Ten Books I Put Down & Still Need to Finish

Posted May 12, 2014 by Cristina (Girl in the Pages) in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 21 Comments

TTTcustombannerTop Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s theme was Top Ten Books You Almost Put Down but Didn’t. I found this topic to be really difficult, as I rarely power through books once I put them down for more than a few days. Therefore, I decided to put my own spin on the topic this week to suit my reading habits and instead compiled Ten Books I Put Down & Still Need (& Want) to Finish.

(In No Particular Order)

1) Venom by Fiona Paul- I was really drawn by the gorgeous cover of this book, and received it for my birthday last year. I got maybe three chapters in and then ended up losing track of it when I moved and only recently unearthed it. I’m excited for the setting and the grisly murder scene at the beginning has definitely intrigued me to read more.

2) The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray- This book is huge and so much time had elapsed between when I picked this up and when I had read the first two books in the series that I felt too lost when reading it (is it just me or does picking up the next book in a series without recently reading the others irritate other people as well?) I really want to go back and reread the whole series in succession and finish this, as Bray’s writing is beautiful, although one of the major plot points was unveiled to me (and that I wasn’t happy with). Sigh.

3) Envy by Anna Godbersen- I kind of lost interest in this series, but I’ve invested in hardcovers of the first three so I feel obligated to finish it. Although after they killed off a major character (in book two I believe) it got really depressing.

4) A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L’Engle- I remember picking up a paperback copy at Borders a long, long time ago because I’ve heard it’s such a classic, but never got past the first few pages (and honestly kind of forgot what it’s supposed to be about) but according to Goodreads it’s actually fifth in a larger series, so maybe it will lead me to an entire new series! Has anyone else read this? Thoughts?

5) The Diviners by Libba Bray- I love Libba Bray, I’m so sad that she’s on this list twice! I suffered at the hands of library due dates and wasn’t able to complete this one , but it’s a goal for the summer as I have a slight (humongous) Gatsby obsession.

6) Delirium by Lauren Oliver- I got like 75% of the way through this book and it started putting me to sleep, which I was surprised about because so many people I know rave about this series. I’d like to finish it though and see if the ending picks up!

7) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- I started this as a freshman in high school upon the recommendation of my English teacher who thought I was ready for more advanced reading, but the size intimidated me on top of all of my other fifteen-year-old responsibilities and homework. I’m really hoping to tackle it and enjoy it soon, because it’s been referenced in so many other things that I’ve read, obviously because it’s such a classic.

8) Pendragon: The Merchant of Death (#1) by D.J. Machale- So I really wanted to get into Pendragon because my boyfriend grew up reading it, but I’m encountering what I imagine readers who start Harry Potter as adults encounter: the first books seem juvenile because the protagonist is still a child and he grows with the series. It seems to be a matter of getting through the more child-oriented narrative of the first few books.

9) A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R. Martin- So the day I started this series I ended up getting sick the same night, and needless to say never got around to picking it up again. I need to get into this series because I basically know a ton about it because a lot of my best friends read it, and I have sat through enough conversations to sound like I know what I’m talking about, and even formed my own theories and joined fandoms (I want to be Khaleesi, but who doesn’t? Also, House Martell sounds like my kind of house). I haven’t even watched more than the pilot of the show- I know, you’re giving me that look. But I swear I’ll remedy this sometime soon!

10) City of Secrets (Stravaganza #4) by Mary Hoffman- So I’ve talked on my blog about how much I loved the Stravaganza series, and the initial trilogy was so good. I guess the author has expanded the universe to include another trilogy, though with some new characters, and finishing it was hard because it just didn’t seem to have the same charm as the first three. I’m willing to give it another try though.

So I tweaked the topic a bit but I hope you enjoyed checking out my list! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of my choices (if you’ve read them, if you also still haven’t finished them, etc). Link back to your TTT and I’ll check out yours!

