Cory’s Top Ten

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1. The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
2008

Yep, my #1 man book is a first person novel from a chick’s perspective. But man, this book is nuts. It’s a pos-tapocalyptic(ish) book about how the Capital chooses one boy and one girl from the 12 districts left of Panem (what used to be North America) to fight in an arena to the death. The one survivor wins. That’s freakin’ epic.

2. Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card
1985

I never read this as a kid, in fact the first time I read it was for iUMBC. I thought it was epic. Ender is a killing machine… and the best thing is that he doesn’t even realize it. Ender is the kid most boys sit around and visualize themselves as.

3. The Bourne Identity
Robert Ludlum
1980

I feel like Ludlum is the king of man-books, and I think this first Bourne book is the epitome of Ludlum. Jason Bourne: only Jack Bauer could compete with him.

4. Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Part III)
JRR Tolkien
1955

This is by far the most epic of the LOTR trilogy. Even the hobbits are BA’s in this book!

5. Along Came a Spider
James Patterson
1993

Although I really like all of the Alex Cross novels, this first one set the tone. Alex Cross, who is way more manly than Morgan Freeman portrays in the movie (don’t get me wrong, Morgan is the man, just not a “The Rock” kind of man like the book describes) solves murders and busts some faces. Aw yeah.

6. The Girl Who Played with Fire
Stieg Larsson
2006

This was my favorite of the Millennium Trilogy. All three of these books follow a tiny Sweedish chick named Lisbeth Salander… who will mess you up!

7. Shutter Island
Dennis Lehane
2003

This book, which is way cooler than the movie, is pretty dark, suspenseful, and entertaining. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story, and the main character is all that is man.

8. God’s Smuggler
Brother Andrew
1967

This book is nuts. Brother Andrew, who later became a crazy-awesome Jesus-lover who smuggled bibles behind the Iron Curtain, was a psycho soldier who wore a bright yellow hat into battle. This autobiography is pretty incredible.

9. I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies)
Pittacus Lore
2010

I was shocked at how much I loved this book. Like HP, this is also a YA novel, but it’s really entertaining, and the main character is a secret alien who is beginning to get his super-alien powers… pretty epic

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
J.K. Rowling
2007

I had to put one HP book on this list. I’m telling you, back in the day before I ever read HP and just figured they were for kids, I would have assumed wands are girly too… that’s before I read about the crucio curse!