Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish

Hey, everyone! Today's top ten is 'Top Ten Most Intimidating Books" As always, these are in no particular order. Let's get started!

1. The Diviners by Libba Bray
I've been wanting to read this for a very long time. I've heard good things about it, it seems right up my alley, but it's so long! And that is what intimidates me. The length.

2. Emma by Jane Austen
I love Jane Austen., and I'm sure I would really enjoy Emma, but I just can't get into it. I think it's part length, part one of the last novels I haven't read by her. Whatever it is, I'm a little scared every time I start it.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
This is another one I'm sure I would love, but just haven't read because it's a 'classic' and apparently I find that intimidating.

4. Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides 
I got this book on clearance at Half-Priced Books for a dollar. And I was really excited because I've heard a lot of good things about this author and I really want to read some of his books. But I also find his books intimidating as they're 'grown up" books (literary fiction) and I generally don't read a lot of literary fiction unless it's for school.

5. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
 I read a short story by Faulkner in my freshman year comp class and I really liked it. So I bought one of his novels. But I have yet to read it because reading Faulkner is serious work and you need to concentrate for hours on end in order to read it and understand it. And that's not a priority.

6. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein
I grouped these together for simplicity sake. I'm sure there are some people yelling at their computer screen, "ERMEGERD, YOU HAVEN'T READ LOTR! AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A NERD!" I am aware, but there is such tremendous pressure to love these books, and I'm not sure I can live up to that.

7. The 5th Wave by Richard Yancy
There's been a lot of people loving this book recently, and while I am intrigued by it, I'm not so sure it's a me book.

8. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
I've read Jennifer Donnelly's young adult books (Northern Lights and Revolution) and they are both excellent, intricately woven historical books. And I bought this one at a bookshop in Westport last year, but I have yet to read it. However, I just realized the main character and I have the same first name, which is cool and will work for my summer reading challenge.

9. The Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin
I find this one intimidating much of the same reason as The Lord of the Rings. There's just so much pressure to like this series and I can't take the heat.

10. Most nonfiction
What do you mean they write books about things that actually happened?

What books do you find intimidating? Tell me in the comments! 

8 comments:

  1. Game of Thrones! It IS intimidating but SO WORTH IT!

    I listed numbers 4 and 5 since they are a combined 2000 pages!!!

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    1. Good to know! I may read the first one eventually, but I don't know.

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  2. Ha - your comment about nonfiction books is funny. I don't really read them either. You always know how it ends. :)

    TTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket

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    1. Exactly, plus I have trouble finding nonfiction I like to begin with!

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  3. Wow, so much to talk about on your list! I totally hear ya about non-fiction; I'm getting more into it the older I get, but I still read much more fiction.

    I'm so glad I'm not the only person who can't get into Emma! I think she's just a bit of a vapid character, and so the story is hard to get into.

    Throw Wuthering Heights as far out to sea as you can get it. It's so awful. :(

    Here's my TTT for the week. Happy 4th of July weekend!

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    1. I just prefer fiction, and I have difficulty finding nonfiction I really like.

      I don't know what it is about Emma I just can't get into. I'll read a hundred pages, but then end up putting down for no real reason other than I feel like reading something else.

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  4. OMG I am never going to finish The Diviners and Middlesex. or at least that's what it feels like. I hope to one day (...soon) though.

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  5. The book I really want to get through but can't seem to is Sophie's World. I keep getting sidetracked and feeling like I need to go read about each of the philosophers. I'm realizing the last time I tried to read it was before Wikipedia, though... This could be a much easier task than I realized!

    The Tea Rose is fantastic. It and its sequel inspired me to write a fan letter to the author, which I never do. I can't even explain why I like them so much, but I encourage you not to be intimidated! They're fun, fast-moving historical fiction. If you could make it through Northern Lights, The Tea Rose will be no problem. :)

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