Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Hello and welcome to this week’s Top Ten Tuesday which is books you’d mash together and think would make an awesome story if combined – this prompt was submitted by Rissi @ Finding Wonderland. This one was quite tricky but lots of fun!

1. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Why:

For me, these two books have a kind of similar atmosphere and evoke a comforting feeling. They are both set during the same-ish time period and focus on young women growing up. I feel like Anne and Diana would get on well with the March sisters, especially Jo and they could all team up and become a friendship supergroup of girls! I think I have mostly mashed these together because they occupy a similar place in my heart and have a slightly feminist feel which I always enjoy.

2. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Why:

I totally feel like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the world of the All Souls trilogy would mash up well together! A Discovery of Witches is a more adult book and the characters are older than Harry and co. but I think the amazing creativity and fun of the Harry Potter world would marry well with the sophisticated and mature world that Diana and Matthew inhabit. It would probably be way too much story and history for one book but who cares! It would definitely be fun!

3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

Why:

These are both fairly recent releases and I think they would make an awesome mash-up! First of all both these books have themes of prejudice and oppression and feature a strong and fiesty female main character. Starr Carter from THUG and Izzy O’Neill from The Exact Opposite of Okay would have a great friendship and I feel they would really respect each other. Both books are so focussed on these two young women and their personal journey within the context of the confusing and often complicated worlds they inhabit. Plus these are both just really great Young Adult novels.

4. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw and All The Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker

Why:

On the surface these two books are very different. The Wicked Deep is a tale of a haunted seaside town with themes of witchcraft and magic and All The Wicked Girls is a dark and complex thriller about a missing girl and her sister’s search for her. However the reason I think these books would mash-up well together is that they are two of the most atmospheric books I have ever read. They both have a mystical, haunted feeling to them and a sense of melancholic sadness that permeates the story beautifully so together the atmosphere and nature of the writing would be just incredible.

5. All Of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor and Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

Why:

I read both these books quite recently and I think they would make a slightly crazy but also fantastic book if they were combined. They both have quite a similar feeling of instability and the naivety of youth. They also both have an underlying darkness running through them. All Of This Is True is about three girls and their obsession with the author of a book they adore and Social Creature is about one girls Ripley-esque obsession with the whimsical and very rich socialite who suddenly enters her life and befriends her. Both books deal with the dangers of obsession and if mashed together I think the story would be full of insane twists and turns!

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Why:

These are both such phenomenal classics and whilst they are different in many ways they are both gothic mysteries with a female lead who is in some way haunted by another woman connected to the man they love. Jane is a much stronger and more likeable character than Mrs deWinter but both these books are so well written and have a great sense of setting that I really think that together they would make an awesomely gothic and creepy novel.

7. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and Matilda by Roald Dahl

Why:

Roald Dahl’s books are, in my opinion, some of the best children’s books in the world. They are so creative and quirky and not at all cheesy or saccharine. I believe that Matilda – who is so feisty, intelligent and inventive – would get along unbelievably well with the Baudelaire siblings. A Series of Unfortunate Events is slightly similar to Roald Dahl’s work in their quirkiness and their constant wit. These two books would honestly make such a fun and cool mash-up and the characters are all so interesting that it certainly wouldn’t be dull in any way!

8. Tana French and Karin Slaughter ’s series of books

Why:

This isn’t a book mash-up but rather an author mash-up. Both these women are supremely talented crime writers and I think if you mashed up their crime series the result would be action-packed and crazy gripping! They are both so good at writing violent, gritty books that also still have moments of humour so I think if the Dublin Murder Squad of French’s series and the residents of Grant County from Slaughter’s series were all thrown together it would create a fast-paced and thrilling story!

9. The Secret History by Donna Tartt and One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Why:

On the face of it these two novels are admittedly very different in tone. The Secret History is way more serious and literary whereas One of us Is Lying is more tongue in cheek and addictive. But because they are so different, I think if you mashed them together the result would be interesting and very compelling. The lighter tone of One Of Us Is Lying would remove some of the intensity of The Secret History and it would be really fascinating to see where the mashed up book ended up.

10. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Why:

Both of these books are set during tense and turbulent periods of history and there is a huge amount of hardship and trauma in both of them. I do think that the main characters of these two novels are such strong capable young women that they would probably make a great team. Liesel and Cora are so intelligent and brave that following their individual paths makes for an incredible book – imagine how amazing it would be if these two people were thrown into a book together. The result would be incredible and so compelling to read.

Well thats it for another Top Ten Tuesday! Please comment and let me know what you think of my mash-up suggestions and what yours would be! Plus please do link to your own TTT so I can give it a read!