Happy Tuesday! The weather's miserable where I am today, so I'm sticking to the indoors. How about you?
Today's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is:
Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want to Read
Most of my picks are books I don't own yet, but there are a few in there that I have owned for quite a while and have had second thoughts about.
(Ones I own)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
I bought Uglies ages and ages ago and now that it's finally on my radar... I'm kind of like.. meh... I just don't know if I feel like wasting my time on something that I haven't necessarily heard is amazing. More like good or just okay.
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
I got this as a gift last year and I wanted it pretty badly. Then I read If I Stay and I was less than impressed. I'm worried about reading another Forman book and being disappointed.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Rowling)
I obviously only picked it up because it's Rowling. Duh. Needless to say, I'm terrified to read anything of hers that isn't in the HP world, but loyalty tells me I need to at least give it a try.
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
This is the one that most fans are really afraid to read. The genre is so far out of my comfort zone it's not even funny. But once again, in the bookish world, loyalty is king. I'm just so afraid to read it and with all the procrastinating I do, I wonder if I ever will - or will I keep making excuses and putting it off forever. (It helps that I at least buy the books right? At least I'm staying loyal that way!)
(Ones on my [maybe] to-read list)
The Selection by Kiera Cass
God, I'm so torn by this book. I've heard it's like a dystopian version of the Bachelor. Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with the Bachelor, but would I like it in a book? Also, though I still love dystopian/speculative fiction, I'm kind of winding down and branching out into other genres, so I'm not exactly in any rush to get my hands on it.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
A couple of my blogging pals have read these books and are obsessed but I'm once again afraid of not liking it. Plus it's a 500 page book with how many more in the series? It's a big commitment that I'm not sure I'm ready to make!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
I've been on and off with this one for years. When it was really popular (when the movie came out) I was about to pick it up when a bookseller at B&N actually warned me against it when I told him I wasn't sure about it. I don't know about you but I trust my booksellers (the ones who seem like they know what they're talking about anyway).
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Have you seen that cover? CREEPY! I've seriously avoided the book because it seemed uber creepy but I've finally read some reviews on it and found that it's actually not as scary as it seems. Maybe I'll check it out.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
My boss has been trying to get me to read this one for years but the only books she and I have in common are Nora Roberts romance novels. Everything else she reads is so far from my tastes that I'm wary of picking this one up.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Have you seen the sheer size of this book? Jesus H. Christ. And all its sequels! I have a friend who literally reads Outlander over and over. It's going to be a freaking show. I want to read this but it's such a huge commitment that I don't know if I'm willing to make.
Have you read any of these? Can you think of anything helpful that might help me make my decision, e.g. you LOVED it or you decided to bite the bullet and were disappointed? I'd love to know what your thoughts are on these books!
A.
The only book I've read on this list is The Selection. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it - but it is definitely dystopic, so I understand why you're hesitant to read it.
ReplyDeleteHallie @ Book by Book
I'm so glad to see I'm not alone with J.K. Rowling's non HP books! So many people have put them on their lists (including me) and it has brought me such relief!
ReplyDeleteCheck
out my TTT!
Katrina @ Chased
By My Imagination
I also added J.k. Rowling's book to my list! It just doesn't sound lilke it's for me and I'm too afraid it will tarnish my image of her writing if I end up hating it!
ReplyDeleteHere's My TTT
OMG I had no question over TCV and loved it so much. It's very life-like and sort of boring if you're expecting something HP-action-laden but it's good. It's got secrets and a sort of happy ending, and some dark humor as well. I really enjoyed it, and my mom did as well, which is saying a lot because she is all 'Ewww Rowling she wrote those Potter books (she's a Muggle and a half)' but I forced her to read it and she enjoyed it a lot. Try it. ;)
ReplyDeleteI also need to read Galbraith but my cousin who loved HP said it's not her thing. She's not really mystery fan so it might be that. I love mystery books so I hope to love them as much as her other stuff.
I still have to read Outlander because I feel left out but am excited for that one.
Selection though... I dislike reality TV and dgaf about Bachelor so I found it terrible. There's barely any dystopia and a rather lame love triangle in the series. I read 2 books and I probably won't finish the series. I gave both 2 stars because even though I found them lame I read them like in a day, almost. It reads super fast.