Signature

Tags: , , , , , ,


21 responses to “Ten Books I Put Down & Still Need to Finish

  1. I’ve read Jane Eyre, but some parts were so boring that it literally took me 2 months to finish. I think you should continue reading it. The story line was amazing, but I know – it seems over-detailed πŸ™

    Your list looks so organized, by the way πŸ™‚
    My TTT

  2. I almost did my list like this! You’ve got a really interesting list here. I haven’t actually read any of the books on your list though. I’ve been told I need to read Game of Thrones, but it’s such a huge commitment! Haha.

    My TTT!

  3. I recently read Jane Eyre for the first time and I almost DNF’d it. From all the ravings I’ve heard over the years, I was expecting a bit more, but I am glad I stuck with it. Jane isn’t my favorite literary character, but I developed a deep respect for her and her convictions.

    • It’s so hard going in with such high expectations, especially with a classic that in some ways you feel obligated to like or respect because it’s so influential. But I’d like to start it again because I think it’s worth it to have the experience. Thanks so much for stopping by!

  4. Great list! I like the way you did it. I have read Delirium, I am actually in the middle of book the last book in the series, but only because I had to end a book, I definitely think its slow and I am not a huge fan. New Bloglovin follower !heck out My TTT ~ Katie @ Inkk Reviews

    • Thank you so much for the follow! Yeah even if I finish Delirium I doubt I’ll finish the series, although I’m drawn to Oliver’s new book Panic because the premise seems so intriguing. Have you read Panic?

  5. I think you picked a good way to do this list, I struggled too and had to do something slightly different myself. The only one of these I have read is Game of Thrones, which I really enjoyed. The TV series is INCREDIBLE! So I really hope you manage to get to both soon. I want to read The Diviners and Delirium, keep hearing great things about both. Nice picks πŸ™‚ Here’s my TTT.

    • I need to get HBO! GOT seems to have taken over both the literary and not so literary world! Was GOT hard to get through because of the multiple POV shifts? I hear sometimes certain books in the series can have completely different POV characters!
      Thank you so much for stopping by!

  6. I actually read Jane Eyre when I was fifteen and hated it! But I’ve promised myself now that I’m older, I should give it another chance. Great list.

    • Thanks! Yeah there are many things I have a greater appreciation for now then when I was fifteen, and it makes me want to revisit things I read at that age because I think I’d get a lot more out of those texts now. I am also horrifyingly under-read with a lot of those victorian-era texts (such as Jane Austin) so maybe it’s time to revisit those!

    • I don’t blame you. Those books are daunting, and I hear George R. Martin takes forever to write them. Maybe I’ll watch the show for now and invest in reading the series once all the books are out.

      • I fear the beast that is: “Oh it’s only 40 episodes deep. Binge watch over the weekend? okay, easy peasy.”
        *1 second after the conclusion of season 4*
        “BOOKS. NEED. WHERE. NOW!? ASYDGASYTDV”

  7. I want to be one of those good people who tries to get you to pick one of these back up again, but I have to say that Delirium is not worth it. Or it was not for me anyway. I have just finished the series and I was really disappointed!

    Great list my dear & thanks for sharing! πŸ™‚

    Alex @ The Shelf Diaries

    • I feel bad not finishing Delirium because I’m so close to the end, but at this point I’d probably have to go back and start from the beginning in order to refresh my memory. I remember being so interested in the subject matter of the book, but I think that happens a lot with dystopian novels, they have an interesting premise but the execution of the plot is lackluster. Thanks so much for stopping by!

  8. Cait

    I only read a little bit of Jane Eyre, for school, but I stopped on the ground that I was being traumatically disturbed. lol It was SO disturbing though…all those horrible things Jane went through?!! I mean, CHILD ABUSE. *ahem* It made me really sad.
    Thanks for stopping by my TTT!

    • There’s no doubt that Jane Eyre is dark! I’ve heard it has some strong female characters though, and I’m always interested in books with those! Thanks for stopping by, I love your blog!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.