you've read her blog at all, you know it's hilarious. Well, she is even more hilarious in person. I was thrilled when she came to the bookstore right near me when The Scorpio Races was released, and she was awesome. Also, I love the book.

What books would you rescue? Leave a link in the comments!