Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read

I feel like I have done this one before, too. So looks like I am going to cheat again, YAY! So as some of you may know, I am doing a Culling of the Books at the moment. And some of these I cleared from my shelves, but I got rid of even more from my Goodreads TBR. And some of these books were on there for ages, and I don’t know why I ever told myself that I was going to read them- or why I kept the charade up for half a decade in some cases.

Books I Finally Kicked off my TBR

I only went with books that had been on for a loooong time before they got the boot. Sadly, I own most of them too. 

Hunger is kicked off because…. I liked the Gone story but I was also kind of bored at times and dreaded reading Hunger. So I bought the whole series, as you do. Only I don’t wanna because 600 pages is a lot? 

Anna and the French Kiss is kicked off because…. I don’t even like fluffy books. What was I thinking?  And then I heard that Anna was acting crappy, on top of it, so bye. 

The Selction is kicked off because…. The spinoff series with the bratty daughter legit spoiled the entire series for me. And so now… meh.

An Abundance of Katherines is kicked off because…. I simply refuse to believe that anyone knows that many girls named Katherine. It isn’t even that popular of a name, right? 

This Song will Save Your Life is kicked off because…. I don’t even like books about music, but I caved to the peer pressure. Well, looks like I have uncaved.

Golden Son is kicked off because….  Gather your pitchforks friends, I didn’t love Red Rising. I DNFed it once, came back around and finished it, and I still have zero fucks left to give book two.

Cruel Beauty is kicked off because…. I don’t even love retellings to begin with, but then when I read Bright Smoke, Cold Fire and kind of hated it…. the deal was sealed. 

The Queen of the Tearling is kicked off because…. tbh, it’s suuuuper long and some people said it was boring and that’s a good enough reason for me. 

Shiver is kicked off because…. I remembered that I kind of hate werewolves.

Lailah is kicked off because…. I remembered that I don’t like the stuff in this one either.

The Murder Complex is kicked off because…. I just read too many negative reviews, and frankly, life is too short and I have other shit to read.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is kicked off because…. I have heard there are a shitton of books that do the same general concept… only better. And this is a long series.

Have you finally let go of any TBR lingerers? What makes you finally admit you’re never reading something?

Posted February 6, 2018 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Top Ten Tuesday / 57 Comments

Divider

57 responses to “Books That Got The Boot

  1. The Selection- I think I actually read the first one? Maybe? Or I’m mixing it up with something else… The Queen of the Tearling was okay as a straight up fantasy but book two started to genre- bend and, IDK, it didn’t work for me and I DNF’d. So yeah… skip that bad boy. 🙂

    The Murder Complex is one I wanted to read initially, but I think I chucked it too after some reviews…

  2. FUN post, Shannon (as always!). Your spin is always so fun to come by and see. 🙂

    I don’t blame you kicking off books, no matter the reason. Whether it’s personal preference or a spoiler, life’s too short to read books that we’re really not interested in. This is why I try to hard to know what I like bets and, with exceptions, to stick within that circle, because reading (fiction) books should always be fun! And I don’t like feeling as if I have to “push” myself through anything.

    Happy Top Ten Tuesday!!

  3. I pretty much chucked off The Murder Complex for the same reason as well. I cave to peer pressure so much and end up getting rid of the book in the end… so why do I still cave?! Who knows!

  4. I’ll admit I support The Selection being booted… Because it was boring and I thought it became so hyped from all the Bachelor and Bachelorette fans… Okay, that sounds harsh.

    But anyways, you’re not missing out from that book, lol. I found it hilarious because of commentary with my friend while reading it.

    On the other books…. I think there are a few others I’m thinking of eventually kicking off the pile soon if I could make the time.

  5. I can honestly say that you aren’t missing much by booting An Abundance of Katherines. You’ve read one John Green book, you’ve read them all. 😛

  6. Eve

    Oh I have really enjoyed some of these but not every book is right for every reader. I am amazed by your ability to let go…I’m still clinging tight to my TBR lol.

