Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I almost put down, but didn't.
Well, here we are again. I used to do Top Ten Tuesday, a function of The Broke and the Bookish, over at my blog when I hosted with Wordpress. I've been enjoying the Goodreads engine lately, and decided to try it over here. Let's see how it goes.
For those new to the concept, Top Ten Tuesday is a blog meme in which they post a topic every week and bloggers pick 10 books to fit that topic. By chance, this weeks topic is Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down, but Didn't
So, in no-particular order...
10.
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad: This one sat unfinished for years. I started it when I made it my quest to finish all the books on the BBC Booklist (a quest that is still in progress). I just couldn't finish it. The start of it killed me, switching from one first person narrative to another. But recently I have been forced to look at it again for school and chose to approach it via an audiobook, and have found it much more tolerable in spoken word. If you MUST read this, that is the way to do it.
9.
Marvel Masterworks: X-Men - Volume 7, Marvel Comics: The result of another such "literary quest," I chose to balance the heavy literary part of my reading with a bit of nostalgia by reading some comic book trades. I embarked on a quest to read every X-Men comic -- ever. Yes, I'm that insane. While much of the early X-Men comics were pretty insufferable, this is the worst of it. It covers a period of time in which the book had actually ceased production and the X-Men only existed in sporadic guest appearances in other titles. The Beast got his one feature in a Marvel anthology title, and while it was remarkable in turning him into his familiar blue form... it is horribly written. It was clear Marvel didn't know what to do with many of these characters, and was very ready for the all-new, all-different X-Men by the time I was done reading this.
8.
The Waste Lands, Stephen King: This one was never abandoned due to disinterest, but simply a busy schedule. I was reading it for pleasure when the need to read for work with Engen Books or the need to read for school forced me to stop, and I only recently got back to it. Upon having the opportunity, I plowed through it (starting again) and the rest of the series in a little over a week. It's an amazing series that I cannot recommend enough.
7.
Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1, Danny Fingeroth: Of my desire to read all the X-Men titles, this has been the hardest to get through by far. It is horrible, sexist, and stupid. It makes me hate... reading. Yes, it is so bad that it makes me hate the act of reading. Avoid at all costs, if you must read, take migraine pills first.
6.
Dexter in the Dark, Jeff Lindsay: This book suffered from the drawback of the digital age. Sometimes when I'm at work I cruise Wikipedia and browse topics I like. At the time I was very into the HBO adaptation of Dexter, and went from that to the article on the book series. I hated the first book and loved the second, so when I read that most people reviled the third... that didn't give me much hope. I read about three pages, decided this wasn't for me, and gave up on the series. Big mistake, because this ended up being a great book. I don't understand the negativity toward it. I ended up reading the fourth directly after. Try them out, they're okay popcorn books.
5.
The Whirlpool, Jane Urquhart: Hard to get into, with themes and a narrative that are hard to decipher at first. A book I was forced to read for school, but afterwards became one of the books I recommend the most, especially to young authors. Especially to young authors attempting to master the craft of weaving several interlocking story-threads together. In fact I would call it required reading in that respect.
4.
Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1, Scott Tipton: I hesitate to call this a "book," or even "fiction." It is a horrible collection of short episodes that, alone, would be the worst single-issues I'd ever read but together form one of the worst trades I have ever read. The publisher, IDW, drops the ball here, as TV adaptations are a great way to get non-comic readers into comics. Anyone coming over from Doctor Who that reads this as their first comic would never pick up another.
3.
Love's Labour's Lost, William Shakespeare: I find Shakespeare very hard to read, but once I got into this one I found it an enjoyable and funny read. I suggest that anyone forced to read the dramas in high school try out the comedies before writing-off the man altogether.
2.
Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity, Patrick Curry: So difficult to read, as the author is less a academic than he is a flag-waving fanboy. Tolkien is great, but the people that follow him frothing at the mouth and refute any literary critique against him bother me to no end.
1.
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien: Well really, how could it not be this? I hear so many stories of people that read this at age nine or younger. Ellen Louise Curtis reportedly read it and did a report on it in the first grade. But I just cannot get behind that. I tried reading it at a young age and couldn't. Tried again in high school, and couldn't. Finally I recently had to for a course, and was surprised to learn that it was very enjoyable. Much like Heart of Darkness though, if you have trouble reading it, try the audiobook. It makes Tolkien's language much easier to manage.
