I had a great year reading-wise in 2017. I had initially set my Goodreads goal to 70 and then reset it to 100. I actually managed to achieve that (somehow), thanks to read-a-thons and such. Even so, I couldn’t get to all the books I badly wanted to in 2017. I have no excuse other than the fact that I didn’t have the time. There will be a few surprises in the list. Read on to find out!
1. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
I feel like such a fake fan for not having read this one. It has been on my TBR since 2016 and I was gifted a physical copy last year (thanks!) but I’m yet to read it. It was on some reading challenge TBRs as well, yet somehow I’m yet to even open the book. I don’t know why I’m so intimidated by it. If I don’t finish it in 2018 I’ll be hugely disappointed in myself.
2. Beren and Luthien by J. R. R. Tolkien
The newest book set in Middle Earth, this came out in 2017 itself, so I’m not too guilty about not getting to it. However, I own a copy of this book too and it’s just glaring at me from the shelf. I really should get to it rather than use it for Bookstagram.
3. Five Go to Smuggler’s Top by Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was one of my favourite childhood authors, yet I’ve not read what is arguably her most favourite series – The Famous Five. I know that it’ll be a quick read and will bring back childhood nostalgia, yet I somehow have not find the time for this. I really should take a break from fantasy and continue on with this series.
4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I’ve only heard good things about this book, so I have no excuse to offer for this one. But I feel like I’m not in the mood for it. I’m on a fantasy wave right now and I don’t know when I’ll get to this. However, as I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, I should just read it, right? Sigh. Being a book lover is tough, okay?
5. The Unseen World by Liz Moore
This is adult fiction, which is a genre I actively avoid because I’m not ready to grow up yet. But the premise sounds cool and I know the heroine is someone whose perspective I’d love to read from. It has a mystery aspect to it as well, which intrigued me enough to put it on my TBR. It is highly praised by one of my favourite Booktubers (Regan from Peruse Project) and by one of my favourite authors, Rick Riordan. I should get this off my TBR soon!
6. Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
I follow this author on Twitter and the cover is gorgeous, so it’s on my TBR. It also has very good reviews on Goodreads and I’m looking forward to reading a unique fantasy with a strong water theme. However, I don’t have a copy of the book, so I haven’t given this much thought recently. It is definitely a book I want to get to in 2018 though.
7. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
This book was everywhere in 2017. Loads of people loved it and included it in their favourites of the year list. It also got a sequel later in the year and people loved it even more. My expectations for this book has rocketed sky-high since then and I’m afraid it won’t live up to it, so I don’t know when I’ll get to this one.
8. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
I had actually intended to start this book, the first in a trilogy, rather than his other book, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, which I read and loved in 2017. I don’t know when I made the switch, but it happened and it has made me all the more excited about this book because the latter is one of Ness’s least loved books, according to popular opinion.
9. Carve the Mark by Vernoica Roth
It was one of my anticipated releases of 2017 but then reviews of bad representation of race began being circulated and my interest in this book waned. I don’t know how true those allegations are but I know that a lot of people were hurt, so I’m on the fence about this. I’m curious to see it for myself rather than take other people’s word for it because I did enjoy Roth’s books in the past, however I will go into it with caution. It’s not a priority read though.
10. The Call of the Mild by William Rabkin
Can we just stop and appreciate the wordplay on the title for a sec? The first two books in the series, written as companions to the TV show Psych, which is one of my all-time favourites, were entertaining enough for me to want to continue. However, I failed miserably at it, made harder by the fact that these books are impossible to find. We need more Psych fans in this world!
I kept it to a ten because I feel like should’ve read every book yesterday. Is that a common problem for bibliophiles? What are some of the backlist titles on your TBR? Tell me your biggest regret of 2017 in the comments below. If you’ve done this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, let me know so I can check out your post as well!
Nan! Nan, how could you. The Knife of Never Letting Go is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. You need to read it NOW. It’s so. BEAUTIFUL.
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I know. 😭 I’ll get it to soon, I promise.
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You’d better!
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I also didn’t get to Beren and Luthien – and I have sooooooo many other 2017 books to catch up on that I might just put off that one until 2019. XD The ones I’ll probably start with are the ones I’m most excited about, like Katherine Arden’s The Girl in the Tower, Rae Carson’s Into the Bright Unknown, and Kristen Cashore’s Jane Unlimited.
Speaking of Katherine Arden – I LOVED The Bear and the Nightingale! It was one of my favorite reads last year, so I hope you enjoy it, too! As for The Silmarillion, take your time with that one. It can get overwhelming very quickly, especially with all the world-building and history it presents. I read one chapter per sitting, and that made it less intimidating and easier to digest.
