Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Books You Had to Have But Are Still On Your Shelves


This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is books you had to have but are still on your shelves.

My eyes for books are much bigger than my pace of reading - hence, I have tons of books on the shelves waiting to be read (hoping to make a dent with the off the shelves challenge this year). My Top Ten still in TBR purgatory:




  1.    Freddy and Fredericka by Marc Halperin : I love reading about the British Monarchy so this allegory about the monarchy had me hooked.  Perhaps the 500+ page count has been holding me back
  2. The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper: When I read This is Where I Leave You for a book club, I fell in love with this author.  For some reason, however, I still haven't gotten to this one. 
  3.  I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass: Another example of a book bought because I loved another work by the author - Three Junes moved me so I immediately purchased the author's next two books.
  4.  Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman: I found Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven hysterical and loved the author's voice - I immediately snapped up another of her memoirs
  5.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I heard such great things about this book/series and although I am not usually a YA fan, I caved.  I started reading this and really liked it but still need to get back to it.

  1.  The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst: I remember reading about this in the NY Times Book Review and deciding I had to have it. The book then won the 2004 Man Booker Prize . . . but I still have not read it.  It is on the docket for 2013!
  2.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I really might be the last person to have not either seen the movie or read the book. I almost watched the movie on the plane over the weekend but I believe the book will be better so held out!  Definitely will read this one this year for The Southern Literature Challenge 
  3.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese: About two years ago, glowing reviews for this book were all over the blogs and I was captivated by the storyline and the accolades . . .sadly, still have not read it.
  4.  Empty Family by Colm Toibin: Toibin is a favorite author of mine so when I had the chance to hear him speak locally, I was so excited!  This was his newest book at the time so I purchased it and had it signed by the author.
  5.  any book by Jill Mansell : I am a lover of British chick lit and this author does it very well. I voraciously collect her books when I go to the UK but need to read them faster!
Phew - this post has been a good reminder to me about books I want to and need to read!  What books have lingered on your shelves for a little too long? 

12 comments:

  1. I'm obsessed with "The Hunger Games," and I'm not a YA/post-apocalypse person either. You can read it in no time--it's like watching TV. Also, I'm sure my mom will chime in on "Cutting For Stone." ;)

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  2. I loved Hunger Games and the sequel. So I bought the last book. BUT I've yet to read it. I can't seem to let go of the series.

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  3. I hope you read The Help soon. I really enjoyed it. The movie was good too.

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  4. "TBR Purgatory" - I love it! This is Where I Leave You is the funniest book I've read in year, but I haven't gotten back to Tropper yet either. I See You Everywhere was a very enjoyable audio - I listened after reading The Three Junes. The Help and Cutting for Stone are both amazing (Carrie is right!). The Empty Family is waiting on my shelf, too...

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  5. Cutting for Stone is fantastic, I hope you find the time for that one soon :)

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  6. I have read The Help and The Hunger games and enjoyed both of them! I never thought I would enjoy The Hunger Games but once I started reading it, I was hooked! I read it straight through!

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  7. I too have so many books on my TBR- Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, Sutton by J.R. Moehringer and The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro are on the top.

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  8. I'm right there with you in the TBR dilemma! I have so many books I haven't yet red that I'm overwhelmed!

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  9. Wow, HG and THE HELP? Both are fantastic. You need to read them ASAP. I haven't read any of the others, so I don't know about them, but the other two are excellent!

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  10. Some great ones there but you need to go grab the Hunger Games right now and sit down and read it! Its great.

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  11. OMG...you have to at least see the movie The Help if you haven't read the book - both are awesome. I loved Cutting for Stone as well.

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  12. I'm working so hard to avoid letting myself buy books because there are way too many books like this on my shelves, including Cutting For Stone. I even bought Unsuitable Boy which is over 1000 pages; no idea how I thought I'd ever find time for that.

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