Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

Posted in Miscellaneous by TheQuirkyBookNerd

At this point, I think the fact that I love making lists has been properly established. Let’s make another one!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about two things: books I have yet to read and the size of my TBR pile. I personally tend to take a lot of pride in the fact that I love to read and in the amount of books that I consume on a regular basis. I also enjoy the fact that I have a wide literary knowledge. As readers yourselves, I’m sure you know the feeling; each book read is like a new badge of honor we get to pin on our shirts.

And though it may seem silly, I think a lot of avid readers can identify with the slight feeling of pressure to read certain novels. These can either be novels that are considered to be “classics” and expected to be in the repertoire of any proclaimed bibliophile, or they can be novels that are simply wildly popular within the book community. Either way, we feel that, to fully embrace our bookishness, we should read these stories.

Truthfully, it’s completely ridiculous to feel pressured into reading something; there is absolutely no set of rules or reading requirements you have to meet to be a true booklover. But even though I don’t particularly feel like I have to read certain books, there are still a few I have been meaning to read and am totally ashamed, as a book nerd, that I haven’t yet.

Since my TBR has been getting out of control, I figured it was about time to take myself on a bit of a guilt trip. So today, I thought I would make up a list of the books that I can’t believe I haven’t read yet.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors, and he made this classic story into an absolutely spectacular film (which I have seen far too many times to count). Even though I am definitely a hopeless romantic, when it comes to books, I tend to not be the biggest romance fan, or at least to be very picky about romance in novels. But this is one of my favorite romantic tales and I need to read it soon.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This is a classic story and was one of my all-time favorite movies growing up. I finally bought myself a copy of this book, and am incredibly eager to read it. I can’t wait to see how the book compares to the movie, and to experience this story again in a whole new way.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I have actually not yet read a book by John Green. This is relatively awkward being an avid reader and a (ahem…quite frequent…) viewer of Youtube videos. Frankly, I think the main reason I haven’t gotten around to reading this yet is the daunting amount of mental and emotional preparation I will need to go through before doing so! In other words: I am not ready for the feels!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

I am incredibly ashamed to admit that I have never read a book by J.R.R Tolkien, nor have I seen any of the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit films. As a fantasy lover and book/movie nerd, not to mention an aspiring author and filmmaker, I need to rectify this immediately!

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This is an incredibly popular novel and one that I have been very interested to read for a while now. I know a bit about this man’s story, and what he experienced and survived during and after World War II is absolutely astonishing and inspiring. I know that this will be a difficult read, but I also think it is an extremely important read, and I hope to get to it soon.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I’ve already touched on my guilt about not having read this book in my last Top 10 Tuesday post, but I felt it still deserved to be put on this list. Though I’ve been interested to read this story for ages, I’ve never gotten around to picking it up. This is one that I hope to check off my reading list before the end of the year.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

This is a novel I really should have read already…because school! However, I ended up missing it due to changing schools between ninth and tenth grade. Even though I always hear very mixed opinions of it, this is definitely a story that sounds intriguing to me and I want to give it a try.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

This is another one that I somehow missed out on reading in school. As both a book lover and a writer, I’ve desperately wanted to read a Steinbeck novel for years now, but have not yet. Definitely high priority on my TBR.

Misery by Stephen King

Even though I have only read one book and a few short stories by him, Stephen King is a favorite author of mine, and a big inspiration for my own writing. This is another case of a book that I have not read that was a favorite movie of mine growing up. Misery is an absolutely fantastic story (and film), and it is completely outrageous that I haven’t gotten around to actually reading it yet!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is by far the most embarrassing unread book that I have on my TBR. It was always an option on summer reading lists in my later years of school and I’ve seen the movie (yes, I saw it before reading the book. Bad Ari!), but I still have not read it. I do, however, leave it sitting among my other books in a way where I can easily see it every day and feel the shame. I am absolutely determined to get to this book before the end of the year!

What popular books have you been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to yet? Do we have any in common? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

22Sep2015

Top 10 Tuesday – September 22nd, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s topic is the top ten books on your fall TBR. This was a difficult list to make because my TBR is so massive. It was hard to choose which ones I want to read first since I am so eager to read them all. And I think I have also managed to come to the conclusion that I have a bit of a book-buying problem…but you can never have too many books! Right?

Anyway, though it was tough to choose just ten, here is a list of the books on my TBR that I am most excited to get to this season.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Frankly, I can’t believe that I haven’t read this novel yet. Or a Victoria Schwab novel in general, for that matter. I have been hearing so many wonderful things about her books, and I am interested to see what I think of them. Also, a comic-book style novel about super powered archenemies? Why has it taken me so long to get around to this?

