Tammy’s Top Ten Unread Books on my Shelf from BEFORE I Started Blogging

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where every week bloggers are given a top ten theme to blog about! I thought it would be interesting to check my bookshelves and find some books that have been sitting there for YEARS, still unread. How sad is that?? But maybe this post will spur me into actually reading them someday…

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. This book is famous among horror aficionados, and can I really call myself a fan if I STILL haven’t read it? Years on shelf: 16

The Twelve by Justin Cronin. I’m cheating a bit because this did come out after I started blogging. But it was early on and I don’t think I had really started getting review copies yet from publishers. So no excuse! Years on shelf: 4

World War Z by Max Brooks. This has been sitting unread since 2006! Years on shelf: 10

Vampire Empire: Book One The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith. I’ve heard great things about this book, and yet… Years on shelf: 6

Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan. Way way back, Goonan was recommended to me by several reader friends, and yes I went and bought this book. But I somehow never made time to read it. Which is a shame. I believe this book was groundbreaking at the time and one of the first novels in the “nanotech” sub-genre, published in 1994. Years on shelf: 22

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I was a big fan of Bray’s before I started blogging, and I snapped up a copy of Beauty Queens when it was released. But like so many of my books, it became buried under even MORE books. Years on shelf: 5

Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. I was a HUGE Powers fan back in the day, and this is one of his from 2006 that I just never got to. Years on shelf: 10

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. OK, I’m definitely cheating with this book, because it was published in 2013. But I LOVE Donna Tartt and I’m so mad at myself for not taking the time to read this book. It’s not speculative fiction, which is what I concentrate on, so I never really felt I had a good reason to read it. FAIL. Years on shelf: 3

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson. I used to be a HUGE Atkinson fan (are you sensing a pattern here??) and I always wanted to try her mysteries, but just never did. This book is supposed to be excellent! Years on shelf: 8

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I have yet to read Waters, but I own several of her books, including this one. Creepy ghost story, come on! Years on shelf: 7

Let me know what’s been sitting on your shelf for a long time:-D

Posted August 23, 2016 by Tammy in Top Ten Tuesday / 22 Comments

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22 responses to “Tammy’s Top Ten Unread Books on my Shelf from BEFORE I Started Blogging

  1. I think I’ve had a Terry Brooks novel and Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey on my shelf for a few years now. I can’t explain why I haven’t read the former, but the latter… well, I’ve heard plenty about it (one of my offline pals described it as “smutty”), so I’ve been hesitant to read it because I have a feeling it won’t appeal to me. :/
    Sara L. recently posted…Writing Spaces, Rituals, and Other HabitsMy Profile

    • Tammy

      I’ve heard that about Kushiel’s Dart too, another book I need to read. Although the “smutty” description only makes me more curious to read it;-)

  2. I actually just bought House of Leaves this year. Of course, it remains on the shelves unread. I’ve heard so many mixed things about it and for some reason, even though book length doesn’t bother me at all, I find this book a tad intimidating. I’m afraid it would take so long to read because of its format that it would trigger a slump. I keep meaning to pick up the Justin Cronin series now that it is complete. Hope you get to these soon. They all look pretty interesting but I know a lot of people who didn’t enjoy Beauty Queens.
    Barb (boxermommyreads) recently posted…TTT – 10 Books That Have Been On My TBR Since Before I Started BloggingMy Profile

    • Tammy

      I agree, House of Leaves seems daunting but I hear it’s actually VERY SCARY. One of these days…

  3. Tammy V.

    I finished the Cronin series this year. I had started it in 2013 while driving back and forth to my daughter’s college volleyball games. Loved it even though it had a ton of characters to follow.

  4. I’ve been blogging for a year so it’s easy to find books unread that I bought before I started 😛 However, I have some unread books that were given to me when I was 9 years old that I still have not read but since I don’t think I ever will so I don’t feel bad about them hehe.

  5. My biggest guilt trip, so to speak? The twelve volumes of the History of Middle Earth that have been languishing on the Tolkien shelf of my bookcase for over 15 years!! I did peek at the ones concerning the genesis of LOTR, but still need to read them, and keep telling myself that I will do that when I have all the time in the world – i.e. once I get into retirement…. 😀
    Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: CHILDREN OF THE DIFFERENT, by S.C. FlynnMy Profile

  6. todd

    I have too many old unread books to list. I love reading books, but apparently I enjoy collecting them even more. I likely have years worth on the shelves. If only I could stop buying more perhaps I could catch up. Ah well, it’s a problem I enjoy having!

    • Tammy

      I’m the same way, it doesn’t really matter if I ever read all my books, it’s the fact that I HAVE them all!

  7. there’s a few on here that I also have sat waiting – House of Leaves was originally on my classic clubs list and then I sort of sneakily removed it because it looked so very daunting! The Cronin book I’ve had for ages – the Tartt book I practically queued up to buy!!! What is going on! I do like Kate Atkinson and have read and enjoyed When Will There be Good News.
    Lynn 😀

  8. Sam

    Cronin would’ve been on my list as well, but I luckily didn’t purchase Passage when it was first published. That was a huge feat for me since at the time I worked at a bookstore (discount!) and one of my friends had been raving about it. I do, however, own a copy of “City of Mirrors” so I should probably go ahead and buy Passage now.

    A couple of Sarah Waters books are also sitting on my shelves unread, but not this one! I think I need it. 😛
    Sam recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday: Magic BindsMy Profile

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