Extreme Mini Reviews from My 2003 Top Ten

A few months ago when I was reading some huge books, therefore finishing nothing and therefore having nothing to review, I decided to do a  flash back post by way of extreme mini reviews.

Since I find myself in that very same situation again, I decided it was time again to revisit the past!

Here are my top ten favorite books that I read in 2003, with their short blurbs:

John Adams by David McCullough: I loved this book! It's long, yes, but oh so fascinating, especially the relationship between John and Abigail. The things they endured are incredible. I found myself thinking about them all the time throughout by day while reading this book. 

Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir: Ah, Henry VIII! What a crazy man! This book is so much fun and goes into wonderful detail about him and all the wives. I loved it. I think the year after I read it, I did a book review for my mom's book club and created quite a fun presentation on this book. I felt like I knew these stories inside and out!

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens: I think this was one of those times that I wanted to watch the movie so I read the book first, or I read the book then had to find the movie... can't remember for sure, but it's another fun romp of a story such as only Charles Dickens can write. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: I'm sure we bought this the day it came out and read it in a sitting or two. I can't even remember for sure, but what else could I do but love it! All the stories sort of run together in my head now though, so I can't remember what I specifically thought of this particular book. 

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein: This must have been during the time the movies were coming out. I think I've said before that I hadn't read these books until then, so I picked them up and then read them all between the first and second movie. I think I started this one instantly after finishing the second book because of it's insane cliff hanger. Anyway, of course, these books are awesome and classic and in a league of their own.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck: A re-read that year probably because Oprah picked it? Yes, I think so. I read it for the first time in high school. Whoa that was an eye opener of a read at that time! So when I re-read it, I knew a little more what to expect. But on a the second time around, I obviously loved it all over again.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel: I must have heard the buzz on this one and picked it up not too long after. I had no clue what it was about and when I started reading it, and there was this kid, and a boat accident, and him being stranded with a tiger I thought, what have I done? But then wow, I could not put it down, and then the end, my jaw dropped and I was blown away. Loved this book. Unlike anything I'd read up to that point. 

The Davinci Code by Dan Brown: Yes, I was caught up in all the buzz of this one too. But I did find the historical stuff and speculation all quite fascinating. And it was a page turner if nothing else. A fun read.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke: During this time, I wasn't reading a whole lot of YA, like I do now. Times have changed. So it's cool that one made it on my top ten list that year. I love Cornelia Funke and will read anything by her, so that's how this one came to be on my list. It's a fun story of a bunch of homeless kids and their adventures with magic and fantasy thrown in the mix. I need to re-read to remember the details!

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: My guess is this one I read with an online book club, because otherwise I doubt I would have picked it up. It's a wonderful coming of age story with fascinating relationships and lots of sadness too. Great book. The movie they made from it a year or so ago isn't bad either.


Have you read and loved any of these books?