Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This is one meme I can get on board with - I LOVE lists! I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

1. An Echo In The Bone (Outlander #7), by Diana Gabaldon - The Outlander series is one of my all-time favorites. But, honestly, A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) didn't really grab me like all the others did. There's so many characters to keep track of now, Jamie and Claire's relationship isn't as passionate as it once was (they're pushing 60 - what do you expect?), and the book was BIG (980 pages). I'm sure An Echo In The Bone will be no different. That, coupled with the fact that there was a two-year span between release dates of ABOSAA and AEITB, a re-read of ABOSAA would be in order. And, I just don't think I'm up for that.

2. The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3), by Rick Riordan - I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf since November, and for some reason I'm having a hard time getting to it. The biggest reason is because it's now been 18 months since I read The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2), I forget a lot of what happened, and I don't have time for a re-read. (Note: I've actually just started this in audio format, and while I do forget a lot, it's not as bad as I thought it might be.)

3. Hopeless (Hopeless #1), by Colleen Hoover - I've heard A LOT about Hopeless. I've heard it's fantastic. I've heard it's gripping. I've also heard it's really sad. I can do sad sometimes. But, I have to psych myself up for it and prepare my emotions for the onslaught. I'm a very emo person, so these types of books usually hit me hard.

4. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1), by George R. R. Martin - I'm not a huge high fantasy fan, but I've heard so many awesome things about this series. The ratings on Goodreads are incredible. I mean, it was made into a television series, for crying out loud. But, it's a very big book. And, as I mentioned, high fantasy has been hit or miss for me.

5. The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkein - I really want to read this book. My husband read it and really loved it. But, I tried to read it once, and didn't get too far. It wasn't all that exciting. I know - blasphemy. But, I really want to get through it. I want to try again. But, you know, once you try and fail, it's a little harder to get back on the horse, eh?

6. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas - I don't read nearly enough classics. Actually, I don't read any. And, that's a travesty. I'd love to read one, and I love The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo's story. This book is nearly 200 years old. AND, it's French (well, originally it was French - it's been translated, obviously). I don't know if I'll succeed in getting through it, but I really need to at least try.

7. Rot and Ruin (Benny Imura #1), by Jonathan Maberry - Watching zombies on TV is one thing. Reading about them is another. Well, to me it is, anyway. I've now read two zombie books, and I think they were sort of zombie-lite books (Warm Bodies and Something Strange and Deadly). Jonathan Maberry is a fellow Pennsylvanian, and I met him twice now. I've heard great things about his Benny Imura series. And the covers are GORGEOUS. But still - it's zombies. I dunno. We'll see.

8. Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2), by Ilona Andrews - I have several good friends who swear the Kate Daniels series is completely awesomesauce. I read the first book in the series last summer, and honestly? It was okay. It was complicated and confusing and not what I expected. I have the second and third books already on my shelf, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read them yet. I hear the series gets better with each book. I truly want to give it another try.

9. Finale (Hush, Hush #4), by Becca Fitzpatrick - I love the Hush Hush series. I'm going to be so sad to see it end. And, that's the main reason why I've held off on reading Finale. I don't want it to end! And, now it's been so long since I've read the other three that I forget a lot of what happened. But, I really do want to experience Patch and Nora's HEA, so I need to make Finale a priority.

10. Allegiant (Divergent #3), by Veronica Roth - Along the same lines, Allegiant will bring to a close one of the most popular dystopian series of all time. Divergent was amazing. Insurgent was... well, not amazing, but good. And, now I'm beyond curious and excited to see what the ending will bring. And a little nervous. I want it to be good so badly...