 |
| hosted by The Broke and the Bookish |
You know how there are just some books you WANT to read but you just DON'T? Like, one look at that page count, and you're intimidated. Or you remember how all your friends and every reputable reviewer around practically wet themselves while reading that book. Well, these are the books that most intimidate me, along with the reasons why.
1. Book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype, Batman; Because everybody freaking loves it; cancery cancer makes me cry; I don't want to be THAT PERSON who doesn't get it
Reason I WANT it: Am I a bad book blogger if I haven't read this?
2. Book: The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype, Batman; Because everybody freaking loves it; Holocausty Holocaust makes me cry
Reason I WANT it: I want to know all about the brilliance that is apparently in this book!
3. Book: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy page count, Batman; if I don't like it, will I look stupid?; I KNOW THE ENDING
Reason I WANT it: I can't wear my Literate Snob badge if I haven't read Anna Karenina.
4. Book: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepytus
Reason I'm intimidated: Genocidey genocide makes me cry; Holy hype, Batman
Reason I WANT it: I love good WWII fiction, and I LOVE books set in or around or having to do with Russia/the USSR.
5. Book: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype, Batman; Because everybody freaking loves it: I don't want to be THAT PERSON
Reason I WANT it: I love Aussie lit, it sounds really good, and I already own it.
6. Book: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Reason I'm intimidated: Because everybody freaking loves it; "it's the new Harry Potter"; aren't there like a million of these?
Reason I WANT it: I would like a new Harry Potter, I love mythology, and these books look like tons of fun.
7. Book: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Reason I'm intimidated: Because everybody freaking loves it; vampires schmampires; why is Angelina Jolie on the cover; aren't there like a million of these?
Reason I WANT it: Because everybody freaking loves it, and I need new book boyfriends, and apparently these are NOT your Grandma's sparkly vampires.
8. Book: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype, Batman; because everybody freaking loves it
Reason I WANT it: Magical magicness, a beautiful concept, and a romance sure to make me swoon.
9. Book: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype, Batman
Reason I WANT it: It's right up my alley, and I got an ARC of the sequel.
10. Book: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy hype Batman; Because everybody freaking loves it; I have a feeling I'll be THAT PERSON; deathy deathness makes me cry
Reason I WANT it: This book is supposed to be really moving, gorgeous, and well-written.
11. Book: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Reason I'm intimidated: Because everybody freaking loves it
Reason I WANT it: I've never read any Maggie Stiefvater, but this totally sounds like something original that I'd enjoy.
12. Book: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Reason I'm intimidated: Holy page count, Batman; because everybody freaking loves it; George R.R. Martin makes me cry
Reason I WANT it: As a diehard fan of the TV show, I obviously will and have to read this book. BUT UGH IT MIGHT DESTROY ME BECAUSE I KNOW THINGS NOW.
Honorable mentions: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Maze Runner by James Dashner(lots of runners), Just One Day by Gayle Forman, Wicked Lovely by Marissa Marr.
Posts
I LOVED The Darkest Minds!!!! It was sooooo good! You should definitely read it!! And I've yet to read The Scorpio Races, too! It looks good, but everyone always talks about how amazing the author is....and I haven't read anything by her. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone looks really good too, but another of those books that everyone loves! YIKES!! Nice list!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
You make a good point about The Fault in Our Stars; I haven't read it yet either and I'm afraid in a way that I won't find it as amazing as everyone else says it is.
ReplyDeleteI dunno why I kept putting Anna Karenina off for as long as I did; I had read War and Peace first and I find Leo Tolstoy to be very accessible from amongst the Russian authors. But I eventually did and loved it very, very, much xD
My TTT
YOU HAVEN'T READ THE LIGHTNING THIEF OR DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE YET?! *shakes gillian* GO READ THEM RIGHT NOW!!!! No, seriously. Both are insanely amazing, especially Percy Jackson. I was a little iffy before I read it too, but it's so, so good. Don't be intimidated, be excited! :D
ReplyDeleteYOU HAVE SO MANY GOOD BOOKS ON THIS LIST. The Fault in Our Stars, The Book Thief, The Lightning Thief, Vampire Academy, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Darkest Minds, The Scorpio Races. YOU NEED TO READ THESE. Like now.
ReplyDeleteGame of Thrones makes my list too. Way too intimidated by that book! I'm also intimidated by Anna Karenina! Great list.
