Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. I thought this would be a fun way to share a condensed version of potential rambles and thoughts that I have.
This Week’s Theme:
Top Ten Books I’m Not
Sure I Want To Read
Initial Thoughts:
Doesn’t this topic basically cover every single book you come across? Anyways, these are some titles that just came to me on a whim. And by all means: if you can hard-sell any of the listed books to change my mind then that will be major cool points for you!
If I Stay (Gayle Forman) / The Fault in our Stars (John Green)
So I’m not going to pretend that I know what happens in the meat of either novel because I don’t—I only know of the gist of certain events that happen and the ending for both. It just probably isn’t my type of read, and so, I’ll probably watch the movies instead just to see why it’s being so hyped (yes, you don’t have to tell me the movie isn’t a supplement).
Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
I did start this novel once earlier this year. I also tried to continue it a few months back but it just read too slow for me. My bad?
Four – Veronica Roth
A part of my enjoyment of this trilogy died while being in Four’s head during Allegiant. Like, seriously, he was just so…no, I can’t…else I’ll go on an extremely long rant.
A Song of Fire and Ice – GRRM
I’m sure you all know how I feel about behemoth reads and my amazing non-existent attention span. I’ve already skimmed all the important stuff that I need to know about (so basically…anything Gendry + Arya). Boop boop. I guess I can wait for the rest in the show despite its deviations LOL.
The 100 – Kass Morgan
I won’t say I hate the television show adaptation because it’s still very watchable but on review of some opinions of the book, I think the series takes the romantic angle to new heights where-as the show so far allowed the 13 episodes to build the world necessary for the concept to work. Though I’m hoping this show lasts way longer than Terra Nova (which I guess it already has being at 13-eps) but then again you know how it is with CW Network.
Tangled – Emma Chase
(I know, I had to double take this too when I scroll reviewed this post.)
I don’t know when or if I will at all but after the discussion I posted last week (link here: [He Said, She Said] – Let’s Get It On: Sex In Fiction), perhaps I will read this in response to the lacking male-oriented POV in New Adult novels. So thanks to Miguel @ The Quirky Reader for telling me about this. But then again…I’m doubtful. (I’m not sure I can make it out of the library or store with it. All hail epubs.)
The Truth About Alice – Jennifer Mathieu
Hello ARC that I just impulse clicked Read Now when it was available and have yet to read/review. Now, I’m sure there is power when dealing with so many teenage social issues (my main concern being slut shaming, abortion, and bullying) but man I don’t know if I’ll be able to enjoy it for its value. Why am I so trigger happy?!
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) – Mindy Kaling
I love Mindy Kaling (or Lahiri) as a personality. But I guess I’ve never given much thought to reading into an auto-bio memoir. If anything, I guess this would be a good entry book into the genre.
The Word Exchange – Alena Graedon
I initially wanted to read this because it sounded like a variant to Max Barry’s Lexicon. But when I re-read the synopsis recently, it felt like an entirely different novel than what I thought. And now I’m iffy (not even regarding the questionable rating on Goodreads).
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Me and historical fiction don’t usually get along. Although I think it’s my own reservations of the genre as I’ve never really given it much of a chance. But maybe I’ll remedy this when I read Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See that’s just chilling on my shelf (it was an impulse buy because it was on sale. Le sigh.)
The Program – Suzanne Young
So I wasn’t super interested in the premise at all but I purchased it because the hardcover was $2 Canadian and the fact that I knew from skimming blogs/goodreads that people quite enjoyed this book. But now this book is also chilling on my shelf and I’m like unsure if/when I will ever get to reading it. Derp.
Afterthoughts:
At first, I wasn’t going to attempt this topic on the belief that every single potential read will go through this “to read or not to read” question. But the list came pretty easy to write and I was too lazy to adapt this into something else. So I hope you enjoy the read!
It would also be cool if you could let me know how easy the top-ten banner is in terms of legibility. Harsh criticisms accepted–much appreciated!
Cheers,
Joey
thoughts and afterthoughts. 
A close friend super-recommended The Fault in Our Stars knowing that it wasn’t my cup of tea, giving me the “omg it will change your life” and “it’s so sad but so sweet” and the yadda yadda, full-on YA romance pitch. So I read it because it was important to her that I did (I’m SUCH a good friend…lol). Not necessarily bad, and IMO, over-hyped, but to me it was like reading a script from a really tragic episode of Dawson’s Creek (which I happened to watch and like when I was, like, 12 or something). If that even counts as a decent comparison–if not, sorry, I’m a 90’s kid, that’s what I watched.
