Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (#26): To Read or Not to Read?


I recently did a mini-purge and collected up one (really heavy) bag of books to trade-in at the used bookstore. As I was doing this, there were three series I was really on the fence about keeping, so I'm loving today's Top Ten Tuesday topic! I'm either way under ten or way over ten depending on how you look at this, but I would really appreciate input so I can figure out if it's time to let these go or give them a shot:

Series #1
The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
Bought these before I knew a whole lot about YA and the wide range of books available in the genre. Not sure if these would be a good fit anymore.


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Series #2
The Immortals by Alyson Noel
Same issue as above. Also, I've tried another series by this author and a few chapters into book #2, it was a DNF, so I am no longer confident these will work for me.


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Series #3
Rizzoli & Isles mysteries by Tess Gerritsen
Binge bought these from Half.com after discovering the Rizzoli & Isles TV show (which I love!) is based on them. But heard from another fan of the show that she couldn't get into the books, so I haven't tried them yet.


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So, if you've read any of these and can help me decide, please let me know what you think!

22 comments:

  1. I hear good things about Maggie's books but I'm on the fence about starting as well. Thanks for sharing!

    Our TTT @ Lazy Book Lovers!

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    1. I kind of feel the same which is why I was so indecisive! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  2. I've not read any of these but am naturally wary of YA series like the first two. They are either really bad or a guilty pleasure - hopefully the ones you have are of the guilty pleasure variety.

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    1. I've enjoyed quite a bit of YA, but I'm not gravitating toward it as much lately and I think I'm in a totally different reading mindset than when I first picked those ones up -- there's just so much better out there I feel like!

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  3. I do like Tess Gerritsen but I haven't read most of that series. I seemed to prefer her early stand alones!

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    1. I think for Gerritsen I will at least try the first one and see how I like it -- probably shouldn't wait too long so I can decide whether or not that pile gets the heave ho!

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  4. I finished the first book in that Alyson Noel series but I don't think it got more than a single star. lol
    I enjoyed Stiefvater's series but it's really not for everyone. Worth a shot though. :)

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    1. Yea, I'm definitely leaning toward letting the Noel books go -- I don't think they will be worth my time, unfortunately.

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  5. I haven't actually read any of these books, so my thoughts can't really count for much. However, if I owned The Wolves of Mercy Falls series I would definitely give it a read - I've heard nothing but good things about that particular author.
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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    1. I have heard almost all good things about her newer books, but mixed reviews on this earlier series now that I have so many more sources of book info! Still not so sure about these ones -- there are only 3 though, so I may keep them at least a little longer and see if I get around to them.

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  6. I have no quarrel with the Wolves of Mercy Falls books, but they aren't as good as that author has now become. You can live without them. And I say that as a major MAJOR fan of Maggie Stiefvater's most recent few books.

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    1. That is very helpful considering your viewpoint as a fan of her newer stuff -- I remain on the fence about those, but I seem to be tilting off a bit...

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  7. Shiver has been on my mind for a while, I have really enjoyed Maggie's other books but I haven't started it yet
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  8. If you value your sanity, DO NOT - I repeat - DO NOT read The Immortals. They're a cheap knock-off of Twilight and the entire series is basically about Ever and Damen finding a way to have sex. I read four books and I lost brain cells.

    As for Maggie - I read Shiver and really didn't like it. It's cheesy, they fall in love too quickly, and just.. blah.

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    1. I LOVE how strong your reaction is! What you've said is pretty much what I'm afraid of with the Immortals series, so I think those are a definite NO now. I just didn't know as much as I know now in terms of what is available in YA and what I do and don't like -- it was just another *big* name that seemed to be floating around after reading Twilight and the Hunger Games and not knowing much about what else was out there. I know better now!

      Thanks for the help and for stopping by :)

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    2. The only reason I read four books is because one of my friends told me it was a really good series, and the four-book box was on sale so I bought them. I figured since I'd spent money on it, I might as well read it.

      *shiver*

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    3. Yea, I think the temptation to try all of these even though my interest has waned stems from the fact that I did buy them (certainly not full price though! Most were used from Half.com I believe) If I didn't already own them, they would have gotten crossed of the TBR/wishlist in a second. But sometimes our time is worth more than the money already spent -- at least it wasn't too much & I'll get trade credit for them to pick out something better :)

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  9. I liked Shiver, but I felt like the other books in the trilogy were kind of repetitive, they weren't my favorite. So funny story about Evermore. I DNF that one after only a hand full of pages, it didn't seem unique to me and it just wasn't doing it for me. You are right, with all the beyond awesome unique young adult books out there, I can see why you would pass on these two.

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    1. I think you like YA even more than I do Kay, so if those series weren't anything special for you, I think I can safely pass them on and not regret it! And my trade-in pile grows....

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  10. I wasn't thrilled about the Shiver Series. But you should host a giveaway with all these books. You would get a ton of folks entering. :-)

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    1. I am actually relieved to hear so many of my trusted blogging buddies weren't thrilled with that series -- it was one of those ones where I've heard good things about the author, so I felt like I *should* give them a try -- but now it seems like if I do, it should be one of her later books -- and borrowed from the library!

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I'd love to hear what you think :)