Happy Tuesday! I'm having a fabulous week so far, mainly because I kicked it off with a Backstreet Boys concert!!! As a child of the 90's, I was all about boy bands—and I firmly believed that *NSYNC was the best. I did like the Backstreet Boys, too, and now I would definitely say that musically speaking, Backstreet is the superior group. Because I enjoyed their music but wasn't a superfan, I just assumed that Brian and Nick were the lead singers, and the others were backups (like Justin and JC in *NSYNC) ... so I was surprised to see how often A.J. was the lead on Backstreet Boys songs! A.J. and Brian are probably the best vocalists in the group, but they all can hold their own.
Anyway, if you have a chance to see the Backstreet Boys, DO IT! They put on a great show (even when the dancing cracked us up a bit), and the nostalgia factor was high—they fully embraced their "90's-ness" while also doing some of their new stuff. It was so much fun!
Anyway, to the list! This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is "Books on My TBR I'm Avoiding Reading (and Why)." This could be a whole bunch of "too many books, too little time" ... so I'm highlighting a few that I'm actively avoiding and explaining why.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I ... did not love the movie. I ... did not finish the movie. (To be fair, I was watching it on an airplane, and I abandoned it when I realized that Black Panther was an option.) Many, many times I've liked a book more than its movie adaptation, but I've also not ever been very inclined to read a book after not enjoying the movie. I've heard there are loads of 80's pop culture references in the book, which I'm sure I would enjoy. So maybe someday?
The Ryn by Serena Chase
I absolutely loved Chase's Intermission ... but The Ryn is fantasy, and fantasy makes me nervous. Sometimes I like it, but I never gravitate toward it. Which is why I've owned this book for several years without picking it up.
The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
I loved Whalen's The Guest Book, which is a Christian romance. I pounced on The Things We Wish Were True when it was available through Amazon's First Reads program ... and then I read the description and realized it would be nothing like Whalen's inspy titles. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm also not sure I want to read it.
The Forgotten Garden and The Lake House by Kate Morton, Truly Madly Guilty and What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
These authors are so hyped. I've yet to read anything by either of them, but that hasn't stopped me from buying their books! It feels like these are authors I should like, but I'm just not too motivated to actually read their books.
Which books on your TBR are you avoiding? I'd love to hear about them! Also, I'm open to arguments as to why I should read any of these books I just listed!
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That Backstreet Boys concert does sound like fun!
ReplyDeleteAnd I've had similar thoughts about The Nightingale.
My TTT.
The concert was a blast! I would see them again in a heartbeat :-) Glad to hear I'm not the only one hesitating on The Nightingale! I probably just need to pick it up and let whatever happens happen :-)
DeleteI would say, forget about The Nightingale until you no loner remember the hype. It's definitely a book you don't want to skip forever though. Just let the hype wear off. I read it begrudgingly because my nephew (who never recommends books to me insisted I had to read it) and then I couldn't put it down. Luckily, I was on vacation when I read it. LOL
DeleteThat's good advice, Joy! And I'm glad to hear you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI loved The Lake House (unaware of any hype about it or its author at the time), and even so I've put off reading literally any of her other books for over a year now. They're just REALLY BIG, and I keep remembering how long reading that first one took me. So I get it. Not to be too cute with sayings, but the struggle between "I should like this" and "I want to start this" is real.
ReplyDeleteThe Forgotten Garden is my favorite Kate Morton book. There's a part of it that is based of the true story of her grandmother. But I found her before there was a lot of hype. Her most recent one wasn't the best but I've enjoyed her other books. But then I also love long books... I feel like I have so much more time to live in that world.
DeleteYes, the length can be off-putting! I have kindle copies of The Forgotten Garden and The Lake House, so I didn't really know how long they were ... then I saw a physical copy of one, and that really made me hesitant to start! I don't know why I find long books to be so intimidating, but I do!
DeleteThat's good to hear about The Forgotten Garden, Joy! I love when books are at least partially based on real life. I suppose I should get over my fear of the length!
DeleteI read Ready Player One before I watched the movie (and did both of these things just recently). I liked the book, and that's considering that a lot of the 80s references were lost on me. Then I watched the movie, and really didn't care for it. It just didn't have the same charm. So I'd say definitely don't let the movie keep you from reading the book, if the synopsis of the book interests you at all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Kristi! My sister read Ready Player One and loved it, and she said she didn't get a lot of the 80's references, either. I probably WILL get them (as I'm old enough, lol)--and I love pop culture references in books. I should probably give it a go!
DeleteI have two books by Dee Henderson on my TBR (Evie Blackwell Cold Case) but I can't bring myself to read them because I was not at all happy with the ending of her novella in The Cost of Betrayal collection. I felt like she left it unresolved and I'm now afraid I'll find the same thing in these books even though I know from having read and loved her earlier books that the chances aren't high. LOL
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable, Joy. I read that novella as well, and I was disappointed. I used to love Henderson's work, but now I'm hesitant to pick up her new novels. I hope that her newer books are wonderful, but I'm scared to try!
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