2015, meme, top ten tuesday

[Top Ten Tuesday] – #67 – Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Yet To Read

62 Comments

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.

thoughtsandafterthoughts_toptentues_banner_final_b

This Week’s Theme:
Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Yet To Read

Initial Thoughts:

What a silly (and easy) topic to write about. I am forever notorious as the one who has not read the hyped about books. But instead of me listing Harry Potter (which I dropped for the films) or Red Queen (which I will read this summer), let me try to find some hyped books I haven’t talked about in a while. Doesn’t it also feel like we’ve visited this topic many times before this? Jokes on you–it’s because I read slow enough that these lists continue to transfer over.

The titles listed are ones that I found myself hyping up [to myself] more than what the community has encouraged. I’d want to read about many of these sooner (than later) but you know how it is with being a perpetual mood reader.

Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel

I think this book is on the same level of “I should read it” as Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. It’s one of those books that sparks that magical intrigue where I wonder if I’m ready to tackle the world before me. Not to mention that it’s in a genre that I adore so it’s even more wtf that I haven’t decided to pick it up. Wait, I know the reason: my wallet validates getting 3-4 books for one copy of Station Eleven. Yes, that is the reason.

station eleven - emily st. john mandel - book coverOne snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur’s chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Bird Box – Josh Malerman

I really wanted the hardback of this (I’m a hardback snob—obviously, Summer/XingSings said so) but the ones on discount at the moment are the softcovers. Ugh, what to do. Otherwise, it sounds right up my alley.

josh malerman - bird box book coverFive years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat–blindfolded–with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

The Girl With All The Gifts – M. R. Carey

m.r. carey - the girl with all the gifts (cover)I was pretty intrigued with this one. Then a few months later the power of Goodreads shelving hit me in the face. It’s like that feeling when you’re searching something on Google/Tumblr and you come across a slight spoiler. Though I’ve heard that it gets introduced pretty early on—the interest doesn’t feel the same. (Mainly because I was perhaps hoping for it to be not what it turned out to be, if that makes sense?)

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas

Okay, I get it. All you readers and your Throne of Glass flailing—surely you can sto—no? Okay, continue on. But really, I think I’d be more willingly to read this than other series that I’ve either tried or have little interest in (e.g. Lunar Chronicles, The Raven Cycle).

throne of glassAfter serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Endgame – James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton

I read like 2-3 chapters in the store but decided I could wait until I found it discounted. That time has come (it’s like $7 now on BookOutlet—though, I can see myself waiting a bit longer). There was no urgency to play for the interactive grand prize of $500,000 since a) isn’t the Caesers casino the prize is hosted in going bankrupt b) the puzzle will probably span the trilogy. No rush indeed.

endgame - james frey (cover)Twelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played. A game that would determine our future. For ten thousand years the lines have existed in secret. The 12 original lines of humanity. Each had to have a Player prepared at all times. They have trained generation after generation after generation. In weapons, languages, history, tactics, disguise assassination. Together the players are everything: strong, kind, ruthless, loyal, smart, stupid, ugly, lustful, mean, fickle, beautiful, calculating, lazy, exuberant, weak. They are good and evil. Like you. Like all.

 Snow Like Ashes – Sara Raasch

First it was the cover. (It’s a solid cover.) Then it was the blurb. (It’s an intriguing concept.) Then it was a year of “maybe/maybe not”. Now the sequel is coming out in Fall and I’m still rolling around unsure if I want to read it.

snow like ashes - sara raasch - book coverSixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since. Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

Half A King – Joe Abercrombie

How is it that it feels like last week that I actually wanted to read this first book (after binge watching an entire season of Game of Thrones)? Then this week, it feels like the entire series has been released. What the heck? So fast!

joe abercrombie - half a king (cover)Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand. Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge. Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.

NOS4A2 – Joe Hill

NOS4A2 - joe hill - book coverWhat an interesting premise…but the length, oh my goodness the length! (Okay, it’s not 1k+ pages but anything skyward of 500 is bananas.)

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Never, Never – Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher

never never - colleen hoover and tarryn fisherHa. Ha. Hahaha. Yeah. This book was both hyped by myself and the powers of several bloggers since it was some wombo combo of Hoover and Fisher that was surely to be a New Adult experience that [I would guess] leans less on the romance aspect that comes with so many NA.

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. Complete strangers since this morning. He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

I’ll Give You The Sun – Jandy Nelson

For the most part, it seems like everyone and their pets have read this book and enjoyed it—or at least in the tiny community I know of. I don’t usually read reviews for books prior-to but I did for IGYTS. I know I shouldn’t judge the merits of the writing without having experienced it myself but you know what so many comments reminded me of? The hype for We Were Liars. And I loathed WWL. So, yeah, the uncertainty is real.

I'll give you the sun - jandy nelson - book coverJude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Afterthoughts:

I really could have kept going with this list but I shall end it here.

