Top Ten Books Partially Set in Reality

 Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is our favourite books in "x" setting.  I chose to do books that are set in our world, but are also set in another world - whether it is a magical kingdom, another planet, or even a parallel universe.  I also didn't pick only 10 because....come on only ten?!?  I even tried to make my setting oddly specific so I could do it!  So as always, in no particular order, here goes!

 1.  Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

Come on, wasn't this every kid's favourite book?  (Except Chicka Chicka Boom Boom of course)

Our setting:  Max's bedroom, assumed to be somewhere on Earth

Other world: Where the wild things are, duh!

  

2.  A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

 

Oh man this series.  Can I just say that everything Libba Bray writes is amazing?

Our setting: India and England

Other world: I actually had to look this up.  Apparently it's just called "the realms" which isn't  a very exciting name.

3.  Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin

I completely fell in love with the whole concept of this book.  And all of Gabrielle Zevin's books are amazing as well.

Our setting:  Somewhere on Earth

Other world:  The afterlife

4.  Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

I love that this series deals with fairies, but it's so technologically savvy and there's so many cool gadgets and yay science!

Our setting: Various places on Earth

Other world: Haven City, a fairy metropolis (and various other places throughout the series)

 

5. xxxHolic - CLAMP

Just look at that artwork.  I shouldn't even have to give an explanation.  But it holds a special place in my heart as one of the first animes I watched as well as one of the first mangas I read.  And it's SO GOOD, easily in my top 5 mangas.

Our setting:  Japan

Other world:  This is sort of cheating since it's mostly supernatural events within our world, but it does crossover with Tsubasa which is in another universe.

 

  

6. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

If you have eyes and have seen my blog, clearly I'm a huge Hitchhiker's fan. 'Nuff said.

Our setting: Earth (for some reason I always thought it was in England, but I can't confirm that is true.  It doesn't seem to be specified at all)

Other world:  Clearly, the galaxy.  And also the universe.

7. The Dark Mirror - Juliet Marillier

I thought I'd put a different Marillier book up instead of using the same one over and over like a damned radio station.  This one is the first book in the Bridei Chronicles about the Pict king in the mid 6th century.

Ours setting: UK (where the Picts are, specifically)

Other world:  This deals with druids, so it's very connected to the fae and their gods.  You know the more I think about this the more I'm not actually sure they travel to the fairy land or have as many dealings as the Sevenwaters series.  Whatever.  I'm still picking this book, it's worthy!

 

8. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle

There is something so overwhelmingly right about L'Engle's writing.  She is one of a kind and you always get something new out of her writing.  I just reread A Ring of Endless Light so I'll blather on about my eternal love for Madeline L'Engle when I post my review on that.

Our setting: Somewhere on Earth.  Funny how I never pay attention to exactly where on Earth all these books are taking place

Other world:  Other planets, namely Camazotz

 

9. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

This series completely blew my 12 year old mind apart.  I'm not sure I've had an experience quite like it since then.  And the ending of the last book..I'm not sure I'll ever recover from it.  This is the second book in the series as the first book doesn't meet the setting requirements

Our setting: Oxford - I'm assuming it's our Oxford, it seems very similar to our world anyway

Other world:  Various other parallel universes, including at some point Lyra's Oxford (might not be in this book I can't quite remember).  Most of this involves travel through the world of Ci'gazze.

 

10. Abarat - Clive Barker

HA!  As if I could make a list without Abarat.  In fact I'm pretty sure Abarat is why I chose this setting in the first place.  I've talked about it more than enough, just read the series!

Our setting: Chickentown, Minnesota (ok not ACTUALLY a real place, but it's in our world.  It counts!)

Other world: The islands of Abarat

 

11.  Through the Looking Glass (and what Alice found there) - Lewis Carroll

I've always loved both books, but for reasons I can't remember this one was always my favourite of the two.

Our setting: Earth..England?  I really need to pay attention more

Other world: Through the looking glass

12.  Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - JK Rowling

It would be blasphemy to have this setting and not include Harry Potter.  Although the magical world is set inside of our own one, it is still very clearly set apart.  (Technically Artemis Fowl is set in our world but underground, so same rules apply)

Our setting:  England

Other world: Primarily Hogwarts

 

13.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

There is nothing more magical or real than walking through your closet into a magical kingdom.

Our setting: England

Other world: Narnia

Honorable mention:

Skellig - David Almond 

 

Skellig doesn't really fit the rules I set for myself, but I wanted to mention it because it is such a lovely book, and I'm the boss and I say I can.  I feel that despite the fact that David Almond is an award winning author, he's never really mentioned much, even in favourite author lists.  He writes really fantastic middle school ageish books that are just...well they're categorized as magical realism and that's a good way to describe them in every sense of the words.

Just a reminder that if you follow me on Google + and wish to continue following me, I'd recommend following me through another source as I am deleting my Google + account, at least for a while.

And that's it for this week's TTT!  What was on your list?