  7. After making my list this week I really need to give a TON of books the boot. I didn’t add any of those to my list, I skipped over them to delete later. I would kind of say you’re doing the right thing with the Mara Dyer series. The first book was really addicting, but the last one was so anger-inducing. And the whole time it made it seem like there was something really awesome and mysterious going on– but there really wasn’t. BIG LET DOWN.

  8. Right there with you on Red Rising! Also to me The Queen of the Tearling is so not worth it. I did read the first Mara Dyer book and liked it well enough but never got around to picking up the rest, so you know *shrugs*

  9. Well done for kicking so many books off your TBR. I read Anna and the French Kiss a few years ago and wasn’t a fan, I think I only read all of it was because I was on holiday so I didn’t mind an easy-read, albeit one with frustrating characters.

  10. I’LL TRY TO FORGIVE YOU FOR SHIVER EVEN THOUGH IT’S PAINFUL AND HARD FOR ME. *deep panicked breaths* Also I love a ton of these haha but I totally get that if the first book wasn’t your thing, why keep going!? I do that all the time too. I keep telling myself I’ll finish the Selection series but also lmao I have better things to do. ?? Also lowkey think I’ll never read The Murder Complex or Lailah either. But WHO CAN KNOW FOR SURE. I have a terrible habit of knowing I won’t like a book but yet just having to read it just in case anyway. I don’t even know either.?

  11. I knew you would do something interesting with this topic. I must admit, I read a few of these. Anna was ok. I love contemporaries, and for me, I felt like it was a little overrated. I read all the books in the Selection series. Like books, novellas. I liked that one. Katherines is actually my favorite JG book. I was really into the character quirks and Hassan was one of my all-time favorite sidekicks.

  12. Ohhhhhh noooooooo! The Mara Dyer books are the real deal! The rest are wannabes, ha ha. Put that back on right now! ?

    The problem I think a lot of readers had with Queen of the Tearling was the draggingly loooooooong first info dump chapter, but right after that it kicks into full gear and you realize the need for the info dump. I also think a lot of readers thought it was YA and it was Adult High Fantasy. I did have a problem with the weird two stories in one second book, though. ?

  13. Shannon, I am So look with you on several of these, and even for some of the SAME reasons! (Ahem – Shiver). I did read queen if tearling and it was forever banned on any more mentioned or continuation of that series. Love your take on things!

  14. It takes a lot for me to just admit I’m never going to read a book, but if there have just been too many bad reviews or the author turns out to be not a good person (see: Orson Scott Card), it falls off my list. I actually enjoyed the first two books in the Tearling series, but I absolutely HATED how the last one ended, so I fully support it being taken off your list.

  15. I understand. I’ve been doing the same thing with my sort out. Some of the books I decided I’d never read we’re really popular like Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier and Outlander, which both have rape in them. And other books like Partials and Whither I read the description and went “why did I ever think this sounded good?”. There are still way too many that I kept that have pages of bad reviews because they had such pretty covers though. ? (And sounded good.)

  16. I have a hard time kicking books off. I have read so many on your list and liked them but I understand your reasonings too. Why keep books that you don’t have any interest or don’t think you will like. There are too many books to read out there.

  17. Sab Edwards

    There’s one series I’m heeing and hawing about as I’ve read its got some rape scenes in it that don’t add anything to the book series at all …

  18. How are you kicking off all these books??? Teach me your magic! My shelves need a cleaning so badly. I am sad about Cruel Beauty because I loved it. But then, I also adore retellings, so maybe you wouldn’t have liked it as much as I do anyway. Haha, I haven’t read the spin off the Selection, but the bratty daughter seems to have had annoyed a lot of readers. The mother isn’t that lovable either, the love triangle hurt my head when I read the first book.

    P.S – It’s been ages since I visited and commented!!!

  19. Of the two I’ve read here (An Abundance of Katherines and Shiver), you’re not missing much! They were both a bit disappointing. I even sold Shiver to the local bookstore, which I forgot until recently when I wanted some winter-themed photos for bookstagram and couldn’t find it anywhere. XD It does have a gorgeous cover.