Cheers,
Joey

connect: afterthoughtAn // twitter  |  anotherafterthought // goodreads

thoughtsandafterthoughts-signature-625x200

62 thoughts on “[Top Ten Tuesday] – #67 – Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Yet To Read”

  1. I also read We Were Liars and was not impressed. I liked I’ll Give You the Sun but I didn’t love it like so many other readers did. And I couldn’t understand the hype for Throne of Glass because I didn’t like it at all. There are so many other better fantasy titles out there.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Throne of Glass – read the first book and I didn’t really get why everyone loved it so much. For me personally, it didn’t start getting good until 250 pages in. I do want to eventually read the second book (not in any rush) to see if it gets any better. But the first book was just…boring the majority of the time. The last 150 pages was where it all was at.

    Endgame – this was a DNF book for me. I read probably 30-40% (I have the e-book) and I was just so bored. It was also so confusing, because there are so many perspectives and it constantly switched back and forth throughout the book…so keeping up with who everyone was is pretty crazy! I maybe listen to the audiobook, just so I can get it finished.

    I have I’ll Give You The Sun, Never Never, and Snow Like Ashes on my TBR, but haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. I added it to my TBR more so because of the book cover is totally awesome! I’m not in any rush to read it though, lol.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Oooh. Your Throne of Glass comment tells me more than I need to know as it relates to pacing and exposition. I’ll keep that in mind!

      Yeah, I couldn’t really get into it (Endgame) when I was reading it in the store because every chapter was someone new? I think I’m guilty of wanting to read it to solve the puzzle than being extremely intrigued by the premise.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. The fact that every chapter of Endgame was someone else, it just got way too confusing for me! I wanted to love it so much, but just wasn’t happening. The puzzle aspect of it sounds awesome though.

        Like

        Reply

  6. Throne of Glass was awful for me — finished at 20% very annoyed. I think the hype train killed it for me. And Half a King was fine. I don’t think I will continue on with the series, but it was written well just didn’t grab me.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Just another voice of “Throne of Glass was meh” to encourage me to want to read it even more (how does that work?!). I remember skimming part of your review for Half a King…a year ago-ish. Perhaps that was the peak of my wanting to read it. Time be flyin’.

      Like

      Reply

  8. Many of these books are on my TBR too, although I’ve read both Station Eleven and Bird Box. Both are very good books.

    Like

    Reply

  9. How much begging will it take to get you to read Never Never? No, seriously.

    Throne of Glass and Red Queen would have made the top of my list. I won’t read ToG yet! Not until the entire series is out. No matter how many times Rachel tries to talk me into it.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Yes. But, in my defense, ACOTAR does not have a cliffhanger ending. I hear Throne is wicked cliffy and I hate that.

        Like

        Reply

    1. Duly noted.

      And I hope you do get a chance to read Station Eleven. I think I’ll probably kick myself in the butt for waiting so long before reading SE (whenever I do). I mean, just looking at the list of genres + the blurb–it has everything that I think I’d enjoy. Ugh.

      Like

      Reply

  12. BIRD BOX! I’ve heard seriously good stuff about it from the folks over at Book Riot. And HOW CAN I FORGET I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN? Ugh. But we share two titles and if you include HP, that makes it three. I’m interested to know, though, when will we be able to bust down this list.

    PS. So, has the price for Red Queen gone down yet?

    Like

    Reply

    1. LOL I HATE YOU FOR MENTIONING THE PRICE. WHY WOULD YOU MENTION THE PRICE? ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE CANADIAN DOLLAR KEEPS GOING DOWN NOOOOOO.

      I honestly think if I hauled Bird Box, it’d rise to the top of my TBR pile (after-or-during other reading commitments). It sounds incredibly well paced and short–like two of my favourite things!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. LOL. Whenever RQ goes on sale at my local bookstore. I am going to snap a picture and tweet it to you. And then tell other bloggers that see it on sale to do the same. The influx of those should be an incentive for you to sit down with it sooner.

        Nah, dis is too much work. But you really do have a time limit to make your impulse buy worthwhile.

        Like

        Reply

  13. Throne of Glass, and Snow Like Ashes are necessary. Seriously. Do it, Joey, please do it. If you’re really unsure, go to a library so you don’t have to fret about wasting your hard earned cash. I’m really excited to hear your opinions on Red Queen! I feel like I will read The Girl With All The Gifts, eventually. I haven’t read anything on this list besides ToG and SLA. Lol. I probably never will, either. I’m not all that interested in the Lunar Chronicles either, I was at one point. Now, I’m not. Have you read Maggie Stievater? (Is that even her first name) I haven’t, and don’t plan to either due to some sheer disrespect to teenagers…but I’m curious about your opinion on her novels if you have!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Here is where you find out that I rarely borrow books from the library. I’ll go through their purge sales and buy books from them. But borrowing? I don’t do it often (if ever).