And A Song of Ice and Fire (along with like…90 percent of high fantasies, lol) takes much fortitude and much meandering through other books, so yeah, plow on forth with the show XD. Though I will say you’re not missing much past book 3 from what I can tell.
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I wasn’t a Dawson’s Creek follower myself but at least I know of it haha (for all I know, 90’s kids are the golden age with the original run of the power rangers, buffy, and breaker high. no judgment.)
My friend was basically the opposite and transparently laid it all out for me in both fault/if i stay. I guess it didn’t help that I kept probing for questions as to what happened (and maybe I do have a slightly biased view) but after reading that buzzfeed article on fault = a walk to remember; I was pretty set on not reading it (although I wouldn’t mind watching it…even if I’m weirded out that Woodley is secretly in some awkward love-dodecahedron with all of her male costars).
I most certainly just have difficulties in broken telephone when I talk to friends who have read the novels and want to theory craft haha.
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Yeah, Fault can = A Walk to Remember, but I’d probably put Fault at a higher rating than anything Nicholas Sparks (that’s a whole different rant altogether). Still, I did watch Walk to Remember solely for Shane West. *cough*
I probably would watch the Fault movie, just ’cause.
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If you liked Four in books 1 and 2, apparently he reverts to his old self in the book titled Four, so might be worth him redeeming himself??
Hahah! I LOVE that Tangled is on here – major possibility!!
I started The Book Thief, then CoHF came out, I got side-tracked and I haven’t made it back just yet. But from the quarter I have read, it’s a VERY interesting read and I’m looking forward to finishing it!
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It’d make sense for Four to be his book 1/2 self since I think the first 3 novellas take place before the start of Divergent. The only way I’d read the stories if somehow, someway Uriah (in novella 4 only) and Zeke are featured somehow (those who I dub the cool kids club).
I threw Tangled into this list as it easily came to mind I guess. (Am i the only one who keeps imagining the Disney Tangled every time I see this book name…)
Book Thief is a pretty big question mark for me. More power to those who enjoy reading it but I’m definitely not about forcing myself to read things even if hype dictates otherwise.
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Oh, and for the banner, I LOVE it. Only rec is that the background image is faded somehow a little more? Just so your lettering stands out a little.
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Noted. Maybe I’ll make a more radical change later but my eyes started hurting from staring at the pixels for so long and I just made a rough edit on it (maybe I was also a tad lazy as well). OH WELL, I’m sure the adjustment makes it pop out more now though.
Thanks for the input.
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I can’t get enough of Melina Marchetta. The woman is a literary goddess in my eyes. I really hope you’ll give it one more go, as Jellicoe Road is brilliant as brilliant novels go. I know it’s a bit slow in the beginning but damn. It’s so worth it. No pressure. 🙂
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Ahhhhh I feel bad for not enjoying it as much as everyone else seems to enjoy it haha. But it is certainly the trouble of getting past that initial hurdle of slow pacing–I was pretty much easily side-tracked into other things while reading it :(. Maybe thirds time a charm though!
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I was the exact same way with The Book Thief. I bought it on impulse and it had been sitting on my shelf for months before I actually picked it up. It’s so good though, you definitely should read it. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a pretty slow build up, but it was well worth it, in my opinion at least!
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Ahhhh–it’s the slow pacing in opening exposition stuff that is usually the difficult aspect for me to get through in most cases (and I guess it doesn’t help that it’s historical fiction as well!) Perhaps I will save this for one day when I level up in that genre before I tackle it (or maybe I’ll just cop-out and watch the movie).
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I thought the Program was interesting, but it was too much of a love story for my liking. It is not what I expected at all. I also felt let down by TFIOS and am frankly getting annoyed with all the recent hype.
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Yeah, the synopsis does actually scream a lot of romance. Damn being blinded by sales. Lesson learned, I guess. Were you let down because you’ve read other books by Green or was it just from the sheer hype of everyone and their grandmothers basically insisting that it’s the best book of the century (well, that could be a stretch)?
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I mean I have read Looking For Alaska and it is one of my favorite books, but TFIOS just didn’t do it for me. The hype had a lot to do with it, but the story was predictable and fell kind of flat. I am not saying that the topic wasn’t meaningful and such it just didn’t really have anything that was unique or stuck out for me.
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That’s fair. I’ve been told by various individuals that Looking for Alaska is the go-to Green novel that I should invest in (there’s obvious bias in that statement haha). So I guess we’ll see where the cards fall and what I end up reading (though, I know for a fact I’ll probably opt for the movie version of Faulty fault than the book. Because reasons.)