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel less alone, I couldn't finish The Fault in Our Stars, I hated Vampire Academy, I thought Before I Fall was good but not great, Jellicoe Road made no sense to me, and The Scorpio Races made me yawn. Flesh-eating horses and THEY WERE BORING.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone.
You won't regret reading The Fault In Our Stars! I've seen next to nothing bad about it, with the occasional bad review here and there. Even if you don't like it, at least you tried, lol. The Book Thief will make you cry, but it's a good kind of cry that comes with knowing you have completed an excellent story. :D
ReplyDeleteTFIOS is so great, it's a relatively small book and it'll definitely reach the hype if you ignore how cliche it is at times :-) Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Lightning Thief and The Darkest Minds are all A+ too!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Fault in Our Stars and I fear that I'll end up a crying mess. Everybody I know cried like a baby. Jellicoe Road is AHMAZING. I hope that you'd enjoy it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand with the ASOIAF series. I'm still in shock after what happened to the Stark family. Never okay.
Great picks! I see a lot of books I haven't dared start myself yet either. I really hope they don't disappoint when I get to them.
ReplyDeleteASoIaF is totally worth reading though, I loved the books so much.
My TTT
My DESIGNS blog
Oh my goodness! You have so many great books on your list! TFIOS, Jellicoe Road, Before I Fall, and VA are all books I highly recommend - but I can see how the hype surrounding them can be intimidating!
ReplyDeleteJellicoe Road is one of those books that I almost had to DNF because of the beginning - I remember reading it at school and being so bored, but then there was this moment and it was like a switch flipped in the story and it got crazy addicting! So I'd be aware of that before going into it!
And if you're looking for some new book boyfriends - VA is definitely the place to look. Dmitri and Adrian are incredible.
My Top Ten
I really didn't care much for Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Not much romance and it's a little weird, honestly. And, I couldn't finish The Scorpio Races. UGH.
ReplyDeleteBUT, VA, The Lightning Thief - GREAT books.
I had Game of Thrones on my list too. And, Anna Karenina could've made my list. I know the story (DEPRESSING!) and it's huge. Very intimidating.
TTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket
The book Game of Thrones changed my life. Seriously. I bought it in 2000 with my book sellback money after my last day of undergraduate work and devoured the first four books. My writing took off after that.
ReplyDeleteSo excited to see that someone else is afraid to read The Fault in Our Stars!! Anna Karenina also made my list even though I'm over halfway through it, it's still intimidating to me. It's very good but sooooo loooooong. Vampire Academy?? DEFINITELY worth reading! And no, they aren't your sparkly vampires. They're SO MUCH BETTER. And hotter ;)
ReplyDeleteAh! I should have put JELLICOE ROAD on mine! I'm in the same boat as you in regards to that one.
ReplyDeleteYep.
ReplyDeleteThe Book Thief and Anna Karenina totally made my list too... both are on my shelf gathering dust. John Green totally deserved a spot on my post too (I haven't read ANYTHING by him and people are constantly baffled by this).
ReplyDeleteI think you should give Between Shades of Gray a try. It's not as difficult as I anticipated, and besides, IT STARTS IN LITHUANIA. Instantly scores points, right there.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Vampire Academy! And I tried Daughter of Smoke & Bone and just couldn't get into it! I want to try again, though.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
A Game of Thrones and Anna Karenina are on my list as well :) I have been meaning to read them but haven't gotten a chance. They are just intimidating but I really want to read them. Weird isn't it? Haha.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: http://www.bookythoughtsandme.com/top-ten-most-intimidating-books/
I am with you on the fault in our stars... I think it would make me too sad. =\
ReplyDeleteYOU EVIL PERSON! lol <3 You NEEEEEEED to read The Scorpio Races. And Jellicoe Road. And The Fault in Our Stars. Those three are HIGH on the list of the best books I have ever read. And I KNOW you will love all three of them. I JUST KNOW IT. So get on with it, Gillian! Right now :D Hih, awesome list, btw. <3
ReplyDeleteGreat list, I get why you find all those intimidating I did and do still for some of them. I think Between Shades of Grey is great one and you should pick it up sometime!
ReplyDelete-Mari @ The Sirenic Codex
Ha, Jellicoe Road is on my list too. Everyone keeps telling me I need to read it, though, so I will have to make the time.
