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/Manga
People Insist I Should Read
Initial Thoughts:
The easiest copout of a list would have been in reference to last week’s theme [Top Ten Books I’m Not Sure I Want To Read] as they’re both almost the same topic (and I kind of do just that). This list contains content that I’ll probably end up reading/not reading despite all the hype and insistence.
But let’s take things back a second. A kind reminder that as much as you may love a book, over-hyping a book or series as the best read ever (or such variant) sometimes can detract one’s the willingness to read it and also sets the bar so high that even if it is good it may (or may not) be on the same perceivable level of good as the individual who recommended it. Then, it can be that the hype-r feels the “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did” (and hopefully not to the extreme of questioning the readers intelligence in reading–but I’mma just stop right there). Alternatively, the hype-e themselves can feel bad for not liking it as much as the one who recommended it and even though everyone can like/dislike what they enjoy–the fact that hype seemingly affects the read going forward is just derpy. That’s just my two cents–I know it’s all advertising in the end but just saying that books can often live and die with hype (or at least I think so anyways).
All book cover images link up to their respective Goodreads while the Manga’s don’t link up to anything at all.
A Song of Ice and Fire – GRRM
Here’s the problem: I peruse the westeros[dot]org forum when I get into broken-telephone conversations with my friend who has read the series. What does this mean? I read into the deets on theory crafting and I’m basically spoiling myself. I get that there’s so much detail left to be had if I actually tried to read the behemoths but I’m pretty content with the on-screen adaptation to even delve into the series.
Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling
This is where I lament [again] on the unlikely possibility of picking up the remainder of the series. The movies came at a time when I wasn’t completely enamoured with the point of reading; so I did read the first three novels (sparsely, during those youngin’ years), but the movies were so much more accessible and easier. Novel purists can comment but the result will still be the same: nope.
Anything John Green
Hi, I get it: everyone and their pet goldfish have probably recommended one of his reads to someone else and then through the “six-degrees of separation John Green”, I’m sure my grandparents have heard of Green. Well, maybe not my elders but perhaps one of yours. I’m not ruling out dabbling into anything he’s written but I guess I’m just uninterested at the moment with the offering.
Mistborn – Brandon Sanderson
There’s continual praise for this book from individuals who’ve told me to read it but I can’t help but think about how it feels almost Full Metal Alchemist meets Marvel in terms of the world and setting when I ponder delving into this read. Or maybe it’s just that the entire magical system is of a similar thread (but then again I guess you could also consider The Rithmatist to pull from it as well). Either way, I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy this series when I ever get a chance to read it.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz
And I quote from one of my friends on Goodreads, “No review I write could give justice to how amazing this book is. Just read it, guys.” Donezo. Though apparently most people who read this book have cried and the most recent book that I’ve read where people have apparently cried buckets was A Monster Calls (for which I didn’t cry or feel extremely sad over) but maybe I’m still searching for a book to deliver that…and maybe this one’s it.
Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
As a follow-up from last week: yes, this book is an iffy one. Maybe I just don’t get it at all; and maybe I just haven’t given it much of a chance to plow through the beginning (note: I’ve tried to read it twice already and not gonna lie…I fell asleep reading it). But people do love it and say the latter is amazing. And so I am torn.
The Maze Runner – James Dashner
Okay, I already know I wanted to (or have to) read this for quite some time and it’s getting pretty high up there to the top of my TBR pile (re: because movie) but there’s a few people that have urged me to read this as soon as possible (perhaps you can figure out who these people are in the blogosphere). And while there are some mixed opinions about the series as a whole…that movie trailer doe–gets me right in the excited feels every time I’ve watched it (and I’ve watched it countless times). Don’t worry: I-HAVE-ONE-MONTH-TODAY-TO-READ-IT-BEFORE-THE-MOVIE-COMES-OUT-OKAYBYE.
Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
A buddy of mine is still in the dumps (with feels and everything else) about this series so far and is reminding me to read it often. I feel like only polar opposite reactions justify this book: you either really enjoy it or you’re bashing it for all it’s worth. Like, there are literally 5-stars and 1-stars across the board. Mayhaps I will read it one day and smack on the 3-stars just so I can be different.
Manga
It seems to me like people want to get into reading more manga and comics but never know where to start. Here are some manga’s that I’ve been told to read and now I’m passing this information to you. (As a reminder, the images don’t link up anything–you’d be best Google-ing each yourself).