  20. haha I love the most of these are being kicked off your TBR because you remembered you hated certain things. I’ve been trying to clean up my Goodreads TBR and the books I own too – I’m going to sell a lot of them at Half Price Books (soon) so it’s starting to feel a bit less cumbersome. Granted, I still have a ton I own/on my wish list. haha

    lauren

  21. Sorry to see Golden Son go. But if you didn’t like Red Rising, you’re not going to suddenly start loving the series. It’s pretty much the same format for each book. I read The Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver) and yeah – if you don’t like werewolves, lol, definitely not for you! I have never had The Selection on my TBR list. I find just the premise to be almost offensive. Although my friends swear I will love it, I don’t want to read it – ever. Because if I like it, I will be so disappointed in myself. 🙂 Fun list!

  22. I gave The Selection a shot a few months after it released because everyone was saying so many good things about it. I came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t for me because of how bored I felt while pushing through the story. I was on the Shiver train when it released. I read it shortly after my Twilight phase and though it isn’t anything out of this world it’s an average story. My question for you is why don’t you like werewolves? 🙂

  23. Aside from Cruel Beauty, from what I’ve read and seen reviews on, it doesn’t sound like you’re missing out on that much. I totally get just having to give up on some books, though I seriously hate admitting it! I’ve been trying to get through Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce for ages now and I’m wondering if it’s time to just let it go. I don’t even know why I’m struggling so much since I like the premise and the writing is totally fine, but for some reason it’s taking me aaaages to get to the end. Ugh.

  24. I find it so hard to cull my (virtual) TBR. I mean, I might want to read it someday, right?

    I LOVE This Song Will Save Your Life, and Abundance of Catherines is pretty good, but I’m totally fine with you losing the rest. Hunger got too gross for me, and I DNF’ed it. Shiver and Unbecoming of MD did not do it for me at all.

  25. The salt! The shade! The teeeeeeaaaa! I’m living for it. ? The Selection was kicked off my TBR because of spin-off related spoilers too, and I’m pretty pleased about it honestly. I do not have time for dull books, even if they do feature ballgowns (I am weak for a good ballgown).

  26. Oh, the whole Gone series had some serious problematic approaches to disabled characters. I did enjoy reading the series at first, though. It is definitely a dark series, though. I totally see how you’d be dreading it. Dude, werewolves are awesome. I am going to be reading Shiver for sure. Plus, I heard that book has kissing in it, which, after the Raven Cycle, I am all for it. I totally love Anna and the French Kiss, even if it has cheating as part of a relationship.

  27. I think I need to do a purge and kick some books off my list! I loved your reasons for each one. Haha.

    I think I’ve looked at Shiver multiple times because I always seem to forget what it’s about, and the cover and title always draw me in. Every time I see that it’s about werewolves, I’m like, “Yeah, no.” Not my thing at ALL.

    I do love books about music, but only if they’re done in a very specific way. (I’m picky, what can I say?) I may have to look into This Song Will Save Your Life. It sounds familiar, but I can’t remember anything I’ve read about it. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

  28. Kel

    Every so often I clean out my Goodreads TBR. Of course, that does nothing for all the unread books on my shelves… It’s the thought that counts! And having read it and your reasons for skipping it, I think you made a good call ditching Cruel Beauty. I have a soft spot for retellings, but that one tried my patience on several levels.

  29. Although I love TFIOS, I realise that I don`t care much about John Green`s other books. They just don`t work for me. “The Queen of The Tearling” is one of my favourite trilogies, but the ending was crap. I liked the first book, the second blew my mind and then the last was such a cop-out.

    Carmen`s Reading Corner

  30. I would say nice initiative to finally remove some books from the overgrowing shelf. I think I should do it too? Interesting enough, I haven’t read any of these books either. But Anna and the French Kiss is definitely on my TBR. Let’s see how it goes.
    But I would say it is okay to not read “everything” because we literally don’t have all that time to read all the books 😛

    My TTT: http://flippingthruthepages.com/2018/02/netgalley-arcs-tbr-longest-still-havent-read/

  31. Ah, I haven’t been commenting on your blog in so long! Life has just really gotten in the way and I haven’t found the chance to even though I’ve really wanted to!