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I’m one of those that doesn’t really rate The Fault In Our Stars. I mean, it’s okay, but it’s not an amazing read for me! Over-rated!
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I guess that means I’m not insane for feeling like the 1% who may end up disliking it! (If I even get that far to picking up the read that is..)
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Oh I loved Tangled. 5 star read for me. Agreed with your choice of the 100, the book thief, the fault in our stars and game of thrones.
I have them all, but sure if i’ll ever get around to reading them. Maybe one day
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Someone should write a nonfiction work about the life of a reader/blogger and call it “maybe one day” the slogan of the century for our kind–because I’m sure everyone basically (secretly) TBRs everything haha.
I’m definitely surprised to see Tangled winning that Goodreads accolade. I guess that means there’s something worth buying into as a male-pov NA, but you know, maybe one day.
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Haha,The Fault in Our Stars seems over-hyped! Even the movie apparently is; I mean,8.3 (at one point,even 8.8) on IMDB! You know what kind of persons watched this movie and rated it so high!
I wanted to read The Book Thief as well,but that was until a friend told me the book might just be as overrated as TFOS.
Mindy Kaling’s book seems nice,and I like her personality,but I don’t think I’ll actually pick her book; I already have so much to read…
After watching Breaking Bad,I’m not so much interested in Game of Thrones any more.And even before that I had no intention to read the books.They are all so huge!
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That’s interesting! I wonder how Sparks’ A Walk to Remember fairs in comparison. But you know how it is with big blockbusters and the hype train. Everyone and their pets have purchased a ticket to view the spectacle!
I’m curious as to why you’re no longer interested in GoT due to Breaking Bad! Was it a time-investment issue or something rooted in the writing?
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First of all, I love the banner.
Second of all – PLEASE, oh please read Tangled. Just so I can see you review it and give your thoughts about it, because I’m pretty sure it would be epic.
I enjoyed that one, btw. But I am all about the smutty romance.
I’m with ya on TFIOS. I think I’ll pass and just see the movie. I liked If I Stay, but can’t remember much about it…so didn’t leave a lasting impression on me.
Historical fiction is not my thing, either. I’ve gone back and forth on trying The Book Thief and I will probably never take the plunge. Unless my tastes magically change sometime, and I doubt it.
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Happy to hear that the banner worked for you!
Ohhh man, I can’t even begin thinking how I would feel about Tangled. When I first read the synopsis I was throwing around judgment like a crazy person already. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I actually tried to sit down and rationalize things through (but then what if I end up enjoying it?!)
I can definitely see myself just watching the movies instead (I mean, when my friend told me about the basics of If I Stay, I immediately had red signals in my head that question why she doesn’t just decide to “stay” immediately (I mean, who wants to die…?!) and save readers the trouble of 200 pages. But you know, back story and stuff. So I digress.
I think the problem with historical fiction for me is my experience with long expositions and the slow pacing that I can’t seem to buy into. But then again, I get easily distracted so it could just be me!
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I did read If I Stay and I felt it was a nice book, but with the movie coming up I’m on the fence about it. There is a second book in the series if I’m not mistaken, and I personally wasn’t happy with the ending of the first, so I will not read the sequel and will treat If I Stay as a standalone. It’s a good book and I feel like the trailer of the movie so far doesn’t bring the story as much. That might just be me, though.
I myself am also busy reading the Game of Thrones series, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m behind on the show with my reading and that’s kind of put me off. You personally say that you don’t really feel much for historical fiction — I actually love historical fiction, but I can’t seem to like war-related books, which is why I haven’t read The Book Thief either. Maybe in the future, but for now, no.
Great list, awesome read.
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That’s a fair take on If I Stay. I’m personally just jaded by what I’ve read about the novel to really buy into the experience I guess. The trailer definitely got bonus points from me for using Say Something as the accompaniment song (although, I 100% would have been sold on the movie if they used Pentatonix’ cover of Say Something instead. But hey that’s just me).
Haha, I couldn’t really tell you why I’m not ecstatic about picking up or finishing a historical fiction read. Maybe it’s an acquired taste that I’ll learn to enjoy over time. Baby steps for me (which I’m not sure if that would include reading The Book Thief or not!)
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Gosh, you have an excellent selection! You have to read TFIOS if you haven’t already; especially if you haven’t seen the movie yet! I’m anxious to get my hands on The Book Thief; will probably be my next read for sure 🙂
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Speaking truthfully, it’s highly likely that I’ll end up watching the movie before reading the book on the basis that I gotta get myself excited for the read by proxy of the film–well, that’s the idea anyways. I wouldn’t normally pick up TFiOS otherwise cause it’s not something that I’d be really interested in reading into (unless it was an ARC that I had to spoon-feed myself…but even then..)
