I’ve read several of these Top Ten Tuesday posts, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, in the past, and decided to join in this week. Some of the topics don’t work that well for me; for example, my TBR list is only 2 months old, so it’s really hard to say I’ve been avoiding anything on it. But I was able to come up with 10 books on my list that I’m avoiding for some reason or another. These are books that I expect to get pushed down my TBR several times before I read them, or I’m just really not looking forward to reading them, or there’s some reason I can’t read them right now.
1. Claiming T-Mo by Eugen Bacon
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. After I won it and re-read the synopsis, it seemed a lot less interesting than when I’d entered the giveaway. I’ll still read it, and in the spirit of the giveaway, I’ll try to get it to soon. But I’m not looking forward to it, and I feel pretty bad about that.
2. Landry Park by Bethany Hagen
When I first started to get back into reading seriously, before I built my TBR list up to even what it is now, I found this book at a bargain store and decided to buy it, with no knowledge of it whatsoever. After reading reviews, I’ve soured on it a bit. I know I’ll still read it, but my TBR list is so long (and that’s considering it’s shorter than that of everyone else I know), I just know it’s going to keep sliding down it.
3. The Dandelion Killer by Wanda Luttrell
This one is probably a little silly, but it still deserves a spot on the list. I have read this book before, at least twice, back in my younger reading days, and I remember enjoying it (enough to read it again at least once). My TBR currently includes some books I haven’t read for years and want to re-read now that I’m older, and this is one…but I made the mistake of checking its rating on Goodreads. It’s not great, so of course I keep passing it over. But since most of the ratings don’t come with reviews (and I do remember liking it), I think it’s a good idea to give it another chance myself…eventually.
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
6. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I lumped all 3 of these together for the explanation because it’s basically the same explanation. Well-known, mostly much-loved books intimidate me. Especially when they’ve been around for a long time and I haven’t read word one of them (yes, I know Ender’s Game is new compared to the other two though). I’ve broken into this a bit with Harry Potter, but I quickly discovered how difficult it was to write a review for something when I realize most people who read the review will already know the subject material much better than I do.
Also, I’m one of those people with the ridiculous complex in which the more someone tells me I should read/watch/do something, the less I want to do it. So the more popular a book or series is, the more I tend to shy away from it. So I’ll get there…eventually…just stop pressuring me!
7. An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass
8. The Escape Room by Megan Goldin
Both of these have been pushed down my TBR because they’re in the New Fiction section at my library, which means I can only check them out for 1 week. I need to wait until I’m sure I’m ready to read one right away before I check it out, so I can make sure I finish it in the time I have. And the timing hasn’t worked out so far.
9. Unoffendable by Brant Hansen
10. I Want to Punch You in the Face But I Love Jesus by Sherri Lynn
Both of these are already low on my TBR because they are not available at my local library. I will have to wait until I have the funds to purchase them, so they’ll have to stay low. But I am looking forward to reading both of them when I can.
Have you read any of these? Should I move any up to the top of my TBR list?
I hope you give Anne of Green Gables and The Hobbit a try sometime. They really are both very good. Not perfect, but definitely worth checking out.
My TTT.
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I definitely will read them, I just don’t know when I’ll get to them. But both of them have only been on my TBR list for a month…and my TBR list is only 2 months old. All the same, I appreciate your comment. It’s enough to give me reason to make sure I don’t wait too long!
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I have a very similar aversion to hyped books /movies/ shows and it drives my spouse up the wall! I’m looking forward to reading about your experience with rereading books now that you are older and seeing how they stack up. 🤗
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My husband is the biggest victim of my aversion to being told I really need to read/watch/play something too. He has learned some tricks to getting around this, but most of the time, he just has to wait until I come to it on my own.
So far my couple of re-reads have gone over well, but I did start with my favorites from my late high school, early 20s days, so I was starting out safe.
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I love Ender’s Game, Anne of Green Gables, and The Hobbit, but I definitely understand being intimidated by books everybody has read or loved or whatever. There are so many classics and hyped books I dread reading because I don’t want to be disappointed or disappoint someone who loves it.
Read them when you’re ready!
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My sister and her husband are such Anne fans, all 4 of their kids were named in part after characters from those books. It’s a lot of pressure to like it! But it’s also not like they’ve ever pressured me directly to read and enjoy them, so…it’s really all in my head. Thanks for the encouragement!
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Honestly I am the same about Landry Park. I actually found an autographed copy of it at the thriftstore for $2 and I picked it up because that’s straight up a steal but the reviews for it have made me skeptical of reading it. I’ve started it a couple of times only to just abruptly stop. So it’s just been chilling on my shelves for a couple of years.
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At least I don’t feel so bad, since I’ve only had it for just over 2 months. I could see myself getting to a couple of years before I read it though. Maybe that means I need to cement a place for it in the short list of “read next” so that doesn’t happen.
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Oof, one week?? I guess that’s one way to make sure the Eager Beaver readers can all get through it quickly…but that’s some reading dedication required when it’s your turn. How long do books stay in New Fiction?
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I went onto my library’s website to see if I could find the answer to that question. I couldn’t, but one of the books was published on May 21. Most likely, rather than the timing eventually working out for me, I just won’t get around to checking it out until it’s off the new fiction shelf. I did find out that I was wrong about how long the check-out time is for new fiction. It’s actually 2 weeks, which is only 1 week shorter than the normal check-out, so that could affect my future reading as well. And it’s good to know for possible future new books!
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