Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s topic made me smile. Normally, I will happy reread books that I love over and over again until I can quote passages from memory from them in ordinary conversations for the sheer fun of it.

There are exceptions to this rule, though. As you’re about to see, many of them have gone on my do-not-reread list for the exact same reason. I might not mind certain things the first time I read something, but they can deter me from rereading that particular tale.

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

It took me ages to figure out whether I should list this trilogy as individual books or as a group. Since they all told different parts of the same epic adventure and their plots were very tightly woven together, I decided to include all three of them as the first item on this week’s list.

While I loved seeing what happened to Frodo and his companions while they were trying to bring The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it and save the world, the pacing of this series was so slow and the books themselves were so long that I don’t see myself ever reading them again.

2. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins.

I loved the fact that the author stayed true to the violent, unjust, and unpredictable world she created earlier in this series even though it meant shattering the audience’s expectations of what would happen next. There were certain deaths and other events in Mockingjay that honestly made me sob. I’m glad I know how it ended, but I never want to relive those scenes again.

3. Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables #5) by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

I was an adult before I realized that Anne Shirley’s adventures didn’t end after Anne of the Island, so I was excited to see what this character’s life was like after she finally married her childhood sweetheart. Without giving away spoilers, something tragic happened early on in their marriage that makes me never want to revisit this portion of Anne’s life again. It was simply too sad.

4. Beloved by Toni Morrison.

As a huge fan of Ms. Morrison’s work in general, it’s hard to admit that I don’t want to reread something she wrote. The descriptions of how slavery traumatized this entire family for multiple generations were so graphic, though, that I can’t handle seeing them suffer that much again.

5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. 

The pacing of Great Expectations was so slow that I don’t want to revisit it even though I loved Pip as a character.

6. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

I knew quite a bit about the Great Depression when I first picked this book up, but there’s a huge difference between memorizing dry facts and seeing a three-dimensional family struggle to survive when the dust bowl hit their farm and they lost everything. The character development was amazing. It was emotionally difficult to see the Joads face malnutrition, discrimination, and severe poverty after I’d grown to truly love them. I can’t bear to see them go through all of that pain again.

7. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.

As intrigued as I was by the storyline in general, it took a long time to figure out what Martian society was like. I’d rather not revisit the slow process of figuring out why Valentine’s worldview was so different from humans who had been raised by other humans.

8. The Martian by Andy Weir.

I loved seeing Mark, the main character of this book, solve all kinds of impossible problems on Mars after a terrible accident there made his fellow astronauts believe he was dead and accidentally leave him behind when they returned to Earth. He could have died many times over before they even realized he was still alive, and that made this a thrilling read. With that being said, I worried about Mark’s health and safety so much the first time I read about his adventures that I don’t really want to repeat that experience.

9. My Ántonia by Willa Cather.

I adored the descriptions of what life was like for brand new immigrants in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century. Surviving their first winter on the prairie was a difficult task for even the most fortunate and well-prepared families. The threat of starvation or freezing to death was always present. That made it impossible for me to stop reading even once they’d slightly improved their diets and the insulation in their homes. I had to know what happened to the characters, but once I did I lost the urge to return to their darkest and most uncertain days.

10. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.

Like many of the other books on this list, this one was too intense for me to reread it. I was so frightened for Trisha once she became lost in the woods, especially once she realized that there was something awful wandering around out there. Knowing her fate was a relief. With that being said, I don’t ever want to go through that emotional rollercoaster again.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

It’s Tuesday again!  This week is all about surprises.  For my list, I’ve included books, in no particular order, that surprised me in a variety of ways.  Some of the books listed I expected to like, but didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would, and some I didn’t think I would like but ended up loving.  I’ve also included a few books that had a surprisingly powerful impact on me, or an unexpected ending.

Signs of the Zodiac Series by Vicki Pettersson-I really enjoy books that fall into the paranormal category, but this series left me with surprisingly conflicted emotions.  I think the premise of the series is unique, and the take on good and evil is complex.  However, I had a love/hate relationship with the main character, and I had issues with how some traumatic situations were handled.  Complicated feelings aside, I still feel the series was worth reading.

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead-I really expected to like this series.  I enjoy books about vampires, and friend recommended it to me.  However, I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.  I was intrigued by the world Ms. Mead created, but Rose isn’t my favorite character, and I was never a fan of her romance with Dmitri.  I’m glad I read the series, but it will never be a favorite.  I enjoyed the spin off series, Bloodlines, much more.

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins-I’m not a fan of dystopian, and I was very hesitant to read this series, especially because there was a lot of hype surrounding it.  A very good friend convinced me to read it, and I’m glad they did.  I loved it.  Once I started reading the series, I couldn’t put it down!

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England by Judith Flanders-I enjoy history, but I’ve never read much non-fiction.  I decided to read this after a friend recommended it to me.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  It isn’t a book I raced through, but I enjoyed picking it up and reading a chapter or two at a time.  I enjoyed it so much I’ve read a couple of similar books since and have several more in my tbr.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice-I know I’ve included this book in several of my lists, but it is belongs on this one too.  When I first experienced this book, I’d never read any books with vampires.  However, I was pulled into this tale and have enjoyed vampire novels ever since.

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling-This is another series I put off reading for a very long time.  I tend to drag my feet when it comes to reading books with a lot of hype surrounding them, and I don’t like feeling pressured into reading a book.  I’m glad I read it because the entire series is wonderful.

The Lady or the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton-I will always remember the way I felt when I first read this story.  I was so surprised and intrigued by how Mr. Stockton left the ending!

The Crucible by Arthur Miller-I read this years ago in school and have read it a couple times since then, but I’ll always remember being surprised by how strong my reaction to the story was.  Such a powerful story!

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner-It has been a very long time since I read this story, but it is certainly memorable.  It is such a tragic and creepy tale, and of course the ending is quite shocking.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson-Another short story with a surprising ending!

What do you think?  Were any of these books/series surprising to you?  Did you enjoy them?