Do-over: On TBR Books that Intimidate Me #1

This is the beginning of The Bibliotaph's first blog meme and link-up: Do-over. To participate, go through your blog posts from the past years (post must be at least a year old) and do the post over - either update it to fit your current perspectives or add new material to make it more application currently. Our next Do-over linkup will be on May 15th.

You can read the original blog post here.

The TBR Books that Intimidate Me was a recurring post that I ran for the first several months of blogging. After awhile, it became apparent that I would eventually run out of books on my TBR and that I wasn't as terrified by these books and I'd originally though I was, so I stopped posting about it. Also, the format of my original post was terrible - there were no pictures (not even of book covers) and all the text was blocked together in a very dull way. I've come a long way since then. Right now, I'd like to revisit the books I first posted about and see if I've read them, or if they still intimidate me (and I'll even include pictures this time).

• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - I still haven't read this! My mum recommended it years ago and I've never been able to bring myself to read it. What if I hate my mum's favorite book? Also, the subject matter honestly doesn't interest me enough to hunt it down and get through it. I'm sure I'll love it once I start it, but it isn't high on my priority list.

• Treasure Island!!!! by Sara Levine - I actually have read this book now and I LOVED IT. It was beautiful and marvelous and such a unique story. So glad I overcame my initial trepidation!

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - Honestly, my interest in this book has waned and I took it off my TBR a few weeks ago. It no longer seems interesting enough to keep on a constantly-growing list and I feel like I'll remember it enough to pick it up when I have a chance (or time) to read it. In the meantime, I don't feel like I'm missing out on much.

What blog posts would you do-over if you had the chance? Which books on your TBR are freaking you out right now?

On TBR books that intimidate me #5

The last few months have been tough on my TBR list. I’m still adding books at a crazy rate, but I’ve been reading a lot less than I did the first few months of the year. With moving and school starting, I’ve been incredibly busy and haven’t had as much time to read for fun. Since I’m still adding the same amount of books, my poor TBR list is bursting even more than it was when I started this blog. And there are still a handful of books that scare me a bit.

• Summerland by Michael Chabon - Once, several years ago, I was asking for books recommendations from my brother and he stated that this book was one of his favorites. I checked it out from the library, but it was so much thicker than I’d anticipated and I ended up returning it without even opening it. Now, it’s just been sitting on my TBR for years. I’ve found it in three different public libraries and thought about checking it out, but I always decide against it because I never seem to be in the mood to tackle a book as thick as this (though it isn’t actually that big). Will I ever actually get around to it? Time will tell….
• Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - I absolutely Beauty & the Beast stories, so one day, I added a bunch to my TBR. Now that it’s been awhile, I glanced back over them…..and I was kind of surprised that I added this one. It looks like a romance novel, it sounds like a romance novel, and a lot of my friends who tend to like romance novels gave it very high ratings. I don’t typically enjoy romance novels, so I’m a bit hesitant to try this one out - even if it is a fun BATB story…

Do you have any books you’re currently afraid to read? Any BATB stories I should try out?

On TBR books that intimidate me #4

There are so many different books in the world. Too many books sometimes. It’s a struggle because I want to read ALL OF THEM. But there isn’t enough time, so my TBR grows and grows and I just sit and watch it, helpless. I could read more books from it, but something stops me from reading some of them. Here are a few that I’m scared to read:

• The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolfe - I read the first half of this book about a year ago before I ran out of time and had to return it to the library, so it remains on my TBR. I liked it….but it was a chore to get through and didn’t hold my interest for more than 30 minutes at a time. I’d like to try it again, but do I start in the middle? Will I even remember where I left off? Do I start over? Do I really want to put myself through this again? So many questions - and I have no answers.
• Autobiography by Morrissey - I’m a diehard Smiths fan. But Morrissey is a princess. And I don’t know how much of him I can take before throwing up my hands and saying he isn’t worth my adoration. I’ve heard that this book is a rambling mess, but I feel kind of obligated to read it as a fan. Maybe it’ll just stay on my TBR forever - we’ll see if I can ever summon the strength to withstand Morrissey’s princess-ness.
• Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay - This book looks so intriguing. But I know a lot of people with eating disorders and reading books like this can be difficult for me. Important, but difficult. If it’s a good book, I feel like throwing it at everyone I think could benefit from it. If it’s a lame book, I hate it more than I normally would because it doesn’t meet my expectations and it doesn’t cover the topic the way I wanted it to.

Are any of these worth confronting my fears? What books are you scared to read?

On TBR books that intimidate me #3

Well, I thought my TBR pile was problematic before, but now it’s really out of control. Since I last wrote about scary TBR books, my Goodreads TBR list grew by at least 65 books, while I still have an alarmingly full TBR shelf next to my bed and a full Kindle of egalleys to read before I can even start on either of those. (sigh) The reading life is tough sometimes. Especially when you’re as scared of your TBR as I am.

• Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions by Joseph Berkowitz - I’m so excited for this book that it almost hurts (publication date: June 13th, 2017). And that’s terrifying. It can’t possibly be as punderful as I’m hoping it will be, can it?! I’m worried that I’ll read this and die of either a) disappointment or b) complete and utter happiness or c) getting punned to death. Whichever way things go, it won’t end well.
• The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan - I’ve heard such excellent things about Robert Jordan. And I’ve also heard that some of his books are soooooo long and sooooo drawn out and I can’t handle books like that. Everyone says that it’s ultimately worth it and that they’re glad they worked through those difficult books, but I don’t think I have it in me. So why even start? I can’t handle not finishing a series. It’s too scary.
• Borderland by Terri Windling - My first adventure in urban fantasy was not fantastic, but I’m willing to try again….maybe. I’m nervous I’ll hate this and a whole genre will be ruined for me because of two books. I’m also nervous that I’ll absolutely love it and I’ll never read anything else. So I’m putting it off until I can test the waters with another urban fantasy…..or maybe I’ll just put it off forever.

Are you scared of any of your TBR’s? Or is it just me? Are there any books you TBR’d forever and now regret reading? Or wish you’d read earlier?

On TBR books that intimidate me #2

As I’ve stated before, my TBR list is out of control and probably beyond help. Probably partly due to this, my relationship with it is….complicated and full of mixed emotions. Yeah, I love reading and if I had my way, I’d easily devour every book that comes within 20 feet of me. But life isn’t that simple and I’ve had to pick some TBR books to read before others. Here are a few that I’m holding off on - for all the wrong reasons.

-The Crucible of Doubt: Reflections On the Quest for Faith by Terry L. Givens & Fiona Givens - I’m a pretty religious person, but for some reason or other, religious books are a struggle for me. I recently finished The Infinite Atonement by Tadd R. Callister after THREE YEARS of struggling through it a few pages at a time. I enjoyed it, I loved it, I learned a lot, but I crawled on my belly through most of it, slowly dragging myself from page to page. It was rough and I’m not ready to put myself through that again. I’m also hoping that if I wait a bit longer, maybe I’ll suddenly become incredibly mature and be able to get through these sort of books at a halfway reasonable speed.

-The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt - I dated a guy in college who LOVED this book and talked about it all the time. We were both studying psychology, so it made sense that he thought I’d be into it. But after things ended between us (on less than good terms), I was torn about what to do with this book. A part of me refused to take it off the TBR - I couldn’t let a mere man have that sort of power over me! Another part of me argued that I only put it on the list since said man had loved it so much. I still haven’t made up my mind and there it sits, waiting for my verdict.

-Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie - I recently read another Rushdie book and I….didn’t get it. I can acknowledge that it was well-written and obviously well thought out, but I just didn’t connect with the book at all. I’m sure Midnight’s Children will be different, but if I couldn’t handle a different Rushdie book, I’m not sure how I’ll do with this one. Also, this is a classic and a must-read and those always intimidate me more than they reasonably should.

On TBR books that intimidate me #1

My TBR list is huge and gets bigger by the day. I desperately want to work through it, but there always seems to be a reason not to - my public library doesn’t have the book, I’m not in the mood for that sort of book just then, a different book catches my eye and MUST be read before I try anything else, I’ve been sent yet another ARC that I feel obligated to finish quickly, the list could go on and on. However, every now and then, I find that I have a really irrational reason for not reading a book on my TBR. Sometimes, I take these books off my list, but sometimes, I still want to read them - I just need to learn to overcome my fear. Below are a few books that I’m absolutely terrified to get around to. Please judge me.

-Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - My mum adores this book. She owns at least a couple copies of it and has tried to force it upon me more times than I can count. Having read many of the type of books she tends to like (she only reads mysteries and small-town feel-good novels), I feel like I know exactly what I’m going to get myself into with this one. And I can’t handle that.I want a little more suspense and intrigue than I feel like this book will bring me. This book seems like it's for lazy summer evenings in a hammock when I have nothing better to do, not when I'm feverishly trying to read everything ever written as quickly as possible. It'll be too slow to hold my interest and then what?!

-Treasure Island!!! By Sara Levine - I was browsing some Buzzfeed list of “200 books every 20-something should read” or something like that when I happened upon this and it looked somewhat interesting. I added it to my TBR. It’s been a few years since then and I CAN’T FIND THIS BOOK. I mean, my search has been limited to two different public libraries, browsing random bookstores, and looking for free pdfs online, but still - it hasn’t been the easiest book to find. I can’t even remember what this book is supposed to be about and I don’t know if I’ll even like it, but it’s still on my TBR list because I have too much pride to take it down before I have a chance to thumb through it a bit. Also, I’m beginning to doubt its existence and I’ve decided I NEED to find it (as long as I can find a really cheap/free copy). I just don’t know what I’ll do when I actually have it.

-A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - Several people and online lists have stated that this is a must read. I was pretty excited to get ahold of it until I found it at my public library and….it’s HUGE. I immediately put it down and went to find something at least half as long because I do not have a long attention span for huge non-fiction books and my TBR shelf at home is much too large for me to take a break to read a book that massive. Someday, when I’ve finally made it through all my TBR that I actually own, maybe I’ll give this another try. Maybe.