Well, that's my list. Hope everyone enjoyed it and I hope I see you next Tuesday!
Never Look Back!
Matthew Ledrew
For those new to the concept, Top Ten Tuesday is a blog meme in which they post a topic every week and bloggers pick 10 books to fit that topic. By chance, this weeks topic is Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down, but Didn't
So, in no-particular order...
10.
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad: This one sat unfinished for years. I started it when I made it my quest to finish all the books on the BBC Booklist (a quest that is still in progress). I just couldn't finish it. The start of it killed me, switching from one first person narrative to another. But recently I have been forced to look at it again for school and chose to approach it via an audiobook, and have found it much more tolerable in spoken word. If you MUST read this, that is the way to do it.9.
Marvel Masterworks: X-Men - Volume 7, Marvel Comics: The result of another such "literary quest," I chose to balance the heavy literary part of my reading with a bit of nostalgia by reading some comic book trades. I embarked on a quest to read every X-Men comic -- ever. Yes, I'm that insane. While much of the early X-Men comics were pretty insufferable, this is the worst of it. It covers a period of time in which the book had actually ceased production and the X-Men only existed in sporadic guest appearances in other titles. The Beast got his one feature in a Marvel anthology title, and while it was remarkable in turning him into his familiar blue form... it is horribly written. It was clear Marvel didn't know what to do with many of these characters, and was very ready for the all-new, all-different X-Men by the time I was done reading this.8.
The Waste Lands, Stephen King: This one was never abandoned due to disinterest, but simply a busy schedule. I was reading it for pleasure when the need to read for work with Engen Books or the need to read for school forced me to stop, and I only recently got back to it. Upon having the opportunity, I plowed through it (starting again) and the rest of the series in a little over a week. It's an amazing series that I cannot recommend enough.7.
Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1, Danny Fingeroth: Of my desire to read all the X-Men titles, this has been the hardest to get through by far. It is horrible, sexist, and stupid. It makes me hate... reading. Yes, it is so bad that it makes me hate the act of reading. Avoid at all costs, if you must read, take migraine pills first.6.
Dexter in the Dark, Jeff Lindsay: This book suffered from the drawback of the digital age. Sometimes when I'm at work I cruise Wikipedia and browse topics I like. At the time I was very into the HBO adaptation of Dexter, and went from that to the article on the book series. I hated the first book and loved the second, so when I read that most people reviled the third... that didn't give me much hope. I read about three pages, decided this wasn't for me, and gave up on the series. Big mistake, because this ended up being a great book. I don't understand the negativity toward it. I ended up reading the fourth directly after. Try them out, they're okay popcorn books.5.
The Whirlpool, Jane Urquhart: Hard to get into, with themes and a narrative that are hard to decipher at first. A book I was forced to read for school, but afterwards became one of the books I recommend the most, especially to young authors. Especially to young authors attempting to master the craft of weaving several interlocking story-threads together. In fact I would call it required reading in that respect.4.
Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1, Scott Tipton: I hesitate to call this a "book," or even "fiction." It is a horrible collection of short episodes that, alone, would be the worst single-issues I'd ever read but together form one of the worst trades I have ever read. The publisher, IDW, drops the ball here, as TV adaptations are a great way to get non-comic readers into comics. Anyone coming over from Doctor Who that reads this as their first comic would never pick up another.3.
Love's Labour's Lost, William Shakespeare: I find Shakespeare very hard to read, but once I got into this one I found it an enjoyable and funny read. I suggest that anyone forced to read the dramas in high school try out the comedies before writing-off the man altogether.2.
Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity, Patrick Curry: So difficult to read, as the author is less a academic than he is a flag-waving fanboy. Tolkien is great, but the people that follow him frothing at the mouth and refute any literary critique against him bother me to no end.1.
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien: Well really, how could it not be this? I hear so many stories of people that read this at age nine or younger. Ellen Louise Curtis reportedly read it and did a report on it in the first grade. But I just cannot get behind that. I tried reading it at a young age and couldn't. Tried again in high school, and couldn't. Finally I recently had to for a course, and was surprised to learn that it was very enjoyable. Much like Heart of Darkness though, if you have trouble reading it, try the audiobook. It makes Tolkien's language much easier to manage. Well, that's my list. Hope everyone enjoyed it and I hope I see you next Tuesday!
Never Look Back!
Matthew Ledrew
No comments have been added yet.