I read Just One Day over the summer, and like you, I had my reservations about it. Everyone else loved it, and I was almost convinced I would either hate it or just think it was okay. BUT I FELL FOR IT! I even cried a little -- I wasn't expecting to. This book is so much more than just romance. There is so much about life in it. I just can't even explain it. I think you should reconsider this one. :) I haven't read Forman's If I Stay series, and to be honest, I'm not interested in doing so. I should've added that one to my list! Darn. I want to see the movie, but I want to skip the books. Is that bad? lol Outlander is a commitment I'd never make. It's just wayyy too daunting of a task.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your picks! Thanks for visiting!
Marlene @ The Flyleaf Review
I can't decide whether I want to read the Selection Series either :(
ReplyDeleteJust One Day by Gayle Forman is much better than If I stay (from what I hear of course)
I recently picked up the whole uglies series as well and I can't make myself read it!
My TTT
Great list!! But please at least give Just One Day a try! It is so much better then If I Stay. It has more substance, more plot, and more character development than If I Stay. And I also like the romance better then the one in the If I Stay series even though the book is much more then just a love story.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you mean by the Selection! I haven't watch the Bachelor so I don't know if I like it or not, but I do know almost review I've seen for it the reviewer talks about how annoyed he/she was with America. I do not like books with annoying main characters in it.
my TTT
http://kimberlysnovelnotes.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-ten-tuesday-51.html
I found Miss Peregine's more charming than scary, it may be worth a try. I agree about Outlander, so many thousand page novels is really intimidating.
ReplyDeleteI haven't finished The Selection trilogy (yet), having only read the first book, but I will tell you two things that may or may not help you decide. (1) I don't like The Bachelor/Bachelorette at all but I enjoyed the book, even that aspect of it. I think what made it interesting for me was because it was required by the society. And I also really liked Prince Maxon, so that helped. (2) The dystopia element of the book is SUPER light. So if you're afraid of it because of that aspect, there's no real reason to be. Hope that maybe helps!
ReplyDeleteThe Cuckoo's Calling was on my TTT list this week as well! I find it hard to separate J.K. Rowling from her Harry Potter series, so I'm hoping that the genre is different enough that I'm not continually comparing the two.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Miss Perigrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It wasn't anything like what I expected but, from what I remember, the photographs were the creepiest part.
Happy reading! :)
I'm so surprised that someone else has Uglies on their list :) I felt like I was the only person who hadn't read it yet haha. I really loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but I know it's not for everyone. It's LONG and really, really dense. BUT... A Discovery of Witches is my all time favorite book (and series!!) other than Harry Potter. It's amazing... amazing... just... I can't describe haha.
ReplyDeleteI loved Uglies and The Selection. I kind of want to read Outlander, but I'll probably just watch the show.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually reading A Discovery of Witches now and while being only 20 pages in, I'm enjoying it already. I have a copy of Ransom Riggs's first book and I do find it creepy, at least the cover since I haven't started it yet. Thanks for stopping by my TTT :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Uglies. I mean, the first book was alright, but the series went downhill from there in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, some people love it.
I'm actually tempted by Just One Day for the opposite reason, I loved If I Stay, but I'm not much of a contemporary reader.
The Selection was amazing, I thought. The main character was a bit whiny and annoying at times, but I managed to love the series anyway.
I borrowed Miss Peregrine's from a friend, the only reason I haven't read it yet is because I haven't had time.
I've been wanting to read A Discovery of Witches since I discovered his existence...but I'm yet to see it at the library, so I haven't read it.
So, here's the thing about Casual Vacancy: I got about fifty pages into it and said I'd never read the rest. I just didn't love it. But then I talked to my friend about it and she said, 'Consider it a marathon for your mind. It's social commentary. Just let yourself be absorbed by all the people and their issues.' Once she put that light on it, I can't stop thinking about it. I'm finally moved in so I can go back to a library, and I plan to start at the very beginning and move on.
ReplyDeleteBecause, you know, I just don't have enough to read!
I tried both the Casual Vacancy and the Cuckoo's Calling. I got bored with them. But, they weren't bad. Casual Vacancy is just not my typical read. Cuckoo's Calling is, but I wasn't in the mood I guess. I'll give it another go, though. Just don't go in expecting HP and if you like those sorts of stories, you'll be fine.
ReplyDelete