One Piece – Eiichiro Oda (Incomplete)
This has become a favourite among my friends who apparently get a lot of feels from this manga/anime. I think consideration to reading this is like giving Martin’s ASoIAF a read through—it’s extremely long. The art is something that might require getting used to for new readers as there’s a sense of quirk in the drawing that might not be for everyone. But since I’ve read (still reading) Fairy Tail, I’m pretty used to the art style.
[Gold Roger was known as the Pirate King, the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line. The capture and death of Roger by the World Government brought a change throughout the world. His last words before his death revealed the location of the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. It was this revelation that brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, men who dreamed of finding One Piece (which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame), and quite possibly the most coveted of titles for the person who found it, the title of the Pirate King.
Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies the standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the popular persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate who ransacks villages for fun, Luffy’s reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder; the thought of an exciting adventure and meeting new and intriguing people, along with finding One Piece. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach One Piece.]
One Punch Man – Murata Yuusuke (Incomplete)
Literally: “One punch man follows the life of an average hero who manages to win all of his battles with only one punch!”
I’ve been told to give this one a try and it sounded pretty ridiculous, funny, and action-y. So prior to finishing off this post, I gave the first chapter a try and it is indeed ridiculous. I’m still on a manga slump and considering that this isn’t completed yet, well, I’ll probably skip on it mainly because following manga weekly is already so tedious. Even the monthly releases are forgettable for me. Sad day.
Deadman Wonderland –
Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou (Complete)
This entry is a bit different—it’s something I’ve told myself to read when I still earnestly tried to keep up with manga and anime (of which I’ve had a semi-fallout with). I did start it when it first came out but have seen forgotten about it until this post. It’s good that this manga is completed with only 57 chapters (~spanning roughly 50-70 pages [I think] per chapter) which is pretty decent in length. There’s also an anime adaptation but I’m unsure how much of the manga is included in the show. Needless to say, I think I was basically enticed by the plot than anything else.
[The Great Tokyo Earthquake. Ten years ago, it destroyed lives as it tore buildings asunder. Among those who lived through the disaster was Ganta Igarashi, now a middle school student finally getting a footing in his own life… that is, until the day the ‘Red Man’ appears at his school and turns his world upside down again. Ganta’s entire class is brutally murdered, and although innocent of the crime, Ganta is sentenced to death and sent to the bizarre prison known as ‘Deadman Wonderland.’ There, a brutal game of survival begins, where Ganta must discover the truth behind his classmates’ murder. Can Ganta break out of Deadman Wonderland… or will it break him first?]
Shokugeki no Soma – Tsukada Yuuto & Saeki Shun (Incomplete)
This is another different one as this one was insisted by a friend for me to read and I basically caught up in a jiffy. Word of caution is to not read any of this on an empty stomach because there’s a variety of cuisine featured in this manga. While there are certain graphic drawings which epitomizes how people feel when they eat delicious food (basically a state of bliss) it’s all around decent young-adult-boarding-school-cooking action-manga. If you enjoy cooking (or eating) in any capacity, I’m sure you’d enjoy this too.
Yukihira Souma’s dream is to become a full-time chef in his father’s restaurant and surpass his father’s culinary skill. But just as Yukihira graduates from middle schools his father, Yukihira Jouichirou, closes down the restaurant to cook in Europe. Although downtrodden, Souma’s fighting spirit is rekindled by a challenge from Jouichirou which is to survive in an elite culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate. Can Souma survive?
Afterthoughts:
As a reminder, #BoutOfBooks is this week and so you should join by tomorrow night if you haven’t. That’s all. Back to reading. OKAYBYE.
Cheers,
Joey
thoughts and afterthoughts. 
This is a good list. A lot of the books on your are also in my TBR pile because I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. I definitely agree that you read John Green. I really love his books but the hype that is surrounding him right now is really annoying. Some people love him, some people not so much. But, I feel like his fans are trying to force him onto everyone else. The Fault In Our Stars is my personal favorite by him. Looking for Alaska is good, too. And, Paper Towns feels a lot like Looking for Alaska. I always tend to ramble in comments. Sorry so long!
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Sorry for the typos. Typing from my phone. 🙂
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Glad to hear that some people have insisted you read some of these novels as well! I’ll probably cave-in to reading Green eventually just to see what it’s about. Maybe pessimism will surprise me in the end! I love long comments and typos–don’t worry about it!
