It's Top Ten Tuesday time! Today's linkup with The Broke and the Bookish is focusing on the top ten books you don't really want to read. A book that's been high up on the list has now been officially removed. Thanks to The Classics Club Classics Spin I will be getting reaquainted with Charles Dickens and attempt to read Great Expectations. I'm scared but hopeful. So here's my list and no judging!:
1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - I know, I know but time travel and Scottish guys don't do much for me and the 9,000 pages (ok, slight exaggeration)this book runs will probably prevent me from picking this one up.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I know this is amazing and all that but I don't want to cry. I really really don't want to cry.
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - I did not get along at all with Everything is Illuminated so even though I was slightly tempted when the movie came out I will not be revisiting this author.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - This is one of those that I feel that I should read because it's iconic but when it really comes down to it I probably won't.
5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - See #4
6. Ulysses by James Joyce - I still have nightmares about having to read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in high school. While I feel like I should read this I probably won't unless I have literally read everything else.
7. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - I'm not sure I want the horrific murder in my head
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson - Another story I'm not sure I want inside my head.
9. Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf - I know it's supposed to be beautifully handled and wonderfully written but I want to run in the opposite direction from this one.
10. Divergent by Veronica Roth - My daughter tore through this series in a weekend and then spent the next 30 minutes staring into space vowing to never read again. Luckily, she's recovered but I'm not nearly as big of a dystopian fan as she is so I'll give this series a miss.
Any of these you've read and think are must reads? Any books you want to head in the opposite direction from as quickly as possible?
I understand your choices - sad books, long books, horrific books, James Joyce. The Girl With... has some horrible crimes described so you probably should stay away.
ReplyDeleteI do like dystopian books, and want to read Divergent. However, I'll plead the case for Outlander - it's awesome! and reads way faster than the number of pages indicate. Ignore the time travel - it's a historical novel, just can bop around to many historical times. Plus, Jamie!
I've heard some really good cases plead for Outlander and I've almost picked it up a few times but the length!
DeleteI know my daughter loved Divergent but after that she didn't care for it.
You must give Outlander a go. It is my favourite book/series ever! It's so good. And I know the first 100 pages or so are a little slow, but as soon as you get into Scotland it's a page turner. And you'll get to meet Jamie and your life will forever be that much better. :) I literally through this book at everyone I meet. Also, you should check out the show, it's a very very faithful adaptation of the first book.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the hesitation with TFiOS. You will definitely cry. But it's so worth the emotions. I promise.
Divergent is one of my favourite series. And I'm one of the black sheep that thinks Alleigant is awesome. Sure it shattered my heart, but it made sense with the story. Have you watched the movie? Divergent is one of my favourite adaptions. It's near perfect. :)
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
I'm thinking about cheating a little and checking out at least some of the show and going from there. For the most part spoilers don't bother me and it'd be a good way to see if I want to read it without the time commitment.
DeleteI haven't watched the movie for Divergent but I will probably end up doing so at some point. I've been the black sheep a few times. Always a strange place to be!
I may break down about TFiOS but I don't know. I know people love it but the tears!
A big yes to your whole list, lol. I did read and enjoy Divergent but it lost me with the second book and I never read the third. As for Outlander-Ain't nobody got time for that, lol :D
ReplyDeleteI think my daughter read Divergent in one sitting and then had to go get the other 2. She was disappointed with the rest.
DeleteAs for Outlander - I know! I read a good review or hear praise from someone I really trust but then I look at the size...
Oh dear, I feel disconnected. I've read most of these at some time or another - except for 2,3 and 9, which I don't intend to look at. I really liked Outlander (I've read several books beyond in the series), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Divergent series (thought the movie was pretty good). But this is probably because I've been around a long time, which has given me more chances to try them. I agree for your reasons for not wanting to read them, but some of the writing is very good (In Cold Blood, for example). Tolstoy, now there's a challenge!
ReplyDeleteI'm really torn about In Cold Blood. I've read a few snippets and it's wonderfully written but the subject matter is so awful.
DeleteI can't say the Outlander series is one I want to read either--and the more people tell me I should, the more grounded I become in the fact that I won't read it. LOL I can be stubborn that way. :-) I do want to see the mini series though--so will probably watch it when it comes out on DVD or streaming video. I think that will satisfy me enough.
ReplyDeleteI won't talk you into reading any of the books on your list that I really liked (The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent, Little Mercies, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, In Cold Blood, and Catcher in the Rye). Although I can recommend each of them, I know not everyone enjoyed them--not to mention there are plenty of other books out there to read.
I don't know if I'll ever make it through War and Peace. I've tried three times already! Ulysses by James Joyce is definitely one I have no interest in reading.
I do the same thing about hyped books. The more people tell me to read them the more I actively don't read them! I'm thinking about trying the mini series for Outlander too. That should give me and introduction without quite the time investment.