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Beren and Luthien looks short, but my priority is The Silmarillion. So I don’t know when I’ll get to it either. Thanks for the tip! 🙂 I never read Tolkien’s books fast (I somehow cannot seem to), so I’m definitely going to take my time with it.
Ooh, your 2018 books all sound promising. I really need to read Rae Carson’s books as well! I think I’ll start with The Girl of Fire and Thorns rather than her newer trilogy. Definitely one of my priorities this year. 🙂
Let me know if you enjoy The Girl in the Tower. It’ll make my expectations even higher, but I also trust your opinion, so I really want to know before I get into it. The problem is I like the US covers for this series much better than the UK covers, which is proving very difficult to get! 😅
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The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a good place to start with Rae Carson. Hope you enjoy it! And I’ll try to remember to let you know my thoughts on The Girl in the Tower when I finish it. In fact, I already have a feeling it might be my next read. 😉
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I shall look forward to your review on Goodreads then. 🙂
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I love The Knife of Never Letting Go!!! I hope you get to it soon and enjoy it!!
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So many people have been telling me this! 😅 I’ll make it a priority. Thanks for sharing your opinion. 🙂
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Wow yes I loved Beren and Luthien!! =D
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This is the first I’ve heard someone talk about it. Good to know! 🙂 I’ll get to it as soon as humanly possible. 😅
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I have to finish reading the Psych series too… I got the whole tv series on DVD for Christmas and I’ve been binge watching it, lol.
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That’s a great Christmas present! 😅 I feel like re-watching it too, but I don’t have the time right now. Sigh.
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I just have it on the tv as background noise while I work. I’ll admit I’ve had to shut it off a couple times because it was too distracting, lol.
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Haha. That’s Psych for you. Too good to resist. 🙂
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I love Patrick Ness, his stand-alone More Than This is also a great read. My first read by him is the Knife of Never Letting Go though, and now I just want to devour all his books 😀 The Famous Five series was my favourite when I was growing up… I collected the entire series religiously and I loved them all to bits! ❤
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I need to start collecting the physical copies of Famous Five because in the far future I have to introduce them to my hypothetical kids, lol. I can’t wait to read more by Patrick Ness! I’ve heard nothing but good things. 🙂
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omg The Silmarillion is like my dark reading shame haha. I used to think I would have read it five years ago. But then I started thinking, “I can only read it for the first time once” and I kept putting it off. I finally started in while in NZ two years ago and got maybe 1/3 of the way in. Perhaps 2018 is the year we both get through the thing! 😛 I hadn’t though much about reading Beren and Luthien but now that I’ve got the 2018 Tolkien calendar hanging on my wall (feat. Alan Lee’s illustrations) I think I might read in the next month or two.
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It’s so nice to hear that someone actually reads Tolkien still! 🙂 I need to connect with more fans, seriously. I think you were doing a re-read of The Lord of the Rings recently?
If you’re interested to do a buddy read for The Silmarillion, let me know! I really need some motivation to pick it up but I’ve never done a buddy read before. 😅
You’ve been to New Zealand? It’s the one place on Earth I’m dying to visit! Did you visit any LotR locations? Also, what calendar is this and why have I not heard of it? 🙈
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Ahhh your reply makes me really happy! I have many things to say in response so I’m going to send you an e-mail 😛
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Sure thing! 🙂
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Wait, my email is super-hard to find (I just realised it’s not on my About page) and while I scurry around to fix that, you can find me at: unputdownablebooksofficial@gmail.com
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I haven’t heard of nearly any of the books on your list but I’m adding a bunch to my TBR!! Wish you the best of luck in 2018!
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The trust you have in when it comes to books me shall not go to waste. 😅 *is done being dramatic* Wish you the same! 🙂
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Oh, the Bear and the Nightingale is such a magical book! I kind of regret reading it at the end of last year when i was short on patience though. At times i got annoyed with it, but now that i see it coming up in people’s posts i have quite fond memories of it. 🙂
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It seems like an atmospheric read and perfect for winter. I’m very very tempted to pick it up immediately because so many people have been talking about it, but I also really really want the US cover, so I’m torn. 😭 I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
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None of these books are on my list but I can still relate to this on another level because there are a lot of books I meant to get to in 2017 that I just didn’t get the chance to read! It totally saddens my heart but we’ve got 2018. I hope you can get around to all of these!
My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/01/6-reasons-you-need-new-cool-socks/
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I’m trying my very best to balance backlist titles with new releases. Let’s see how that turns out! I hope you get to all the books you meant to as well. 🙂 Ah, so many books! Bookworm struggles. 😅
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