Books that are better memories than reads

There are certain books I read that in the moment I struggle with. They could be slow, they could be confusing. Sometimes boring or sometimes painful. Other times the book is just a really good idea but the execution is not what I expected or wanted. Often I needed to push myself to finish and thought, never again, but days, weeks or months later would think back and go “there was something there” or “it couldn’t have been that bad, could it?“.

These books feel better in retrospect but I generally dislike the reading experience at the time. Typically, they land on my Goodreads shelf for “great concept but the book feel flat“. Here’s a list of books that were better memories that reads.

What book have you read recently that was a better memory than read?

Best and Worst

The best and the worst of the year.  These are the posts most people love to read, because ~drama~.  Here are my lists (for the record, I don’t include re-reads on my list of best or worst, and pick the best of a series if I read more than one):

Best (ranking approximate):

7. Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane 

6. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

5. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

4. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

3. Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 

2. Warcross by Marie Lu 

1. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

 

My best books will never all have 5 star ratings and 5 star books will often not appear on my list.  Why? Because my rating system is a mess and my favourites are more about my feeling and less about technical things.  I remove stars for things like major inconsistencies (*coughwarcrosscough*) but I still love them. 

Worst (rank definitive, novels only):

3. (Tie) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern, EVE: The awakening by Jenna Moreci, Nerve by Jeanne Ryan, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

2. The Viral Storm: The dawn of a new pandemic age by Nathan Wolf

1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

By novels only, I mean there were a handful of graphic novels I read for whatever reason that I don’t want to think about or list again. The 5 way tie I could not break because each book had something I absolutely loved about the book, but there was at least one thing that made them a 2 or 2.5 star read.  

TBR Pile Accounting #3

Part 2! Here and here are the other posts in the series if you want to learn more about what is happening.

Now onto the second chunk of books and how many of them are read. 

Books discovered while moving:

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I snagged this one while I was abroad in Scotland, but not from a book store.  A friend didn’t want to bring it with her when she was leaving for home so I grabbed.  it sounded interesting enough that I brought it back with me even though I hadn’t yet read it.  

After about 5 years on my shelf, I finally read it!  Again, starting off good here. 

2. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie and 3. The Gods Themsleves by Isaac Asimov

These books were gifted to me by a friend recentlyish and I rediscovered them when I was moving.  They are outside of my normal reads but do sound interesting (and I hate getting ride of books other people have given me) so I took them with me. 

Both are unread and I honestly am not sure how much longer they will stay on my shelves.  But at the same time I don’t really want to donate?

There were other books I discovered while moving but I donated them.  Yay less baggage and more bookshelf space!

Books I have bought this year:

4. and 5. Night Study and Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder

I read Night Study last year and was buying it because it was sooooo good (and I have the first 4 in the series).  At the time I absolutely needed Dawn Study.  Now I have it, but I haven’t read it.  For the same reasons as I mentioned previously.  I’m terrible at this reading thing at times. 

6. Remembrance by Meg Cabot

I never even realized this was a thing until I saw it in the bargain section of the bookstore and I had to pick it up.  And read it.

7. and 8. Illuminae and Gemina by Kaufman and Kristoff

Both books are fantastic and both need a re-read soon!

9. Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane

Read!  And honestly I think about this one a lot, it might be a favourite of mine, even though I did have a few issues with this book went I was reading it. 

10. Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

This is my second physical copy and third total copy of a book that is one of my absolute favourites. 

Books Read: 7

Unread Books: 3

Total number of Unread Books: 12

As you can see, I started the year with 12 unread books and after reading, donating, and accumulating more books I’m still where I started.  Six more books in the next 6 months.  Totally doable.  However, looking at the list I can guarantee at least 3 that I’m unlikely to get to which doesn’t leave much space left over for others I might not get to (of which I think I can predict 2 more).  

Also there are three books on my shelves that are mostly unread and are not on this list.  Two I bought recently and one from Scotland.  These are more ‘coffee table’ style books and I consider them outside the scope of this goal as they are the type of books you read a bit at a time and never really fully read in their entirety.  

Finally, I just realized that I have about a handful of ebooks I have bought or received over the past 2 years that are not on this list and were never really factored into this goal.  Perhaps I will consider them for next year! 