DeleteI'm considering Little Mercies so that will probably get read at some point.
Oh, I'm with you on THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! I think I actually will read it very soon even though it's in my TTT :) WAR AND PEACE falls in my broad classics as my #10. I always thought maybe I'd read it one day but that's looking more and more unlikely.
ReplyDeleteI thought that I'd definitely read it when all the movie hype was around but that's faded away so I don't really see myself picking it up. Maybe one day though! I may put War and Peace on my classics list just to force myself to read it.
DeleteI loved outlander, and still do, the tv show just came out on STARZ. But after book 4 you will loose interest.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the show is really true to the book so I may give that a try. Spoilers don't really bother me and that should give me a taste for the story without the time commitment.
DeleteDivergent is so so good. Still haven't read the third tho. It's not dystopian like The
ReplyDeleteHunger Games, not really. And Four is HOT. :)
Four seems to have quite the fanclub!
DeleteI haven't read Outlander either, once I started it but after a few pages I gave it up. It wasn't that bad, actually the book'd just started but I couldn't force myself to continue it. I wanted to give it a try before the tv show started but I didn't. I heard many great things about the show so I might give a try to the book again.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually read classics but The Catcher in the Rye was such a great book. I absolutely loved Divergent but Insurgent and Allegiant were a huge disappointment for me.
Here's my list: http://reading-is-dreaming-with-open-eyes.blogspot.hu/2014/08/top-ten-books-im-not-sure-i-want-to-read.html
I'm thinking about seriously cheating and just giving the show a try! If I love it I can go back and read the book.
DeleteI may read Divergent since I've seen it can be considered almost a stand alone I know lots of people who felt the same way you did.
I have to totally agree with #1 and #2. I just have so many books to read so Outlander just will take up sooo much time I feel like.
ReplyDeleteYeah I feel the same way. I have so many books to read and it's just soooo long!
DeleteI love Outlander but I agree the books are too long. My favorite from the series are the first 4 books but the historical facts do get in the way with the story (it's interesting but I sometimes skim past it). But it is one of my favorite love stories. I also don't want to read The Fault In Our Stars - everyone's talked about it and I also don't want to cry. I might watch it when it comes out on DVD. I read the Divergent series and you can skip it lol. But I loved the movie! I also read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and it is a disturbing story. I had a hard time reading the first book. I had to read the first chapters twice because I got confused (maybe it was the editing). The rest on your list I haven't heard of or read in high school or college. This was a fun post!! I hope you read something you will enjoy. Have a great week =)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I feel like I missed some good classics in college because I had to take so few lit classes (not that I complained at the time!) I'm hearing good things about the Divergent book and the movie so I may just read or watch it and skip the rest!
DeleteYes, The Fault in Our Stars will make you cry. I love Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the epitome of teen angst though I think if I read it now, I might want to slug the kid. Ulysses just looks impossible. I have owned this book for many many years. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was not my kind of book, it can be pretty graphic and unapologetically honest. That wasn't a fun read. In Cold Blood, for me was amazing. I didn't expect to like it so much. Divergent, I like, but all the hype has kept me from the last two books.
ReplyDeleteI think I missed my window with Catcher in the Rye. I have no patience for angst and this definitely is the book of angst! Of all the books the book I'm probably most tempted to read is In Cold Blood. I will probably read it one day but I think I need a push!
DeleteGreat list, Katherine! I agree about the books, I did read Outlander and maybe one more in the series a number of years ago and liked it, but didn't continue on. I don't like gruesome murders or really sad books either.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one! The funny thing is I can watch terrible things without it bothering me in the slightest but I can't read about it. Somehow that brings it into my head more.
DeleteGreat list! I'm sad that I missed this topic, but I might have to recycle it later! I'm totally with you on Ulysses and several others.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this topic! It was hard to choose just 10 but I tend to be a bit stubborn about books I don't want to read. I feel that I should read Ulysses because it's on pretty much every book you should read in your lifetime list but it's not happening!
DeleteI have wanted to read Outlander for the longest time. I've heard so many wonderful things about it, but I can't get past the size of the book and the rest of the books in the series. I do have Outlander on my Kindle, though.
ReplyDeleteThe size gets me especially with my tendency to go overboard with NetGalley. So many books and a enormous historical epic just isn't fitting in there anytime soon.
DeleteI think I could copy and paste this list to my own blog! I did like In Cold Blood and do want to read War and Peace (eventually), but I'm with you on all the rest. I was neutral about Catcher in the Rye in high school and positively hated it as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI will probably read In Cold Blood but honestly think I need a little push to do so. I think I've missed my window with Catcher in the Rye. I think if I was going to read it I should have done so 20 years ago. War and Peace - sigh - I feel like I should but it's huge and it's Russian!
