Book Memes / By / 30

Top Ten Books I’m Not Sure I Want To Read

ttt

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, she posts an idea relating to books and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own top ten lists.

This week’s topic is “top ten books I’m not sure I want to read.” Given that my to-read list is incredibly long, there are a lot of books on it that I’m hesitant about reading — some because of the hype surrounding them, others because of a lot of early negative reviews.

1. The One by Kiera Cass
This is a series that I feel rather impartial to. The first two books were nothing special, but made for quick (somewhat) entertaining reads. I really didn’t like The Elite though, with America’s waffling back and forth between Aspen and Maxon comprising the entire book, so I’m not sure if it’s worth reading The One just to see who she ends up with.

2. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
The first three books in this series were fairly enjoyable, but books four and five were such a chore to get through. I also don’t really remember much of what happened and have very little motivation to re-read the series, so I’m not sure if I’m going to get around to giving this one a try.

3. The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher
Given how much I loved Stolen: A Letter to My Captor, I was ridiculously excited that Lucy Christopher was finally releasing another book. Unfortunately, a lot of less-than-stellar reviews from trusted bloggers and friends have made me reconsider giving this one a read.

4. The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery
I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t actually read this one yet. Everyone seems to love it and all of my friends have given it 5 stars on Goodreads, so I’m somewhat worried that I’ll be the black sheep that doesn’t enjoy it quite as much.

5. On the Fence by Kasie West
I’ve seen a lot of lukewarm reviews for On the Fence, so I’m afraid that reading it will give me cause to remove Kasie West from my “auto-read” list… which would be quite a shame, since I loved all of her other books.

6. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
After learning that this is a packaged book by Full Fathom Five, I’m incredibly iffy about whether or not I want to read it. The plethora of mixed reviews that I’ve read probably don’t help too much, either.

7. The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupceo
I can handle horror movies fairly well, but this reminds me so much of The Ring that I feel I’ll be sleeping with the lights on for quite some time afterwards.

8. The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard
I attempted to read the Pretty Little Liars series and just couldn’t get into it, and I quit reading The Lying Game series pretty early on as well, so I’m not entirely certain that Sara Shepard’s writing is for me.

9. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith / J.K. Rowling
I haven’t read a proper mystery novel in quite some time, but I’m wary about picking this one up. I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Casual Vacancy so I’m afraid that reading this will lessen my love for her writing in some way.

10. Four by Veronica Roth
I haven’t had much success with novellas, aside from The Assassin’s Blade collection. They often don’t add much to the story or lessen my affection for certain characters (like The Bane Chronicles did), so I’m not too sure if I should give this one a read…

Which books are you hesitant about reading? Leave me a list or a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post in the comments below. 3

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30 Comments

  • I wasn’t a big fan of The Casual Vacancy but I have read and loved both Robert Galbraith books so far. I would definitely recommend giving them a try. I felt the same about them, really wary, but got hooked.

  • I wish I would’ve known Dorothy Must Die was a Full Fathom Five book before I read it; I found out as I was about to write my review. I didn’t like it anyway, so I suppose finding that out just added to my dislike.
    I’m really pumped about The Girl from the Well. I just bought it. I’ll probably be reading it during the day though. Lol.
    I think The Little Prince is wonderful; it’s so short too! It’d probably be a quick read for you. 🙂
    My TTT

    • The same thing happened to me with No One Else Can Have You, except I had mostly enjoyed it and immediately felt (somewhat) guilty about that.
      Reading it during the day with the lights on definitely sounds like a good idea, haha. I look forward to hearing what you think of it! 🙂

  • I still haven’t gotten through The Selection yet, so I understand your hesitance with The One. I’m just not sure if I’d continue on in the series when I ever finish book 1. It’s just not holding my interest well.

    I also really enjoyed the first three book in the Mortal Instruments series, but I haven’t gotten around to book 4. It’s kind of been a revelation after seeing Heavenly Fire on a lot of people’s lists, that I might just not be interested in moving forward. I’ve really enjoyed the series so far, but I haven’t been motivated to return just yet. But who knows, maybe I’ll pick it up sometime soon just to finish the series and all.

    I’ve also been really nervous about picking up J K Rowling’s adult novels. I’m worries about being disappointed in her writing or plot lines. I totally agree with you on the hesitance on that one.

    Thanks for your list! Great post 🙂

    • I have a horrible habit of finishing series that I’m not interested in, just for the sake of completing them. I was surprised by how many lists included City of Heavenly Fire, since think that the Mortal Instruments series definitely ends well enough with the third book that there is a feeling of closure (which is part of my reason for not enjoying books 4 and 5). If you do end up finishing it, though, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

      It’s so hard to separate J.K. Rowling from her Harry Potter series. I think that was my biggest issue with her first adult book: it was a completely different subject matter, and the pacing was much slower, even if it was written well.

  • The One is much better than The Elite. I wanted to throw my ipad out the window reading The Elite. It sums things up nicely, focuses more on the rebels and has some shock and action thrown in. I’m on the fence about Four as well. I almost bought it the other day but put it back. I haven’t read the others in your list. Happy reading. 🙂

  • UGH I completely agree with you about City of Heavenly Fire. I liked books 1-3. Book 4 was…. OK. I didn’t even bother with 5. I hear it’s amazing, but this is also from people who thought 4 and 5 were amazing. Good luck!

    Amanda @ i solemnly swear

  • I had to google “package book” and I’m shocked. I never knew anything like existed. I mean, I suppose it helps push authors to write something. Like writing an essay. Maybe takes them out of their comfort zone of writing the same regurgitated story that they’ve been writing… but at the same time, is their heart fully in it since it’s not fully their baby? Hmm… strange.
    Kristin @ Book Sniffers Anonymous

    • In a way, it definitely fosters an author’s writing skills and creativity, but I also question whether or not it can make an authentic story. I suppose that for some aspiring authors, though, it may be their only way to get their foot in the door, so to speak.

  • I didn’t even consider that Four involved four novellas; I was clouded by the fact that I really didn’t enjoy being in his head in Allegiant (so even if it is in the past, oh geez I can’t imagine a younger him…)

    If The Ring (or The Grudge, I guess) was among horror movies that you enjoyed, maybe The Girl From The Well will give you a different perspective on it all and you’ll be less afraid of her type of character! (Well, I’m doutbful, but there’s that off-chance.)

    Cheers,
    Joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts

    • Oh, I didn’t even think of that! Being inside his head in Allegiant was so different from what I expected, and I’m still not entirely sure if it was enjoyable or not…

      I still haven’t gotten around to watching The Grudge, but The Ring terrified me when I was younger.

  • I really enjoyed Four – but not the “extra scenes”. The four novellas are a great addition to Four’s character development though, so I’d say read those. Just skip the extras since it’s just random scenes from his point of view – nothing really special.

  • Good to know I am not the only one who thought The Mortal Instruments book 4 and 5 were such a drag. I didn’t see myself enjoy the 6th one too. I just read it to satisfy my mind that yap done with the series.
    PS. love your blog 🙂 xx

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