Middling Ten

Books read:

21. Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy     4.5/5 Stars

22. Every Girl’s Dream by Meg Cabot     4/5 Stars

23. Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane     4/5 Stars

24. Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce (various narrators)     5/5 Stars

25. Proposal by Meg Cabot     4.5/5 Stars

26. Lireal by Garth Nix (Tim Curry)     4/5 Stars

27. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern    2.5/5 Stars

28. Remembrance by Meg Cabot    4/5 Stars

29. Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle     4.5/5 Stars

30. Matilda by Roald Dahl (Kate Winslet)    5/5 Stars

Average Rating: 4.2

Audiobooks: 3

Re-reads: 2

Indy/self-published: 0

Reviewed on Blog: 0

Bookshelf TBR: 4

Comments:

Fewer audiobooks in this section for a few reasons.  I’ve wanted to enjoy the walk and my thoughts more in the past few weeks so I haven’t been listening to them as much.  There are several that I want to read right now but they have long waiting lists.  Also, now that I’m a bit more adjusted to my new work schedule I have been reading more physical books and wanting to read more books off my shelf, which leads to fewer audiobooks.

That being said, I have bought many more books that I have not read which affects my goal to reduce by unread bookshelf books to under 6.  There are 2 posts coming up that are an update to said goal.  

I’m doing really well with the amount of books I have read so far this year.  I’m averaging more then a book a week, which I’m pleased with.  Looking at the numbers, since I started working my new job I’ve been reading 5 or 6 books a month, whereas the first 3 months I read maybe 3 books a month.  A great improvement and it means I should read well over 50 books this year!  I’m so happy about this. 

Blog-wise things were slow while I was adjusting to life but have picked up the past few weeks.  I’ll see how this thing goes but I want to keep it going but with fewer blog posts out a month.  I do want to post more reviews on this blog but the books I have been reading recently I haven’t had too much interesting to say and have not bothered with a lengthy review.  However, if you want to know what I’m up to in the book world and read shorter reviews of the books I read, you are more then welcome to friend or follow my Goodreads, which I keep pretty up-to-date.  

Finally, while it does look like I’ve had a great reading month with most of the books being 4 stars or higher, I feel like many of the books I have read are meh and that nothing has really gripped my this year.  Perhaps I need to start picking different types of books or maybe I’m just really picky lately.  

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

Note: wherever possible, I avoid adding re-reads to these kind of tag posts.  

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2017. 

None have really forced me to put them on my exclusive favourites list so far this year, but a few have if forced to pick one Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2017.

Gemina by Kaufman and Kristoff, with Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane coming 2nd 

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (library just informed me they have a copy for me!)

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

Tortall: A Spy’s Guide by Tamora Pierce, Juile Holderman, Timothy Liebe and Megan Messinger

5. Biggest disappointment.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  I was promised big things but they never happened.  The great setting could have used a better plot and characters.

6. Biggest surprise.

I didn’t expect to love Learning to Swear in America as much as I did.  I also didn’t expect to not like Eve: the Awakening my Jenna Moraci as much as I did.  Or HATE Beauty Queens by Libby Bray so much. 

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

No one has really forced be to need to pay attention, but Andy Weir‘s book was good and the blurb for the newest one has me interested.  Also I like Queen of the Tearling (Erika Johansen) enough to want to continue. 

8. Newest fictional crush.

None of my new reads this year have had crush material, but I have a newer appreciation for Raoul of Goldenlake and Nealan of Queenscove. 

9. Newest favourite character.

Again, no one really stands out here.

10. Book that made you cry.

None, I rarely cry reading books (mostly because I avoid the type of book that would make me cry).  

11. Book that made you happy.

The Martian made me laugh a tonne.  So did Learning to Swear in America and Gemina.

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year. 

I’ve seen (as far as I know) one movie adaptation, The Martian, and one TV adaptation, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and both were great!

13. Favourite review you’ve written this year. (Booktube version: Favourite video you have done so far in this year)

None of my reviews really sticks out to me. 

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Did I need it? No.  But it is beautiful inside and out.

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Oh there are a tonne, and I really should make a list.  I’m still trying to read as many books on my shelves as I can in attempt to reduce the unread total to 6.  But I keep buying books….