I do hope you enjoy The Book Thief when you get a chance to read it–it sounds like you’re excited to read it!
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I was really excited when I started If I Stay and then it was over. And I was just over there like seriously that’s it. Like am I missing chucks of the book? There was literally no point to the novel. No climax, resolution, na-da. Just her.
It was just a montage of her life. And frankly she’s not very interesting.
(But I’m looking forward to the movie, just the trailer alone was more entertaining than the book. To be honest.)
I agree with the whole historical fiction thing. I can never finish them. I either fall asleep or end up getting distracted with another book I want to read.
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I’m pretty jaded in terms of what I think about If I Stay, but when I was told about it, I essentially questioned why she didn’t just save the reader 200 pages and just “go back/stays” without all the fuss LOL.
I wish the trailer used Pentatonix’ cover of Say Something instead of the original. It’s so much more feels and I’d imagine fit the movie better. But I’m biased I guess.
Ditto to how you feel about historical fiction–slow pacing is usually the downfall for me in most cases.
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I had the same thoughts about Four in Allegiant, but it was done so much better in Four…It made me remember why I loved Divergent so much.
I enjoyed The Program, but it was really horrible and depressing (but in a good sort of way, so I still enjoyed reading it).
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A good kind of depressing is always a highlight for many dystopian reads! I think I’m iffy on it because the face-value screams a lot of romance-driven plot for me. So, from that angle: I’m not too sure haha.
For Four, I think the hope is that he was written in the Pre-Divergent-ish mentality, so I’m glad it was realized that way. I’ll definitely have to see how I feel about it in a few months time when the bookstore-hype dies down. I swear all the stores I go to push the sale of Four. They put copies in the adult literary fiction aisle and I had to double take haha.
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I really don’t know if I want to read If I Stay either. I have one person recommending it to me as e best book ever, and another who absolutely hated it. Again, not sure about Four short story collection thingie, because Allegiant’s alternate perspective’s put me off too. And you lucky bugger! I’ve been dying to get my hands on The Truth About Alice!!
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Hype and mixed reviews will definitely cause for some troubles in deciding whether or not to read it!
I’ve been told through comments that Four reverts back to his “old (Divergent or pre-Divergent) self” which would make sense as the novellas span four different time periods. I’d really hate to see if Allegiant-Four was the true Four LOL. It would certainly make for a whiny, and depressing read.
I’m not even sure if I still have an active eARC for Alice (it might have expired haha). But I think I’m definitely next time just going to consider siphoning off ARCs that I can’t make time to read off to willing bloggers/readers. (Although I wonder if I’ll run into piracy concerns in doing that ahhh).
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If you decide to give Mindy Kaling’s book a shot, listen to the audiobook. She reads it. It’s an easy way into the genre. I went through a memoirs phase a couple years ago. I decided to stop because most of them were so varnished.
I loved The Book Thief, but it is certainly slow and exposition.
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Neat–I didn’t think of the audio version. That’d probably make things a heck of a lot easier! I think I’d find myself easily distracted with slow and exposition-y writing. But I guess we’ll see if I ever decide to read it.
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I didn’t think I was going to enjoy The Truth About Alice when I first read about it. But I think the book is pretty awesome. I am going to try my hardest to convince you to read this. I don’t know how or when, but I will make some sort of presentation! I don’t even care about the other books, this one is one I think you should def pick up!
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Haha, glad to hear it’s a book you’re motivated in spreading the word on. It definitely sounds like one of those dark toughies to read into; and this is compounded by the fact that I’m not a super go-getter for contemporary YA fiction anyways. But the topics it delves into certainly makes for an interesting table topic discussion! So like all of them…I guess we’ll see where my TBR pile takes me!
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Yeah, I also have Game of Thrones on my list and apart from that and The Book Thief I haven’t read the others. The Book Thief is good but you want to pick it up in the right frame of mind.
Nice banner.
Lynn 😀
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Yeah I’m definitely not sure when I’ll get into the groove of enjoying historical fiction but I’m not ruling out the possibility!
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Hmm, I think you would enjoy The Word Exchange. I liked both TWE and Lexicon, but yeah they are not similar. At all. Word Exchange is more Alice in Wonderland-like…
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Well that’s a bummer (but then again, I also don’t think I’m extremely familiar with the Alice in Wonderland story…aha, oops)
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