T10T: Books I Can't Believe I Read

 

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! This week I am doing another backlist prompt... because I am awful about keeping track of quotes. I am very happy to see what everyone else pulls though!

This week's prompt is..... books I can't believe I read

These are in no particular order

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
3. My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kōhei Horikoshi
4. Your Honest Deceit by Sakufu Ajimine 
5. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
6. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
7. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
8. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
9. Madumo, a Man Bewitched by Adam Ashforth
10. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Let's get into the why for all of these, because I feel like this prompt needs some explanation.

In terms of The Hobbit... well, I am not at all a fantasy person and this book reminded me of that tenfold. It was required summer reading for one of my classes in high school and I HATED it, to the point of not being able to finish. Longwinded fantasy books will never be my cup of tea, but I'm not here to yuck your yum.

Another fantasy Crimson Bound was not actually that bad for me. I enjoyed the retelling aspect a good bit actually. But it was not the first book in the series, it was just something randomly available at the library. I don't know why I wouldn't start at the beginning. Needless to say, I never went back to the series.  

For the manga representation on this list, I have My Hero Academia Volume 1. At the time, I quite enjoyed the anime (this was like season 4 time-period, okay?), so I was like "why not try the manga?" Looking back, I cannot help but cringe a bit, knowing a smidge of where the series ended up.

Another manga was Your Honest Deceit. This one was SPICYYYYYY. Which at the time I read it, was something I primarily avoided, so I was shocked I got through it back then.

While the OG book was a fond memory of my middle school years, Love, Stargirl is not a book I needed to pick up. That could've been left back then, with a book good for a middle schooler that truly did not require a sequel. This sequel was not good, I would gladly unread it not gonna lie. 

Impulse was so intense, again especially for me at the time (spoiler, none of these were read in the last 3 years). That said, it did convince me to check out the thriller genre more. 

I read Fangirl before we knew how not great of a person Rainbow Rowell is. This was also well before I had my bookish social media. I did not mind the book, being honest. But I will not be supporting this author in any way ever again. 

Oh wow another fantasy with Howl's Moving Castle. I again, did not love it as I cannot be a fantasy girlie no matter how hard I try. This was required reading for one of my college classes. I did like the discussion about it though.

The only non-fiction on the list is Madumo, a Man Bewitched. This one was quite fascinating, and I actually enjoyed it. I read it for an anthropology class, which was great. I just never thought I'd pick up a book featuring medicine men. That said, now I know I can be open to it. 

The unfortunate horror on this list is The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. I definitely thought this book was a different one, whose title I cannot remember and was  not a disgusting horror. This book genuinely traumatized me. Way too many ample body horror descriptions for my tastes by far. But I got far enough in, I struggled through it. I am not happy to report I know the power of a DNF. 

Once again, none of this was to diss any books that others loved, I just know what is the vibe for me and what isn't and that's okay. We are all unique, including our reading tastes, and that is what makes the community so fun.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

What are some books you can't believe you read? Was that a good or a bad thing for you? See you next week, where maybe I will actually do the original prompt XD