Tuesday 13 May 2014

Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn’t


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't.


Ok, confession time: I usually try to finish books even if it feels like I’m being tortured by a dentist who is threatening to pull out all my teeth. The word to note here is ‘try’. There have been a few occasions where I just couldn’t read another word, but they are quite rare. This list is a mix of books I wish I put down rather than continuing on, and books I’m glad I continued on reading.


The Host by Stephanie Meyer book cover image


The Host
by Stephanie Meyer

It took me so long to get into this book. I remember the first 150 or so pages being incredibly boring, and I thought about putting it aside, and I’m glad I didn’t. It’s definitely her best writing and once the story got going, I enjoyed it.




The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh book cover image


The Language of Flowers
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This book is the opposite of The Host. I loved the beginning, but the middle dragged. The ending picked up a bit, so continuing on was worth it.



Insurgent by Veronica Roth book cover image


Insurgent
by Veronica Roth

This ended up being a little painful. I loved Divergent, and I was expecting more of that level of awesomeness. That’s the reason why I kept reading: I wanted what I experienced in Divergent to happen again. It never did. I don’t think I’d have put the book aside, but I’m left with the impression that Allegiant isn’t going to be worth it.



The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern book cover image


The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

Some people I know DNF’d this. I actually did step away when that asshole of a father killed the MC’s pet bird. I wanted to throw the book off the nearest cliff, preferably into a lake of lava! I wish I did actually. I think I’d made my mind up then and there I wasn’t going to like it. I did complete it, but I didn’t think it was worth it.



Dinner with a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs book cover image


Dinner with a Vampire
by Abigail Gibbs

This is one of those books I regret I didn’t call it a day. It’s billed as “The sexiest romance you’ll read this year…” *Raises eyebrow* Huh. To each their own, but erm, how do I put this gently… I think a dictionary is needed to look up the word “sexy.”



Glass Houses by Rachel Caine book cover image


Glass Houses
by Rachel Caine

I was tempted to quit pretty early on, but since I bought the paperback I wanted to give it a fair shot. I’m glad I did, it turned out much better than I was expecting.



Between the Lines by Tammara Webber


Between the Lines
by Tammara Webber

Easy is one of my all-time favourite contemporary books, and I read Between the Lines hoping for something similar. I felt the same as I did with The Language of Flowers, the beginning was good, the middle was boring, and the ending just sort of saved it from being mediocre.



Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James book cover image


Death Comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James

I love Pride and Prejudice, so when I saw a copy of Death Come to Pemberly for half-price, I bought it. Do I regret it? Umm, maybe? I remember reading it thinking who in the hell are these people! They aren’t Elizabeth and Darcy, so that made it a little easier to take I suppose. I remember considering ditching it and re-reading P&P instead, but in the end I caved and continued on. I don’t really regret it. It was entertaining fan-fic when I got over the desecration of two of my favourite characters…



Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan book cover image


Out of Breath
by Rebecca Donovan

I’ll keep this short and simple: I wish I had rage-quit. The first two books in the series were really good; this one was a big let-down.




Sisters Red by Jackson Pearse book cover image


Sisters Red
by Jackson Pearse

I like fairytale retellings, and I was really looking forward to this one. The beginning started out a slow and I was thinking, “oh no, here we go” The middle was more of the same, but the ending turned out to be really good!



What books made your list? Leave a link you your TTT, or tell us in the comments.


22 comments:

  1. The first part of The Host I remember dragging as well. I don't think I ever thought of putting it down however. Divergent I didn't really care for so I never even picked up Insurgent. I didn't do a top ten today but wanted to stop by and see what you were up to. Great list! Have a good week!


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    1. I don't think your missing out on much. Insurgent really failed to deliver. I don't know if my expectations were too high, but it was such a disappointment. Thanks for stopping by Kristalyn! Have a great week, too!

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  2. I agree about Insurgent being a bit of a let down after Divergent. I put a book similar to Death Comes to Pemberly on my list and feel exactly the same way about how they ruined some favorite characters! I was planning to read Sisters Red next month when I do fairy tale retellings so thanks for the warning about slow start. Great list!
    Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

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    1. LOL with Death Comes to Pemberley, I tried to forget that they were meant to be Lizzy and Darcy (didn't work out too well for most of it!) I hope you like Sisters Red, can't wait to read your review of it. Thanks for stopping by Cassi!