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One Piece does dish out lots of feels, enough that the anime has been a type of drug for my siblings and me. Obviously, the manga gives a more condensed story, and I’ve always liked how different the artwork had been from that typical CLAMP-y style. I should probably give the Fairy Tail manga a try since I liked the episodes I’d seen of the anime so far.
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I’ve been part of cosplay sewing sessions where they just had Luffy singing that song on Sky Island?! (I’m not even sure–haha!) All i hear are: “BOAT FEEEEELSSS”, “WHALE FEEEEEELSSSS”, it is apparently endless amounts of feels.
I watched Fairy Tail when it aired way back, and it was what got me into the manga (but I’ve taken a hiatus since) but it was pretty funny!
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Oh god, the random singing in that episode, lool.
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No matter how good a book is, not every reader will like it. I liked some John Green, less for the other books. I read manga, but sometimes I bog down in the number of books–I’ve started working on a Best Short Manga list I found on Goodreads, and found a couple I really enjoyed, though.
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Definitely true that not everyone will like it–and that’s okay! Manga’s are definitely hard to follow; especially if they’re monthly serialized releases. But like North American comics, there’s definitely something for everyone and I’m stoked that you found something to read.
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I’ve not started the One Piece manga yet but I love the anime! xD and I am one of those recommending Mistborn to you! I’m going to try and not over-hype it for you but it is a really enjoyble fantasy book!
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So I’ve heard! Perhaps I will one day just sit down and binge everything Sanderson–I’m sure you can’t go wrong! Annnnd my friend told me that my wedding present to him should be to read/watch One Piece. Haaaaaah, unlikely. 😀
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I really want to just binge-read Sanderson but still got way too many TBR books that don’t justify buying all the Sanderson books and reading them.
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And here I just found out Sanderon’s Stormlight Archive is a projected 10 book series. What a beastly fella. Now I’m questioning whether or not it’s smarter to binge 10k pages (if I ever read it) or read it while it comes out and suffer the wait (presumably not as long as individuals waiting for GRRM).
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Brandon Sanderson is normaly a year or two between sequels but Stormlight Archive is so big I think it had a 2 or 4 year break between the first and second book.
I think I’ll probs start that series as soon as I can, or when the third book is close to release… maybe haha I don’t know. Long Series are a picky thing when it comes to binging or waiting…. trilogies and short series I wait until all are out.
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Sanderson is just a crazy person…multitasking like 1000 things at once. But yeah, trilogy bingeing seems like the way to go for most people. I’ll probably end up starting/finishing Mistborn before I actually decide to venture into battle with the behemoths that is SA.
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Me too! Finally got the third book yesterday so I’m all ready to marathon the last two! =)
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I have nothing more to say other than read Deadman Wonderland. It’s brilliant and glorious and oh I can fangirl about it for hours. I watched the anime, and have been collecting the manga as soon as they’re released here.
One Punch Man is as ridiculous and amazing as it sounds.
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Ahhh–glad to hear that someone else has read/watched Deadman Wonderland! I’m just hoping that I’ll possibly get back into the groove of reading manga again (I’m probably only religiously following 2-3 mangas at the moment. And even then…I’m behind!)
I was just so amused that One Punch Man was bald. I died.
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Aristotle and Dante is such a beautiful story. It may not necessarily make you cry (I don’t think I did, actually) but it will evoke emotions and thoughts and feels. I would definitely recommend you giving it a try.
I haven’t tried to pick up Jellicoe Road yet, but I added it to my TBR because so many people love it. One day I’ll see if I am like them or more like you.
I started my first Manga series this year (Fruits Basket). But then I got distracted by school and other books and stopped after 7 or 8 (I don’t even remember). But I really do like the idea of manga, and I plan on reading more!
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Feeeeeeeels are the way to go! I have made so many promises that I’d get around to reading it and I think I will, soon, maybe, eventually! Well, if you do enjoy Jelly Road, I hope you can enjoy it for the both of us!
Manga’s can be easy reads. You can surely power through several hundred pages in a few hours and then tack it onto your #boutofbooks total pages! (It was my secret last time for increasing my page number hahaha).
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Aristotle and Dante, oh dear. I was told this book was literally life-changing, so I even bought it rather than borrow it. And I was…underwhelmed. Not that it didn’t have its merits (it’s still a 3 star read for me) but I felt like a lot of the reasons people praised it (the way it tackled sexuality, race, identity, etc) I had seen done fantastically well in adult fiction, so I wasn’t totally moved. Although I’ll admit it tackled a lot of heavier topics for being YA.