      Red Queen was pretty high on my to-read this summer…but then I got ARCs and that changed the order. But reading it this summer is still the plan (I’ll try, at least).

      I read like 2 chapters of The Raven Boys on recommendation. I just couldn’t get into it. Then I went to get her 3rd book (Blue Lily, Lily Blue) signed at a convention and she asked me if I read anything of hers and I was like “….nope *laughs*” How awkward.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Oh, wow! That’s interesting. I guess you don’t have the time to read it by the return date? Yes, this frequently happens with the TBR. And, I actually LOL’d. I would’ve just ended up laughing until I coughed, slowly shaking my head no. Awkward, indeed.

        Like

        Reply

  15. Endgame has been on my radar and the fact that it was criticized by nearly everyone before its release because everyone thought it sounded like The Hunger Games made me want to read it anyway just because I hate when people prejudge books, but I’ve forgotten about it. Shame on me, I should probably get my hands on it soon.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I share the same sentiments with you when people throw star-ratings around months/years before the release as if it’s meaningless. Pretty sure you can make negative remarks without officially rating the book. Le sigh. But I too gravitate towards books with plenty of hate. I don’t know why either.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  16. I think you should still read The Girl with All the Gifts. I thought it was really well written and even if you know the spoiler, there’s way more to the book than that.
    Oh, and hurry up and read Never Never. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  17. Get on I’ll Give You The Sun right this minute!! And I didn’t know you hadn’t read Harry Potter either, you and ‘Lumi’ have some serious catching up to do. But otherwise, I’m the same as you for the rest of these books so that puts me back in my place.
    PS. I wouldn’t give up on the Lunar Chronicles too soon but that’s just me.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I read up to Chamber of Secrets then the life of gaming started to amp up and I went with the movies instead LOL. Sooo I probably won’t ever read it (because it’s not the same once you know of what happens–for the main story arc!)

      I think with Cinder, I’m just not that big of a fan with retellings. Maybe I just need to gain more traction with experiencing more but I feel at times once you’ve experienced one, you’ve experienced them all? That does sound quite ignorant though…

      Like

      Reply

      1. No! Never say never Joey, you’re hurting my feelings… 😦 Well at least you watched the movies.
        And trust me, Cinder is as original as they come.

        Like

        Reply

  19. Had to laugh about the Throne of Glass selection mainly cause I’m one of those who was swept away by the hype and fell hard for the series. But yeah, fans can be pretty obnoxious sometimes. Great list.

    Like

    Reply

  20. Nice list! I’ve just got Station Eleven out the library (it’s much cheaper that way!) and I’m very excited to read it! I read The Girl With All The Gifts a while ago and went into it not knowing the thing I think you’re talking about and came away with mixed feelings – it might be better to read it knowing that before. A lot of the others on your list are on my TBR. Also, the Harry Potter books are better than the films – I’d definitely recommend!

    Like

    Reply

  21. Station Eleven is on my list too! I was just at the bookstore like, an hour ago and was so close to picking it up but found another great treasure for cheaper, so yeah. You should definitely read The Night Circus though! ….I totally liked We Were Liars…. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  22. I’m not usually a fangirler (and don’t worry, you won’t see that side of me, at least not today), but Throne of Glass was pretty good. They are pretty quick reads once you get going. Honestly, if you don’t like the first book (some didn’t, I just thought it was okay), persevere! I know, need continue reading with a series of it starts out bad. But I SWEAR it gets twofold and then tenfold better as the series goes on. So I hope you do roll around to this series and fingers crossed you like it!
    -Amy

    Like

    Reply

  23. This is a GOOD list. I haven’t read any of these either, except for Station 11 (and yes, I would definitely compare it to the Night Circus). But all of these are books I would like to read one day, too. Especially Jandy (which I own). One day.

    Like

    Reply

  24. I agree with the overhypedness of We Were Liars but COME ON, I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN WAS SO GOOD. C’MON JOEY, JUST READ IT.
    My first time reading ToG is still in my mind where I DID NOT like the protagonist. I think I may need at least a few more months until I can bring myself to finally continue with the series.

    Like

    Reply

  25. I haven’t read Never Never as well! Though I’ve read all Coho books and loved them. Have you read other Coho books? I’m so scared with the cliffhangers! They are major cliffhnagers and I don’t know if can handle that. (I can’t) I’ve only read Throne of Glass but the hype of this series by everyone (and my sister who adores this series so freaking much) makes you just want to go and dive into it!!!! Especially since the 5th book is about to come out! I’ve also been keeping an eye on The Girl with All the Gifts. They say it’s like Xmen which I love (I love anything about superheroes actually. Special mention: Thor) Also I’ll Give you the Sun! Been wanting to read that since forever!!!! Should probably get on with that. 🙂

    Like

    Reply
  26. Pingback: [Retrospective] – A Rewind Of: July 2015 | thoughts and afterthoughts.

Have some thoughts? Leave a comment below!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.