Tuesday 13 May 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #53 - Books I Almost Put Down!


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely people at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is -


Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

I very rarely put down books without finishing them, the number of books I've DNF'd in the last twenty years is around four! What I have a habit of doing is reading a book, not liking it, putting it down to read a book I do like and then going back to the book I wasn't enjoying and finishing it. Most of the time I end up loving the book in question but every now & then I really wish I could DNF without feeling overcome with guilt.

 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

I nearly out this down a dozen times, the first time I read it I was not in the mood for a long book but I'd borrowed it from the library so felt obligated to finish and return. Years later my mama and I read the books together, I loved Outlander and the rest of the series - we raced through them all!
Across the Universe - Beth Revis

 I read Across the Universe the year in March 2011, I struggled but I gave it five stars in the end. Rather oddly, even though I own the other two books in the series I still haven't read them and I feel no desperate need to do so.
Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff

Nothing to say but it was the best decision ever not to put this down. Note to self, read book two now!
 Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

I'd heard both good and bad about this series and I really wasn't interested in reading yet another teen vampire story but a friend in the States sent me a copy, insisting I read it. So I did... It nearly got to join a select few on my DNF list but something stopped me. I've obviously read all of them now, and the Bloodlines series so this turned out to be a good thing!
 The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

I struggled to get into The Historian and did actually put it down for a month but went back to it and I ended up loving it!
 A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

This was one of those books you borrow from the library and you're not quite sure what it's about. I read this in 2008 and at the time nobody I knew was reading YA (except for sparkly vampires) but I ended up loving this and bought my own copy.
 The Host - Stephenie Meyer

I have nothing against people who liked The Host but it took me four attempts to read/finish and it was this close to joining the DNF list. I'm glad I finally finished it but I can't say I really enjoyed it.
 Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness

I loved A Discovery of Witches, adored it! I think I went into SoN with too many expectations and so I really found it difficult to keep reading. I did though and finished it, eventually. I'm looking forward to The Book of Life this summer but I've not got my hopes up this time.
Divergent - Veronica Roth

I read Divergent in 2011 and I can't remember why I picked it up but I do remember thinking that it didn't sound like my cup of tea. It's another one I put down for a couple of weeks and went back to, eventually giving it five stars (which would probably be four stars if I read it now) and being desperate to read Insurgent. I obviously wasn't that desperate as I read Insurgent last month, exactly three years after Divergent and only because I bought Allegiant for my Kindle for $4/£3.



Seraphina - Rachel Hartman

This was a classic case of cover love! And 'stories about dragons' love! Started reading it and there was something that I can't put my finger on but it was really off-putting to me. I ended up leaving it at my sister's house for a while and then starting it again. It was like reading a different book and I loved it!

9 comments:

  1. I own most of these books and have only read Divergent, the rest of the books are still waiting for me. I keep choosing something else. I should really pick some of those up now that I've seen your list!

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  2. I absolutely loved The Historian, it's on my list this week too. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

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  3. i actually put stormdancer down because i didn't like the writing style.. as for across the universe.. i also almost put it down several times but finished it and i'm also not in a hurry to continue on with the series.. i get The Host.. many people DNF-ed it in the beginning and it took me a while to get through the beginning but it is one of my all time favorite books. I need to remember this about Seraphina since i'm dying to read it.

    awesome list,
    Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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  4. I read half of Divergent, put it down and came back to it months later. I had to reread the whole thing, but I actually liked it. Oddly enough I haven't picked up Insurgent despite it and Allegiant being on my bookshelf.

    My TTT

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  5. Love these picks! 'The Historian' is on my TBR list! I actually really liked 'The Host' but the Twilight series made it to my list.

    Check out my TTT!

    Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination

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  6. I felt the same way about A Great and Terrible Beauty when I borrowed it from my public library too. I liked the cover but wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out I ended up loving it.

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  7. I've read a couple of these books too, but it's cool to see how you ended up enjoying a few of them. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I am so with you on Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I devoured the first book, and then trudged through the second one.

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  9. Stormdancer was on my list as well. I am so thankful that I stuck with it. Whew!

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