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Well at least now I know someone who didn’t enjoy Ari and Dante (you are indeed the 1% out of most that I know). But that’s okay. It’s the same with A Monster Calls, life-changing for others and I was just a blank slate when I finished it. To each their own, I guess! I honestly don’t know what to expect going into it aside from being told that there’s a rad bromance haha, but that’s about it!
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The thing with hype is sometimes overhype turns me off from a book. I think it has to do with being inundated by other people’s enthusiasm and it becomes hard to separate the merits of a book from this idealistic version its fans project. My solution to these books if I’m not sure is the library, because if it disappoints, I’m not throwing my money away.
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Right on the money with your comment! Libraries do seem like the way to go with hyped books, especially for those that are in genres that you don’t normally gravitate towards (well, at least that’s how it is for me).
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Wow, quite a list! Well, I won’t try to convince you to read the ones you’re avoiding (*cough* Harry Potter *cough*)… I also keep hearing that I should check out Mistborn and I haven’t yet, but who knows? It’s firmly on my “eventually” pile for the moment.
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The never-ending eventually pile; our best and worst friend.
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“…over-hyping a book or series as the best read ever (or such variant) sometimes can detract one’s willingness to read it and also sets the bar so high that even if it is good it may (or may not) be on the same perceivable level of good as the individual who recommended it.”
Ugh! Yes! I’ve deterred from so many major reads because of the “ove-hype,” and annoying fangirling ha ha! Fine, I’ll admit it, I’ve been guilty of this too; that being said, READ TFiOS! So good! XD
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I’m not even going to delve into the difference in fangirling/fanboying…it’s seriously night and day in my opinion LOL. It is likely that I’ll probably default to watching the TFiOS movie instead of reading it (I’m no YA contemporary connoisseur). It’s close enough since Green was involved (or so I heard) in the movie!
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I agree on the hype scenario. I myself am guilty of over hypeing a book I love sometimes. But when I don’t like a book I never bad talk it. What one person doesn’t like another may, just like what one may like another may not. Its all about opinions . & while I may be guilty of hypeing I try and never guarantee a book will be spectacular when just because it suites me doesn’t mean it will suite everyone.
Great list to! I want to read the GoT books, I just hope I can get through it after watching the show. It can be hard reading a book after watching the movie or show but I hear great things and I do love the show. I myself also enjoy John Green but I know some who don’t. With books like I said it’s all about opinion, and they vary so you can’t state them as facts 🙂
-Amanda @ Within Pages
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That’s definitely a fair statement! People will like what they like and that’s cool beans. It’s just when you come across those peculiar situations where some readers (or even the author) discredits a reader for not enjoying the book which I’m hoping happens less than I’ve seen. It kind of off-putting to think about though.
Ha, I truly applaud those have the propensity to read something (let alone GOT) after watching any show or movie. It’s hard for me to do it because the resolve in finding out how things unravel is lost (in my opinion) but hey, if you can do it, I’m all for cheering you on. If it’s GoT, I’ll just crawl back into my Westeros forum hole.
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I totally get you about John Green. So much hype. I do think you’d like Ari & Dante though!
I join you in your reluctance to read HP though many have tried to convince me!
Thanks for the manga recs! 🙂
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I hope I do enjoy Ari and Dante, if not for the content then for the bromance I’m told it has! While I might not be a HP reader, I’ll gladly binge watch all the movies over and over again (which is perplexing, I know!)
Do let me know if you need anymore manga recommendations. I definitely didn’t include many romance-oriented ones (although I know of some) into the list cause I’m not extremely-versed in that genre haha.
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The Maze Runner is really good! So was The Fault in Our Stars. I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan, but I thought the first three books were good. I’ve been meaning to read Mistborn lately, so maybe I’ll get around to that once I get my new Kindle (:
Great list!
Tori @ Bookish Affairs
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I’ve seen the trailer more times than I should have for someone who hasn’t read the novel yet! It is pretty exciting. I hope you enjoy Mistborn (or any other Sanderson work) if you get the chance!
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Yeah, I’m one of those rare bloggers that would recommend many other books over John Green. I don’t get the hype surrounding him. Oops! I mean, his books are okay, but I don’t think they’re amazing personally.
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Glad to hear your opinion on Green, Chrissi! Just don’t let the Nerdfighters catch wind of this!
