Friday 23 February 2018

Popular Books I Haven't Read



You can blame Zoe from No Safer Place for this. I watched the above video and was nodding along to some of the title and went "Yep, I haven't read that book but I WANT TO" or "No interest to read whatsoever". After watching this, I was tweeting Zoe (@zcollins1994) and another book blogger, Liam (@notsotweets) and talking about how cool this idea was and I wanted to do this on the blog because every reader is different tastes and the book blogger shame (or something similar to these thoughts) and both Zoe and Liam went "Go for it!". 

So, here I am. I'm going to pick a handful of popular books that I haven't read for one reason or another (five, I think. Five seems like a good number!) so... let's get started! 

THE BOOK OF DUST: LA BELLE SAUVAGE by Phillip Pullman
Let's get the big elephant out of the room! I haven't read this, though it is sitting on my TBR shelves by my front door. Now, I read the entire His Dark Materials trilogy leading up to the publication of The Amber Spyglass so I have been waiting for this book for over a decade now. So when the news came out that this was being published last year, I preordered it without hesitation. And then I got it, I... haven't read it. 

This book needs time to read. With my reading at the moment, it's ten/fifteen minutes here and there and this book needs a good few hours so you sink into this world. But not found time, and the more time that passes, the more I go "er... do I want to read this?". Am second guessing myself so that's an interesting development... 

THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas
THE FEAR! THE BOOK FEAR! Like I have said a hundred times over, I have been so excited for this book since I first heard of it. I have been pumped for this. But when I got my hands on a copy, I froze. I hyped this book so much in my head that if I read it, it wasn't going to meet my unnaturally high standards/expectations/hopes. So I've been putting it off till I feel ready. And I think I'm nearly there. Nearly. But with Angie's second novel, On The Come Up, coming out later this year, I feel that I might have to read this sooner rather than later. 

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green
I sense most of you guys are recoiling from me when I say this but I have no interest in reading this. None. I have read some of John's other works and while everyone I know loves them, I'm very much in the middle of the road with them. They seem to follow the same pattern and while that's ok, it's just not my thing... 

THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
I know this is hugely popular now and with what has bene happening in politics and the world around this, this has become more and more relevant. But I have never been interested in read this. You think I would have read this in school (nope, that was for people doing A-Levels with To Kill A Mockingbird) and while I want to read To Kill a Mockingbird (It's on my kindle, angrily waiting!), this never really felt like something I would enjoy. Plus, when I sit down and read some info about it, I discover that there are one or two elements/things that happen or are hinted at that make me go "Nope" and not want to go near the book. I know a lot of people really like this book, but I can sense that this isn't for me... 

LORD OF SHADOWS by Cassandra Clare
Start with a big hitter, end the list with a big hitter. See, I do like Cassandra Clare. I really enjoy reading the first three books in the Mortal Instruments series and I, again, really enjoyed The Infernal Devices trilogy (probably a bit more than the Mortal Instruments). I have read/audiobook Lady Midnight and while I enjoy it, I am very much in two minds over whether I should continue this trilogy within the Shadowhunter world. On the one hand, I really like the world and it's a fun read that I can turn my brain off and just go with it. But on the other, I'm not entire sure if I want to continue with the Shadowhunter universe. I think I'm kinda done. I know that, when I do sit down and make time for it, it's going to be fun ride, but I can't help feeling that maybe I'm close to going "I love you, Shadowhunters, but I'm out. I'm done. Good luck with all your future. Bye". ... we shall see where I stand in the next few months. 

Ok, am curious now, what popular/hyped book have you not read yet? Am intrigued over your reactions! 

2 comments:

  1. I'm not a huge John Green fan either but I did get Turtles cheap on Kindle and will give it a go because I've heard it's quite a personal book for him, reflecting his own experience with mental health.

    Whilst THUG is a good book I didn't find it as amazing as everyone has been making it out to be. I guess it is more eye-opening if you haven't read much on the subject already.

    I felt La Belle Sauvage was taster for what will come next, I really want to read about older Lyra but I liked her back story well enough.

    I'm trying not to jump on the hype bandwagon much this year, I have to trust my instincts and sometimes popular books just don't sound like my kind of thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust your gut is a good rule with books. I need to trust it more and not get swept by hype. Been stung in past by it and I don't want get in that trap again! Any good recs that I must read (barring Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet which we have chatted about on Twitter)?

      Delete