Popular books I should have read but haven't...

justanotherbooknerd
May 6, 2017
3 min read

This post is to publicly shame myself. Normally publicly shaming someone is not considered good practice (seriously, don’t do it), however in this case I deserve it and it’s a necessary course of action because there are books (worse still, books I already own) that I need to have read by now and haven’t. By publicly announcing these I am now going to be held accountable and read them soon. Totally foolproof.

1. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Ok so I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy (Well in the spirit of honesty I don’t think I ever finished the third one but not because I wasn’t enjoying it just because I got distracted which happens somet…hey look! I know.. I’m hilarious you don’t have to tell me…) I’ve seen all the LOTR movies and all of The Hobbit movies (why are there 3 of those? Is this something that will make sense once I finally read the book?). So there is absolutely no good reason why I haven’t read this book. And I should probably read the damn thing.

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (The Screenplay) by J. K. Rowling

This is one I don’t feel super bad about because technically it came out after the movie so it’s ok that I saw the movie first (I also had read the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them before the movie. So HAH. Although there’s now a NEW edition with NEW beasts and a NEW cover and it’s NEW so I obviously feel like I need it?) The problem is that I was so very excited to read this after seeing the movie so that I could revisit everything in more detail. However, I have this irrational fear that when I open it, inside is going to be the last Harry Potter screenplay that was released (*cough* Cursed Child) and I JUST CAN’T BRING MYSELF TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN. Even though I know it isn’t the same thing. I do know this. And yet I’m scared…

3. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

This is the third and final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. The first two books are BEAUTIFUL and I was ready to jump straight into the final book and see how everything wraps up. I was ready to see my precious characters get the happy ending they deserve. I was ready (fearfully anticipating) to accept that this would not in fact happen. And then I got distracted… *sigh*. Now it’s over a year later and I keep going to start it (I think I got about 60 pages in one time) but I’m never in the mood for it because it’s been so long so I think I should re-read the second one but that’s a lot of commitment and then here we are. Except it’s not we. It’s just me. And my shame. Alllll of my shame. Send my on my Cersei Lannister walk except not naked and instead of throwing gross things at me just throw books. Well don’t throw them (because ouch) just place them gently at my feet. With a cup of tea. Much more motivating.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This just feels like one of those books that everyone has read and I haven’t and I also haven’t seen the movie and have somehow not spoiled myself on anything that happens in the story and I feel like I owe it to the book to actually read it because all of that just feels like some sort of achievement on the book’s behalf and my reading it would be it’s reward. My mind works in mysterious ways.

5. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Oh look. Another book where I loved the first one and then never read the next one. AND NOW THE THIRD ONE IS OUT AND I AM SO BEHIND. This is a situation where I am definitely going to have to reread the first one because the world and magic is so complex that if I started The Mime Order now I would have absolutely no idea what is going on. At least this time it wasn’t my fault I waited so long (mostly). I read The Bone Season before the second book was published so it’s technically Samantha Shannon’s fault. Just saying. (I’m not actually saying that. Samantha Shannon is brilliant and wonderful and I just wish she’d write her intricately detailed fantasy full-length novels a little bit faster. No big deal.)