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I cannot believe I’ve known you since High School and never known that you didn’t finish Harry Potter! Pshhh and you want to have a HP Marathon :P. Get onto reading it Joey. Lol okay I feel better about you have mixed feels about Jellicoe Road as well. It’s such a favourite with a lot of people.Under normal circumstances I would probably tell you to read John Green, but I won’t now. It’s funny because when I read LFA I LOVED it as you know, but I worry that if I were to go back and read it I’ll probably just want to fling that book across my room. Not that my room is actually big. I don’t know man, I’m scared to recommend books to you since we seem to have opposite responses to a lot of them-so I don’t know how you’d feel about Aristotle and Dante.
Lol my brother is a One Piece fan! I personally don’t see the appeal, but that’s probably a personal thing. What I do want to read/watch is Psycho Pass though. Okay I’m going to stop so you can spam me on fb later.
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HELLO SAVINDI.
The HP marathon does not require me to read. It is therefore the easier choice LOL. I think I have decided that I am too hip for you and you are an old lady because your recommendations (yes, I’m basing it off of one book) to me is questionable at best.
My friend (Christina, if you know) cosplayed Psycho-Pass. I’m pretty sure I have the entirety of the anime somewhere buuuuuut you know me and my anime/manga hiatus (or maybe you didn’t but now you know).
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It’s a shame you have no interest in Harry Potter but I totally get it. Some books just don’t do it for us! Aside from HP I’ve only read the first Game of Thrones book (and loved it!) and a couple of John Green books (also loved them!) I worried about the hype surrounding Green but his stories are worth it! He is really good at entertaining the reader!
Happy Reading!
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To each their own in the end! I’ve heard that he’s a cool (and entertaining) fella on the Tubes but I think his books just might not be for me at this time. I’m not a contemporary YA go-getter so perhaps it may find me when I least expect it!
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Oh man, I used to be all about One Piece back in the day, but I fell of the wagon a few years back and now there’s so much material I haven’t read that it just seems overwhelming. Deadman Wonderland sounds good, plus it’s short, so maybe I’ll give that one a shot.
Thanks for checking out my TTT!
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I know how you feel! It’s kind of difficult to keep up weekly/monthly with manga (let alone anime). Yeah, Deadman is less than 60 volumes so it’s very bingeable.
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I guess you’re right about Harry Potter.
I really loved reading the series when I was still a kid,but I would have not enjoyed it at 20 and especially when the movies are out and spoilers are all over the net.
As for The Fault in Our Stars and anything else by John Green,you know what I think about them!
As for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,the title and the cover totally put me off !
And if you intend to read One Piece! Good Luck!
It’s unbelievably long! 😉
On the other hand,The Maze Runner looks interesting enough for me to give it a chance! I heard good things about it!
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Haha, are you a One Piece follower yourself? It’s hard to find the willpower to go through all those chapters even if the feels are there!
I’m interested in how you’ll end up feeling about The Maze Runner! I feel as though you’re a classy guy who doesn’t often read into much young-adult content; or perhaps I’ve just never see your read-pile. In either case, I hope you don’t take that classy comment the wrong way–it’s definitely a compliment!
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Yesss, read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe!! It made me tear up but it’s actually not SAD… aaand well, I would like to see the song you would pair it up with 😉
(Your choice for A Monster Calls was perfect.)
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One day for sure. I’ve made the promise to so many people and I gotta follow through with it now. I’m glad the music selection worked–I actually had to talk to Savindi about it because I always seem to stretch the song-meaning to fit whatever I want it to fit.
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I enjoy John Green’s books a lot, but I don’t consider them as “must reads”. I do love and absolutely rec Aristotle and Dante.
I couldn’t get through the first couple of chapters of Maze Runner but liked the movie, and I doubt I will ever read ASoIaF or One Piece even though everyone’s been recommending them to me. (I did watch the first 70 episodes or so of the One Piece anime, and I read the ASoIAF chapter-by-chapter readalong on Tor.com, which is enough for me.) I love food manga in general, but couldn’t finish the first volume of Shokugeki no Soma – this is probably down to personal taste, since my favourite food manga are Shinya Shokudo and Kino Nani Tabeta?.
I’ve read and re-read the first four HP books, and don’t consider the remaining books worth rereading. I really think the movies are better for books 5 to 7.
I may read the Mistborn books one day, because I liked The Rithmatist and everyone tells me to read it, but I’m not sure when “one day” is. The same goes for Rothfuss. And Jellicoe Road.
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