ReplyDeleteOh and I so should have included VA series. And you're totally not a bad blogger if you haven't read TFIOS.
Ahahaha loved your summaries! This post cracked me up :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read TFIOS yet either! You are not alone! I just recently got another person hooked on Percy Jackson, so I do hope you join that train. It's not too HP-y, but it is SUPER heavy on Greek mythology, so if you do like that stuff, it may be your jam. On toast. (I actually preferred Riordan's trilogy on Egyptian mythology, the Kane Chronicles.)
I can't do GoT. I can't do it. I'll tell you why. I've seen one episode - ONE! - and that episode was RED WEDDING ::end scene::
Thanks for sharing a super list!! :)
Sam @ Mad But Magic
Our TTT: http://madbutmagicya.blogspot.com/
1: No. Truthfully, I thought the Fault in Our Stars was a bit too hyped. I am not a huge crier, so I already knew I wouldn't, but my friend who is a HUGE John Green fan also wasn't a huge fan of this one... though by all rights and purposes, it's definitely his most successful.
ReplyDelete2: Yes. Holocaust books make so sad, and it's hard finding the motivation to read books like the Book Thief, even if others have ranted about its beauty. It's definitely on the TBR pile, and sometimes I ask myself the same question you asked in 1: Am I a bad bblogger if I haven't read this yet?
3: Did you see the most recent adaptation with Keira Knightley?
4: Ruta Septys is also an amazing writer. I only read Out of the Easy from her, but still, more reason to read such a promising yet intimidating book...
5: Me too! We should do a read-along of it or compare notes when you read it. I was recently recommended it via the feature I adapted from Christina of A Reader of Fictions (Christina Reads Your Recommendations), and the book will be less intimidating reading it with someone else?
6: Eh, nothing can compare to HP. Though PJ is pretty entertaining.
7: They're not sparkly, but the first book is also not the best of the lot. AND YES AT ANGELINA JOLIE, HAHA. I've thought that for years! (Though really it's just a case of white-washing in the cover.)
8 & 11: I would lend you my copy if I could get you to read them.
12: What you said. My brother has been pushing the series on me for so long, but I know everything now... and it's so long... so many descriptions... aaaah.
I like how most of the reasons are: holy hype, Batman or because everyone freaking loves it. Too true. Hype and peer pressure are probably why the 5th Wave is still sitting by my bed, unread...
I was intimidated by where to start with Maggie Stiefvater, I started with The Scorpio Races and actually loved it. I like it as a place to start because it stands alone.
ReplyDelete1. TRUTH: I did not cry when I read The Fault in Our Stars. Instead, I laughed a lot and smiled a lot and just felt very... hopeful? It's a good book, really, but I did not cry. (Perhaps I am a robot?)
ReplyDelete2. The Book Thief is BRILLIANT. It starts off slow, but builds into such an incredible story! I thought the way it was written was very smart, and very different.
3. Anna Karenina - I must read this one this year as well. Seriously though, it's so LARGE and I'm so nervous about not being able to get through more than 10 pages without giving up.
4. Percy Jackson is NOT the new Harry Potter. I love Riordan, and what he's created with all his books is something that's entirely his own!
5. Jellicoe Road is SO GOOD. Again, it's got a confusing beginning - but it's worth it to keep on going.
6. The Darkest Minds was one of the reads I had last year that surprised me. It's really well-written, and I love the entire structure of the world + characters that Bracken came up with.
7. The Scorpio Races is beautifully written, and I expected no less from Stiefvater. It's my favorite book from her!
8. A Game of Thrones is actually fairly good. The first is not my favorite, but it's a necessary read to get to really know all the characters and stuff.
Okay, I command you to read 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10, immediately, because I think you shall love them.
ReplyDeleteI also command you to read Vampire Academy, just so I can snerk at your thoughts.
Also, you need no longer be afraid of Percy Jackson and The Darkest Minds, because I wasn't a big fan of either. I didn't think The Darkest Minds was a good book at all, so the black sheep role is already taken.
As for The Maze Runner, run, run away.
I hope you read some of these! I totally get why they are intimidating, but if you hated any of them, you won't be alone because not everyone loved them. And if you love them, you'll know why everyone is raving about them!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are any on your list that I've read and not liked to some degree, even if I didn't love love love them.
=)