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

If you couldn’t already tell from my recent posts, I have recently become a massive Gillian Flynn fan. I read Gone Girl earlier this year and I plan on starting Dark Places this month. So of course, this is also on the top of my TBR, and I would really like to get to it before the end of the year. Even though I run the risk of going into Gillian Flynn book withdrawal!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I’ve recently been making my way through the television series and I am completely hooked! This is a book series that I have been meaning to start for a while, and since I am enjoying the show, I’m even more eager to jump into the novels. I have a good feeling that I am going to love these stories.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This is yet another book that I have had on my list for a long time and I can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it yet. I have only ever heard extremely positive things about this novel, and it sounds like the perfect story for a nerd like me! This is definitely a high priority read on my TBR.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I have wanted to start the Throne of Glass series for a long time now, so I am determined to begin it this fall. This sounds like an incredible fantasy series and I think these stories will be right up my alley. I’d like to get caught up on it as soon as possible!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

I’ve been really enjoying reading retellings lately, and this is one that I am looking forward to. It is based off of One Thousand and One Nights, which is story that I am not too familiar with, and the premise sounds so intriguing. This is another high priority read for me.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon was typically an option on the list of books we chose from for summer reading in school, and I always meant to get to it. But for some reason, I never chose it and I finished school without having read it; on top of that, my dad has been highly recommending this to me for a while now. I recently picked up a copy and I would like to get to it in the next few months.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

I began this series earlier this year and I am hoping to finish Cress up soon so I can read Winter when it is released. So of course this is on my TBR! I am absolutely loving this series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes and how it wraps up.

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I’ve been working my way through the Sherlock Holmes novels, but so far I’ve only read two of the short story collections. I would like to give one of the standalone novels a try, and I figured I might as well start at the beginning. I’m excited to see how I like this and how the full novels compare to the short stories.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a book that I took a bit of a risk on and purchased recently. I’ve read one of Maggie Stiefvater’s novels before and I was not a fan of it. However, I did like her writing style and I have been hearing a lot of great things about this series. This does sound like I story that I might end up really enjoying so I figured I would give it a try.

Let me know in the comments what books are at the top of your fall TBR!

-Ariana

6Sep2015

September 2015 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Can you believe it’s September already? This is coming a bit late as we are already almost a week in, but I thought it would be fun to share my TBR for the month. It is a bit ambitious, and I have a feeling I won’t end up making it through all of these books by the end of the month, however, I am hoping to read a good number of them. So here’s a list of books at the top of my reading list that I plan on working on this month!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This is the book that I’m currently working on and I am already loving it! The writing is wonderful; the story is very funny, heartfelt, and emotional. And on top of that, it’s a perfect story for book lovers and anyone who has had their lives touched by literature. I can’t wait to finish it!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I read Cinder at the beginning of the year and completely fell in love with it, and I cannot believe I haven’t read this book yet. I’d also like to catch up on these stories so I can read Winter when it comes out at the end of the year. So it’s about time I continue on with the series!

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This is another book that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now. I constantly hear people raving about this trilogy, and Brandon Sanderson’s work in general, so I’m very eager to finally pick up one of his novels. Plus, I’m really in the mood for a good fantasy novel right now.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I always love reading new authors every year, and this is one debut novel that I’ve been hearing a lot of amazing things about. The premise sounds very interesting and incredibly funny, so I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out.

The Marvels by Brian Selznick

I am a huge fan of Brian Selznick, so of course I’m dying to pick up his newest book! His stories are always fantastic, and as a writer and artist, the format of them always intrigues me. This is coming out toward the middle of the month, and I plan on reading it right away.

Dissonance by Mariella Hunt

This is another debut novel; it just came out a few months ago and is actually written by a friend of mine. The plot sounds very interesting and I’ve read, and loved, her writing in the past, so I’m really looking forward to diving into this.

The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

This is another book by a debut author, and it’s pitched as a dark, adult fairytale, which is right up my alley. It seems like it will be a really unique story, and it sounds similar in style to Neil Gaiman’s novels, so I think this will be an enjoyable read.

Miss. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My mom and a number of my friends have been recommending this to me for a few years now so, once again, this is a book I’ve been meaning to read for a while. With the final book coming out this month, and the movie in the works, I thought it would be a great time to get going on this trilogy.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Okay, so I will admit that I have been a bit nervous about reading this one. To Kill a Mockingbird is my absolute favorite book of all time, so with the very mixed reviews, and the controversy surrounding this novel, I have been hesitant. However, I have mentally prepared myself (and have To Kill a Mockingbird on hand for a cheer-up re-read if need be), so I think I’m ready. Also, I have a few family members and friends who have already told me they are waiting to hear what I think about it before they read it, so I want to get to it soon. To be honest, I think I will probably end up liking this and my fears will be for nothing.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I cannot sufficiently explain my eagerness to get to this novel! I just read Gone Girl this summer and I loved it. I am already a total Gillian Flynn fangirl. Her writing style is wonderful, and I am so impressed with her ability to create such complex and intriguing storylines and characters. I can’t wait to read more of her work!

I also plan on continuing to read a few stories out of The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

So that’s my TBR for the month. Let me know in the comments what books you guys are currently reading and/or what you are planning on reading during the month!

-Ariana

The Quirky Book Nerd

Tag Archives: tbr

September 2015 TBR