Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Woman lying on a bed and holding a book openI don’t know about you all, but I tend to gush about the same books over and over again.  It was fun to look through the lists of books I’ve read in the past and pick out a few that I generally don’t mention.

1. Westlake Soul by Rio Yours

Why I Rarely Mention It: The subject matter is just odd enough that it doesn’t fit into most conversations or blog posts.

2. Angelica: A Novel by Arthur Phillips.

Why I Rarely Mention It: The narrator offers up two possible explanations for what’s going on in this chaotic household. One has to do with a restless ghost, and the other one involves horrific child abuse. I have friends and followers who would find the second explanation triggering, so I’m pretty shy about blogging about this book even though the paranormal aspect of it was fabulous.

3. The Harry Potter series

Why I Rarely Mention It: I used to talk about them here much more often. Then I ran out of things to say about them…for now?

4. MaddAddam by  Margaret Atwood

Why I Rarely Mention It: This was a great story, but I didn’t have a lot of coherent thoughts about it after I read it. Does this happen to anyone else?

5. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

Why I Rarely Mention It: The ending made me angry. Don’t get me wrong – it fit the theme of the story perfectly, and I totally understand why the author made that choice. But I so badly wanted it to end more hopefully that I have trouble writing about what actually happened.

6. The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron

Why I Rarely Mention It: The cliffhanger ending makes it hard for me to write about this one without giving away spoilers. I’m also hoping the author will eventually write a sequel. Her characters sure seem like they have a lot to say still!

90 Comments

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90 Responses to Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About

  1. Great list! I feel this way about so many books.

  2. Great list! I really want to give Louise O’Neill’s work a try this year.

  3. It often happens to me that I do not have coherent thoughts about a book.

  4. Jo

    I couldn’t finish Only Ever Yours, glad you enjoyed it though.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/top-ten-tuesday-259/

  5. It’s been so many years since I read the HP series that it feels like ancient history now. LOL

  6. Yes HP had become too popular. Thanks for coming by.

  7. My daughter was a big fan of Madadam and Oryx and Crack. I read one of the three of that series but have forgotten the name. Thanks for visiting my blog. You mentioned INLAND. I don’t think that book is for the casual reader but you strike me as a serious reader so I am sure you will appreciate it, as I did. My TTT list

  8. Oh yeah, Harry Potter is a series I don’t talk about much either!

  9. I’ve read Asking for It by Louise O’Neill and LOVED it. I haven’t gotten a chance to read Only Ever Yours, but I really want to!!

  10. Great list! I’ve heard a lot about Only Ever After but am unsure if I want to read it.

  11. I haven’t read any of these (although, of course I’ve heard about Harry Potter). Compiling today’s list, I realized there’s a lot of books I’ve read and really liked but don’t talk about much!

  12. I felt exactly the same after reading the Maddaddam trilogy!

  13. Great list! We all fall into the same category, I think! It’s nice to shed some light on books we loved and don’t talk about much!

  14. I’ve been meaning to read more Margaret Atwood. Her books all seem so different! MaddAddam is one of the ones that appeals to me.

  15. A couple of the books on my list still need sequels that don’t seem to be coming, so that’s also a reason I haven’t talked about them as much. I keep waiting for another book and wish the authors would just self-publish the next one if the publisher decided not to. Anyway, great list! Thanks for stopping by!

  16. I love that you gave reasons for why you didn’t discuss these books much. My list wasn’t nearly so intentional: mostly it was books that I’ve read long enough ago that I don’t think about discussing them on the blog.

    I read Atwood’s Oryx and Crake ages ago, but I remember not being sure what to write or think about it, either. So I know what you mean with MaddAddam even though I haven’t read that specific book. I think it might be something the whole series shares.

  17. Your reasons for why you don’t mention these books often are interesting and varied. I’ve also had the situation where I can’t form any coherent thoughts about a book, even though I loved it. I hate when that happens, because it tends to make me feel like surely I must not have liked it that much if I can’t gush about it. But maybe it just means everything I want to say would spoil too much for others!

