More Diversity in Your Book Diet

Hello Lovelies!!

Yes, I know it's Thursday. I was working on a scholarship application for the last two days and my roommate defended her thesis on Tuesday (woot! woot! passed with highest marks, atta girl!!) so I haven't had a chance to write up my post yet even though I did figure out which books would be on it on Tuesday. So without further ado...

The Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

So I've separated these based on how I feel about them now. First off, let me give you a couple books I almost put down but I'm glad I didn't.

1. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire: I love classic stories from the point of view of other characters, so I sure this would be an instant favorite of mine. But, my goodness, the beginning of this book is soooo sloooooow. I almost put it down a couple of time, but I finally took it with me to my grandparent's cabin where it was the only book I had so I forced myself to finish it. And by the end, I was content with that decision. I'd never call it one of my favorites, but I'm glad I struggled through it to the other side.

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck : I read this in my junior year of English in high school, and most of my class hated it. In fact, I was the only person to finish the whole book in my class. And I hated it. Despised it. I had never felt so betrayed by an English class book before. But then I did an independent study with that same teacher during my senior year, and I watched the class below me read it, and I started to like it more. I haven't reread it, which I might like to do sometime, but I actually revised my opinion of it to really liking it.

3. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: As you might recall, I started The Hobbit when I was in sixth or seventh grade, got about half way through, and set it down. I picked it back up about a year ago. When I put it back down for several months. Finally I finished it a couple months ago. And I hated it too. I gave it a two-star review. But the more I think about it, the more I enjoy it. I was disgruntled with the second film because they began to veer so far from the book (and not just in an adding in extra information way).

These next books I can't decide if I'm glad I read them or not:

4. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: I read this about two years ago. I was sure I was going to love love love it. But it fell a little flat for me. So flat that I almost put it down a couple times. But I finished it. And I did end up reading the second one in the series about a year ago, and I have plans to keep reading (mostly because one of my friends insists that it gets amazing), but I just feel really ambivalent about the first one.

5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: Let me preface this by saying I read Nabokov's Pale Fire my senior year of high school and loooooved it. It's probably one of my favorite books especially in writing style. There are so many beautiful verses in that book, and I was sure I'd like Lolita because I'd heard it referred to as a great love story somewhere. And even though I knew it was about a young girl with an older guy, all the modern references I'd seen of it implied that she was a teenager. She's not. And I'm perpetually disgusted by the subject matter, but I still gave it three stars because Nabokov's writing just gets to me.

6. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn:  I didn't really like this book. I wanted to put it down frequently, but since it was for my book club, I forced myself to finish it. And I didn't really like it. It made me want to shower cause it made me feel so gross. I didn't like this book, but I'm weirdly glad I finished it at least?

And finally a few books which I finished but I wish I hadn't wasted my time.

7. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes: This was another book club read, and I just couldn't get into it. Like I read it in the middle of a giant snowstorm which I thought would be nice because it's set in Tuscany and it'd be all sunshine and delight, but there was just something missing for me. And if I'd had my choice, I wouldn't have wasted my time finishing it.

8. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: This book was just so frustrating for me. I couldn't relate to any of the characters until the last 50 pages or so, and I didn't think they redeemed the book enough for me to be glad I spent my time reading it.

9. The Bat by Jo Nesbo: I've heard that some of his other books are much better than this one, but I prefer reading series in order, so I've never attempted any of his other ones. This just didn't thrill me. I was bored by the writing style (or translation style). I felt like too many events piled up before a resolution was attempted. And I just didn't enjoy it like I thought I would.

10. Intertwined by Gena Showalter: I love Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, so I was sure I would love her young adult series too. Boy was I wrong. I hated this book. I finished it because I kept hoping it would get better. But I actually gave this book a one star review -- there aren't many books that I finish which get that low of a rating.

So those are the top ten books which I almost put down but didn't. What about you lovelies? Did you struggle with any of these books? What books have you almost put down but elected not to? Were you glad you finished them?