    You made good choices when it came to The Selection, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and an Abundance of Katherines! I hated all three of them. And I’m still upset about how much time I wasted on the Selection and Mara Dyer trilogy. So not worth it. I haven’t read Anna and the French Kiss, Cruel Beauty, and Shiver are ones I’ve realized I’m never going to read! I enjoyed Gone, but I don’t ever think I’ll finish the series; it’s been so long since I read the first one. I loved Golden Son (and the Red Rising series as a whole) but I know it’s not for everyone!

  32. A couple of these got kicked off my TBR too. I actually read a few of the Gone books but it was so long ago I’ve forgotten nearly everything about the series, and I can’t even remember for sure how far I got (I think I read either three or four of them? Plus with the one word titles, I’ve no idea now which one is which!), so I’ve kind of resigned myself to never finishing them.
    And I’ve owned a copy of An Abundance of Katherines for ages now, because I really liked The Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska and so just bought anything by John Green at the time. But every time I go to read it, I do think that the concept sounds kind of ludicrous. Katherine probably isn’t a super rare name, but I only personally know a couple, so I don’t believe anyone could realistically know that many! 🙂

  33. Lol to all these books, except I AM coming to you with a pitchfork for Golden Son. I feel you on Anna and the French Kiss. Loved the setting, but hated everything else. The covers are great though, hence why I want Lola from you, for free.

  34. For good or for bad, I continue to hold on to Anna. *rolls my eyes* I feel like I’ve waited too late to read it and I’m just over it by now, but… there’s that tiny part of me that refuses to totally give up on it. An Abundance of Katherines – nope. I’ve kind of given up on John Green. I feel like he writes the same characters over and over and I didn’t even like them the first time much less the third or fifth or whatever. Love his vlogbrothers videos, but ixnay on the books. Why is This Song Will Save Your Life still on my shelf? You’ve inspired me to ditch it. It’s a goner. Probably the same fate lies ahead for Cruel Beauty. Just no longer care about them. Good riddance.

  35. L

    Oh no! I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and An Abundance of Katherines! Shiver was good, too. I can’t remember how I felt about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I think it had a weird ending…

    I’m sorry these were bumped! I’ve had The Selection forever, but haven’t gotten around to it. Sometimes a book will sit on my shelves for years until I finally admit to myself that I’m never going to read it. My reading preferences have changed over the years, so books that may have fit then don’t fit now.

    There’s always another book to read, so there’s no point in wasting time reading something you don’t like!

    Do You Dog-ear?

  36. i dnf red rising too, and i don’t EVER plan to continue it… that’s just how much i dislike it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i enjoyed shiver but i dislike the latest book, sinner. same with the selection, the original trilogy was good and i refuse to read the latest 3. anna and the french kiss is good, but the mc is extremely annoying and the rest of the series are just not good.

    you don’t miss out a lot tbh 😀

  37. Good riddance to Shiver! I couldn’t stand that book and wouldn’t wish that book on anyone. But Hunger… I have to admit, my heart breaks a little. I love the Gone series so much <3 But to each their own, so I completely understand.

  38. Yeah, I got rid of The Selection as well after being on my shelves for years and me never reaching for it. I hated Anna and the French Kiss hahaha. OH NO! I’m so sad about Golden Son, and Cruel Beauty! Uh yeah Murder Complex was so bad hahaha.

  39. OMG how could you not have loved The Selection series!!( given its been awhile but its one of the books that really got me into reading!) I agree I also haven’t read Anna and the French Kiss not because I’m anti romance (the opposite in fact) but its just been so hyped and I’m scared of being disappointed! Cruel Beauty however I highly recommend you pick back up because it actually really surprised me and I ended up loving it a lot more than I thought I would?!?! So PLEASE give it a chance!

    Oh and BTW I wanted to let you know I tagged you in my Anti Valentines day tag! Great post:)

Leave a Reply