  18. You know, I haven’t read any of these! Thanks for the ideas! 🙂

  19. I hadn’t heard of these, so thanks for shouting out about them today!

  20. I find that it’s easiest to review a book and remember/discuss it when I either LOVED it or HATED it. Those books that fall in between are the ones I have a hard time discussing, whether it’s in review format or a verbal discussion.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

  21. Louise Hallett

    Harry Potter is definitely one I forget to mention. I loved the books but tend to always think of the films!
    Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill sounds interesting, I don’t mind an atypical ending as long as I’m forewarned!

  22. I don’t recognize any of these books, even Atwood’s, however I do recognize her as an author. I’ve still only read one of her novels, although I would like to read The Handmaid’s Tale.

    • The Handmaid’s Tale is a great place to start with Atwood. She’s written so many different types of books, but that one something really special. (The sequel was even better!)

  23. Glad to see Only Ever Yours make it on your list! I really liked that book 🙂

  24. Tonyalee

    Great list! I don’t think I’ve met a home that admits to not discussing HP!

  25. It was interesting to read your thoughts on why you rarely talk about these books!

  26. I’m very intrigued by Only Ever Yours… thank you for sharing these!

  27. RS

    Only Ever Yours sounds like 27 types of horrifying. I don’t know if I could manage it. I feel like I’d just be in a state of blind rage the whole time. (In fairness, I tend to be mad about the concept of misogynistic dystopias anyway and don’t even want to imagine them long enough to enjoy the author’s message, but this sounds like a top-tier nightmare)

    • Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it for sure. The world building was well done, but it put me into a blind rage, too. I can’t really say much else about the plot without giving away spoilers.

  28. One of these days I need to read MaddAddam.

    Thanks for visiting my blog earlier.

  29. The Westlake book definitely sounds like an intense read.

  30. I haven’t read any of these except for the Harry Potter series. The last one in that disappointed me so much that I lost all interest in it.

  31. I’m surprised to see the Harry Potter series on one of these lists, but it makes sense. I haven’t heard of any of the others. I feel like not having coherent thoughts about a book happens a lot with me. There are so many books that I enjoyed, but I just can’t ever really explain why other than “there’s just something about it”.

  32. Good point on the Harry Potter series — I really don’t have anything more to say about it other than: I LOVE IT or telling someone to READ IT LOL!

  33. Lydia, if you ever want to talk Harry Potter, I will never get bored of or run out of things to say about them. 😅

  34. Great list, I have loved Margaret Atwood’s books, I need to pick some more up by her though!

  35. Totally understand that feel. Sometimes a book is just so good it breaks my brain and trying to write a review for it later is a pain!

  36. I LOVE seeing someone else love (or hate, but you know what I mean) Only Ever Yours!! That book WRECKED me and is absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. I HATED the ending, but it fit so perfectly that I couldn’t fault it one bit. Honestly anything else would have seemed fake! Great list, I want to read MaddAddam one of these days, too!

  37. Great list! These all sound really good. It was fun looking back at books we rarely talk about.

  38. These are quite some interesting books, I believe. The only author I’ve heard of and read is Margaret Atwood. I think I will try to find “The Last Neanderthal”.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT earlier.

  39. Christine @ LifeWithAllTheBooks

    Great list! I have really enjoyed Louise O’Neill’s books but I haven’t read that one so I’ll have to add it to my TBR! 😊

  40. I’ve seen MaddAddam on a few blogs lately, and I’m curious about it! I’ve definitely had the experience where I’ve read something and I just … don’t know how to write a review? I just sort of read it and move on because I can’t think of things to say lol.

  41. Great list! And yes, sometimes I can really love a book but also not be sure what to say about it or even how to talk about it. Love seeing Louise O’Neill’s book on here. It’s really high up on my TBR (has been for a while actually) and I’ve heard a lot of great things about her books. I’ve only read one but so keen to read more! Will definitely keep in mind your comment about the ending so I can try to manage expectations lol

  42. I love Margaret Atwood but somehow have never gotten around to reading the one you mentioned. I definitely suffer from sometimes having no coherent thoughts after finishing a book so you’re not alone, lol.

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