DeleteYeah, the Outlander books are just too long for me. Maybe someday...
ReplyDeleteI know! If it was half the size I would've read it years ago but the size gets me!
DeleteThere's a few on your list I don't want to read either, and at my age, probably never will: anything by James Joyce, War and Peace, and the Catcher in the Rye.
ReplyDeleteI read half of the first Outlander books. It wasn't the size that bothered me, it was Claire and Jamie stopping every chapter to have fantastical sex, in all its detailed glory. I must be a cynic, I don't know, but that stops the plot cold for me. Once in a while, okay, not all the time...I get it that they love each other's minds and bodies--don't hit me over the head with it.
I read Divergent with my eldest daughter when it first released, it was okay for me and because we talked about it together, that made it better. I have Dragon Tattoo not read, not sure if/when I'll read it.
I liked Little Mercies. I think you have the plot for this story wrong, but to tell you anything more would be a spoiler. I've read some books recently with child abuse (One Kick) and this is not in the same league. It's what used to be called women's contemporary fiction. But if you don't like that sort of thing, no problem :)
Lastly, I actually love Charles Dickens and have Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities on my Classics Club list now (#17 for me was Little Women). Don't fret--it can be a good read. And I also have In Cold Blood on my list; I totally understand you avoiding that one!
I think the fantastical sex would annoy me as well. If it fits the story than great and fine but stopping the plot makes me skip it.
DeleteI like reading books with my kids. It's always so great to really be able to talk about it with them.
I'll revisit Little Mercies since it does sound like I have it wrong. I'll have to look for it at the library. Good luck with Little Women. It was on my list since I read it a long long time ago. I'm hoping Great Expectations will be okay this time around!
I actually loved Divergent, both the book and the movie, really enjoyed Insurgent but didn't have the heart of read Allegiant anymore. Outlander is on my TBR list but yeah, the length of that book and the other books in the series is a little daunting. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my TTT :)
ReplyDeleteI may read Divergent but I don't see myself reading any further!
DeleteI am with you on some of these..but I adored Outlander and Divergent and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
ReplyDeleteI may pick up Divergent one day but Outlander will take a little more convincing! I'm thinking about cheating and watching some of the mini series. If I like it I'll try the book and if not than I give up.
DeleteI finally drank the Kool-Aid this year and read Outlander. Oh how I wish I had not - so much misogyny. I would have thought a man who hated women wrote it. The murders in In Cold Blood are actually not that brutal (well, obviously they are but not so graphic); the focus was really on the lives of the killers and the hunt for them. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo however...it is, after all, titled something like The Man Who Hated Women in Swedish so there's that.
ReplyDeleteYour alternate title for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo made me laugh. It's safe to say that one will stay on the unread pile. I've heard some negatives that you mentioned. Then you throw in the length and I just don't see it happening anytime soon!
DeleteThe Scottish highlanders was the only thing that attracted me to Outlander. I have tried to read it a few times but haven't managed to get more than halfway. It's just not my thing... it's fairly slow and I wasn't in love. I really like the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - took a while to get into but by the end I enjoyed it. I didn't like the two sequels as much.
ReplyDeleteKate @ Fictional Thoughts
I know several people who really loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but I've heard a few things about it that Make me really hesitant to read it. I'm afraid I'd have the same experience with Outlander and with a book that size even reading 1/4 of the book is a serious time commitment. Also, there's my addiction to NetGalley which causes some problems!
DeleteI'm tempted by both but I've been tempted for awhile and have made no move to pick either up which isn't very promising!
ReplyDeleteI read The Fault in Our Stars.... Yes, it is an amazing read... I loved it, but I did cry a lot during reading this novel.... So maybe, skipping this read may be a good thing if you aren't into sad novels. Here's my TTT list for the week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-books-im-not.html
ReplyDeleteYES - To the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is phenomenal. Divergent I would recommend if you were a bigger dystopian fan.
ReplyDeleteNO - The Catcher in the Rye. Don't do it. I read it as an adult and literally threw it across the room when I finished. It was terrible.
I'm thinking about reading Divergent but leaving it there. I read Hunger Games and didn't go any further and was good with that. Still shaky about Dragon Tattoo though!
DeleteI'm definitely thinking of leaving The Catcher in the Rye on the shelf. It's not good for my walls to have too many books thrown at them!
I think OUTLANDER, the show is as good as the book. I read the book in 1996 so I don't remember it all, but I DO remember picking it up and not putting is down until I was done. Otherwise I agree with the others. One James Joyce book that is good, a short story really, if THE DEAD. You can also see it as a movie with Angelica Houston.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of giving Outlander the show a try and if I love it read the book. Thanks for the Joyce recommendation. I feel very uncivilized and an embarrassment to my Irish heritage but Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was really scarring. I will try The Dead and hopefully redeem myself!
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