Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Tag: Books I Want To Read . . . But Don’t Want To Read


You know those books you kind of want to read? The ones you think you’ll like, but you haven’t bought yet because you’re still on the fence? The books you just can’t commit to? This is a whole post about those books! These are the stories I want to read . . . but don’t want to read. Maybe you can push me off the fence? This tag was created by Jamieson @ Jamishelves. Let’s get into it.

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Books I Want To Read . . . But Don’t Want To Read







1. A book you want to read because everybody talks about it?





One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Young adult mystery/thriller isn’t really my genre, but people love this book. Goodreads says it’s “the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.” It’s an intriguing premise. I want to know why readers rave about this mystery.






2. A book that’s really long?





I’m not sure if I want to continue the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. I loved the first 3 books, but I stopped at A Feast for Crows because it doesn’t have any of my favorite characters. They aren’t dead. They’re just not in the book! I don’t know if I want to read 1000+ pages with no hope of seeing my favorites. The first three books are excellent, though. That’s why I’m on the fence. I want to know what happens. But do I want to read another fat bastard book that takes me over a month to finish? I don’t know.






3. A book you’ve had on your to-read list for too long?





The book that’s been on my list the longest is The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman. I added it to my list on March 6, 2015. I haven’t read it yet because graphic novels are expensive, and this one sounds really depressing. Like really, REALLY depressing. It’s about what the author’s parents did to survive WWII in Poland. I want to read it because it’s supposed to be one of the best graphic novels ever. How do you pass up a “best book ever?”






4. A book that’s required reading 

(school text, popular classic, etc.)?





All of the giant classics scare me. I’ve read a few of them, like The Odyssey and Atlas Shrugged. They were both required reading in college. I’ve disliked every giant classics I’ve read so far. (Including the two I just mentioned.) That’s probably why I’m scared of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. It’s required reading in many classes, but I somehow managed to escape it. I want to read it eventually because it’s about Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. I love history, and Russia is a fascinating place. The book is over 1000 pages, though! Why is it so big?






5. A book that intimidates you?





White Teeth by Zadie Smith. College professors love Zadie Smith. If college professors love an author, it usually means their books are pretentious, tedious, and challenging. I’m not even sure what this novel is about. The synopsis confuses me (which doesn’t give me high hopes for the book). I know it’s a family saga. I feel like I’ve been hearing about White Teeth for most of my life, so I want to know why it’s popular. 






6. A book you think might be slow?





If I’m interested in the characters or topic, then slow books don’t bother me. I’m not a fan of super-academic nonfiction, though. I have a hard time getting past dry writing styles. I’ve heard reviewers complain that The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present by Ronald Hutton is very academic. It sounds so interesting, though. Real-life witches! I refuse to believe that witches can be boring. That’s why it’s still on my must-read list.






7. A book you need to be in the right mood for?



 


Depressing nonfiction. I have so much of it on my list. Racism, poverty, cults, fascism, crime, the gory history of medicine. It’s all on my Pinterest board. A few recent depressing additions are Columbine by Dave Cullen, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 by Garrett Graff, and Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe. These books have won awards and received excellent reviews. Will I fall face-down in a pile of chocolate after I read them? Probably. I’ll need a lot of chocolate to make me not hate the world.






8. A book you’re unsure if you’ll like?





A book that’s the opposite of depressing! I’m not a romance lover, but this novel gets so much love that it has made me curious. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is a rom-com about what happens when the President’s son falls in love with the Prince of Wales. It is supposed to be hilarious.














Do you want to see all the books on my to-be-read list? I have a Pinterest board for that!



Have you read any of these books? Should I keep them on my list?







20 comments:

  1. Cersei's new POV in A Feast For Crows is really good and I enjoyed what was happening with Asha, Samwell and Jaime. Brienne's interactions with Sam's father are good. The two issues for me with this book are too many threads from Dorne and the Greyjoys. I still gave it four stars thogh and A Dance with Dragons is a great book after this one.

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  2. I was hesitant about Red, White & Royal Blue because the hype was insane, but it was well deserved. I totally enjoyed it.

