Top Ten Tuesday #5
Books too Good to Review Properly
This week’s prompt is hard! There are books I’ve read where I felt like I didn’t have the words to review them properly. Or, to review them, you’d have to litter the review with spoilers, which most people don’t want. Hmmm. Here are my top ten 12 books that are too good to review properly:
Most of the reason I chose these books is because I can’t properly convey how much I love them without giving too much away. For example, when I first read TWILIGHT, I knew nothing about it. Nothing. I also didn’t read the dust jacket or the back cover, so I didn’t know anything about Edward Cullen. Let that sink in for a minute. If I could introduce TWILIGHT to a newbie, it would be the same way I read it, completely unsuspecting anything. Of course, that’s hard to do now unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 16.5 years.
I don’t think I ever do the book justice. I’ve decided that my reason for reviewing a book isn’t to recommend or not recommend a book to someone else. It’s simply to state if I liked it or not. Based on that, others can decided if they want to read the book as well.
What about you? Which books do you think are too good to review properly? Do we have any in common?
I’ve been learning in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) that life is full of dialectics, or two opposing truths. In this case, the two opposing truths are: 1) I don’t agree with JKR’s stance regarding trans people, and 2) I still love Harry Potter.
I think I read and loved at least half of these! Good books!
Thanks! It’s always fun to find someone else with the same taste. 😀
I find it a lot easier to review books where there are things I want to criticise, so it can be hard writing about books I just plain love. I loved The Flatshare, and that was one I could review because I wanted to talk about how it acknowledged that publishing doesn’t cover the rent in London!
I agree. If I can rant about a book, then my review will be a mile long. That’s interesting about publishing not covering the rent in London. I’ve never noticed that. I’m sure I’ll notice that more now, though.
It sometimes seems difficult to figure out what made me love a book. I guess I feel like I sound trivial!
Agreed. And, I always think about what my English teachers told me about how just saying that you liked the book isn’t enough. You have to describe why you liked it and then I feel a ton of pressure to do it right, lol.
Harry Potter is a good pick.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-too-good-to-review-properly/
Thanks! I thought it was too because you don’t want to spoil the story, especially as you read each subsequent book.
Dune! Can definitely see that one. And if Night Circus was anything like Starless sea I can definitely understand it being hard to review!
Yes, Dune has so much going on. Plus, not wanting to give things away and doing the book justice. I haven’t read The Starless Sea yet, so I’m not sure. The Night Circus, though, was unlike anything I had ever read at the time.
I’ve seen DUNE on a couple lists today. Makes sense that it would be tough to review since it’s a classic and a looonnnggg, detailed one at that. My problem with reviewing classics is that I feel like everything that can be said about it already has been and much more eloquently than I can do it, so what’s the point, really?
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Cool! I’m glad I’m not the only person who finds Dune hard to review. 🙂 I also agree with reviewing classics. I definitely can’t add to what others have said about them, especially scholarly people.
I had the Hunger Games and Harry Potter on my list too, but I tweaked the topic to make it easier for me. Tough one this week!
That’s cool. I’m excited to see how you tweaked your list. 🙂
Anxious People is a hard book to describe and explain feelings for. I was trying to tell me husband about it and it didn’t work out well.
It really is. There’s so much to it and when you describe it, it just sounds chaotic but it’s not. Backman did such a wonderful job of weaving the characters’ lives together.
I agree, I thought the prompt today was hard. I have read a few of the books on your list, and agree that they would be difficult to review.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who found the prompt hard to do today. 🙂
I read quit a few of these books. I have a review of Dune and the graphic novel version of Graceling on my blog.
I have reviewed all of these books. I just feel like I don’t do them justice and that writing their reviews were hard.
I agree with Twilight! Several of these I have on my TBR list. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/top-ten-tuesday-wow-books.html
I’m glad to hear that some of these are on your TBR. I hope you like them when you finally read them. 🙂
I almost put The Night Circus on my list. Anxious People made my list. There are no words for that book.
I agree that reviewing Anxious People is really hard. I managed to do it, but it definitely didn’t do it justice.
Hmm. You know about my project to write super past due reviews. Now I will have to check to see if I wrote on for The Night Circus…otherwise it is going on the list. Me checkin’… Yes, I did. It isn’t the best review but it has a reading timeline attached to it. Apparently I was listening to during the days before and after my daughter’s wedding. https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-night-circus-by-erin-morgenstern_05.html
I recently read DUNE and ANXIOUS PEOPLE so I know I reviewed those two. But let’s see about MY LADY JANE…Oh yes, I did and it is a very fun review, which matches the fun book: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-lady-jane-by-hand-ashton-and-meadows.html
HUNGER GAMES I never adequately reviewed, though I did give it a sort of stab when I was done reading CATCHING FIRE but I will give myself a pass on that one because I read it before I was blogging and now everyone knows the story because of the movies. Sigh.
I admire that you’re writing super past due reviews. I can’t do that because I don’t remember the books well enough. I write super past due reviews after I reread a book. 🙂
We don’t have any in common but The Night Circus could have totally gone on my list. But your comments have made me think… do I review books just to get out my thoughts or to actually convince someone to read it? Hmmm… I think I’ve gone back and forth over the years with this. But interesting to ponder…
I often wonder about that when I read most people’s reviews. Are they written to get me to read the book or are they written to just tell me if they liked the book or not. Either way, it’s fine. It’s just a different approach to each.
A few of these I didn’t review because I read them before I started blogging, like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Graceling I did review and found it fairly easy because I hated it so it was a rant review which always fairly straightforward. The Night Circus I also reviewed and that was definitely a harder one, because it was one of those middling books for me that I didn’t properly love or hate.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/02/15/top-ten-tuesday-355/
I find rant reviews easier to write as well. I’m kind of sad that Graceling was one of those for you, but I understand that we each have our own likes and dislikes. I actually find it easier to write reviews for middling books than books I adore.