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  3. Nice picks. I wasn't a fan of Insurgent and would say that Allegiant isn't worth it at all. Allegiant made Insurgent look like a brilliant book, and that is saying something. I'm hoping to start the Rebecca Donovan series so it's sad to hear that the last book is disappointing. Nice picks :) Here's my TTT.

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    1. Ohh really? Well, in that case I'm glad I've kept putting off getting a copy of Allegiant. I think I know what happens, and if what I think happens actually happens, I'm definitely skipping it! I hope it was just me with Out of Breath, I really liked the first two, and I hope you enjoy the entire trilogy. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. I almost added The Host to my list too! That one took forever to get into. I am sure I would have abandoned The Night Circus if I had actually read it, but I was listening to it and Jim Dale is a captivating reader. Great picks, thanks for sharing! ~Megan
    http://wp.me/pzUn5-20n

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    1. The Night Circus was such a disappointment, especially with all the hype surrounding it. I was expecting so much more. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. WHAT!I loved Out of Breath!!!!! (hang on, catching my breath, I am so shocked.) Afterall that Emma went through in the first two books, I was so glad that Out of Breath went the way it did. Sorry you didnt like it. Okay, and Between the Lines is the least favorite of that entire series. Seriously though, considering reading on. The third book is awesome! I listened to the audio of these and Kate Rudd did an amazing job narrating them. I highly recommend. okay, what else? I completely agree with you on The Host. I still want to read The Night Circus and I read Glass Houses, but it didnt really capture my attention. Does the series get better? Maybe I will read on if you tell me it gets better... Thanks for sharing! And seiously, give The Between The Lines Series another try...

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    1. Oohh I'm so glad to hear the Between the Lines series gets better! I love Easy, and I didn't want to give up on her other series. It's been a while since I read Between the Lines, and I'll see if I can get the second one.

      Out of Breath just didn't work for me! I feel so bad about it too, but it just wasn't what I was expecting at all - not the ending, just the way it was done.

      I haven't continued the Glass Houses series yet, so can't advise on that! I'm planning on reading the second book when I get the chance. I think it's around fourteen books long!? I'm not sure if I'll have the patience to complete the series! Thanks for stopping by Rose!

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  6. I put down the Host because I just didn't get into it. I may try it again, but probably not.

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    1. LOL! Hope you like it if you do decide to try it again, thanks for stopping by Val :)

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  7. I've heard of The Host before, but never dared to pick it up haha. And I quite agree on Insurgent. Some parts of the book was really gripping, but then I have to admit that there were parts that were really boring too :(

    Jillian @ Jillian's Books

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    1. Insurgent was such a let down :( Thanks for stopping by Jillian!

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  8. I completely agree with you about The Night Circus. For me, it wasn't all it was made out to be!

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    1. Yeah, I was expecting an awesome battle between magicians... that definitely didn't happen! Thanks for stopping by Chrissi =)

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  9. I almost gave up on the Host as well! I actually did put down for 2 years but then 2 years ago I picked it up again, and I loved it. :) I feel stupid for putting it down in the first place, now I rarely DNF anything because I keep hoping that the book will change its direction. :)

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    1. It's awesome when a book turns around like that. I rarely DNF too, but there has been a few times I just couldn't take any more! Thanks for stopping by Sofia =)

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  10. I agree with 'The Host', exact same feeling! I still have both 'The Night Circus' and 'Death Comes to Pemberley' on my TBR-shelf, will prepare myself for a challenging read, haha!

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    1. Oohh! LOL, With Death Comes to Pemberley, just pretend they aren't Darcy and Elizabeth, then I think it could be pretty decent! Hope you enjoy them both, and thanks for stopping by Jody!

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  11. I gave up The Host about 50 pages in....I will definitely be picking it up again sometime though now that I hear that it gets more interesting.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Em @ http://theyabookbutterfly.blogspot.com/

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    1. The story did improve a lot, but not until around pages 150-170-ish. (It's been a while since I read it.) After that, I really liked it. Hope you enjoy it if you give it another chance. Thanks for stopping by Em!

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