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    1. I second this. I was certain there was no way Red, White and Royal Blue could live up to the hype, and I also wasn't sure I'd be in the mood for what I expected to be a light, fluffy read. However, it ended up being my favorite book of the year so far; I'd borrowed it from the library but loved it so much I bought myself a copy for future re-reads. It was even more hilarious than I'd expected, but there was also a surprising amount of depth that I hadn't anticipated.

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  3. Every once in a while I'll step out of my comfort zone to read a book that everyone seems to love. Most of the time it pays off, so I'll probably keep doing it!! Out of these, I've only read Red, White & Royal Blue. I enjoyed it (though maybe not quite as much as everyone else seemed to?).

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  4. RWRB didn't feel like a strict romance to me. It focused a lot on Alex as he grew and understand his sexuality, I think you may like it AJ!

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  5. I feel like One of Us is Lying is not for hardcore mystery readers. They are the ones, who seem to be most disappointed by it. I think you would enjoy RWRB, because there is a lot of political stuff, and I feel like it leans in your direction.

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  6. I actually loved Red, White & Royal Blue way more than I thought I would! Confession: I hated A Feast for Crows the first time I read it, but upon rereading it, I actually really liked it.

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  7. I wondered what you would say about Red, White and Blue mostly bc I loved the book so much. But it took a lot for me to pick it up bc I thought it was too hyped up. And was wonderfully surprised when I read it. I hear you on depressing non-fic. It's why I don 't tend to read it unless it's true crime, and even I have to admit that's hellaciously depressing and yet I am hooked.

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  8. Oh I love this tag! One of Us is Lying is a book that I feel the same about. I want to give it a try, but I fear that it is going to be predictable. So many people have suggested it, so I feel like I will give it a try one of these days. I hope that you love these if you do pick them up. :)

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  9. I've not read any of these but I'll be honest, I refuse to start the Martin books until he releases the next one.

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  10. Red, White, and Royal Blue was a total ME book but I really do think it's good - and very funny!! I haven't read White Teeth, but I read her book Z in college and I did enjoy that, so I've been curious about some of her other stuff. I've owned Columbine for years and hope to read it soon - I also want to read The Only Plane in the Sky. Just stock up on chocolate, we'll be okay. ;) ooh you have to read Maus. You might be able to find copies at the library, or just really cheap, since it's been out for awhile now. I love it though.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  11. I feel the same about Red, White and Royal Blue!

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  12. I feel exactly the same way about the Zadie Smith novel and also One of Us is Lying. YA thrillers aren't my thing but everyone seems to enjoy that one! As a brit I have been told I am going to hate red white and royal blue because it is the american outlook on british life and doesn't do it justice at all :P So while I want to read it to see what the hype is about, I don't think I am going to enjoy it nearly as much as everyone else :P

    Olivia-S @ Olivia's Catastrophe

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  13. Haven't Read much from this list. But Maus is amazing. I mean it's on the best graphic novels list so I can't convince you more that :P I guess what I liked about the book is how it focuses on Poland during WW2 which I never knew much about before reading this book. Also, Red White and Blue - I would skip that if I were you since I am not a romance lover either and I am struggling to just get it over with.

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  14. I have very similar feelings on a lot of these- especially RW&RB. Everyone loooooves it but it just doesn't really feel like something I am dying to read? Idk. Honestly I feel like this is the relationship I have with oh, 99% of all books. I want to read them but also don't. It's hard!

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  15. I love this post, One of Us Is Lying I really wanted to read since I first saw it on Goodreads. But with so many people talking about it I've kinda...not been committing to it at all lol

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  16. I haven't read "War and Peace," but have tackled many of Dostoevsky's novels (I've only read Tolstoy's Short Stories). Why is it so long? Probably because of Russian winters!

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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  17. W&P is very long but so worth it! It's amazing!

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  18. War and Peace is definitely one I want to read but don't want to read! I cheated and watched the BBC adaptation though... It was stunning.

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  19. Red, White and Royal Blue is good but like all books hyped up so much, word of caution. Let that go because I have read some expecting so much and ended up feeling disappointed but if you don’t expect too much of it, it turns out to be actually good books.

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