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Top Ten Tuesday

Books I Can’t Believe I Read

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s topic is: Books I Can’t Believe I Read…This should be fun. Interestingly, I have rated some of these books as high as 3 stars (what’s wrong with me).

1.Pride and Prejudice aka no plot and lots of manners by Jane Austen : As Mark Twain beautifully put it: “I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” I, unfortunately, feel the same way.
2. Sheepshagger by Niall Griffiths : Too disturbing. Especially the sheep shagging part(s)…
3. Unnecessary Fifty Shades of too much Grey  and the rest of it by E.L. James : This would have been great as unknown internet fanfiction, not an international bestseller.
4.The Chronicles of Blarnia by Aslan hater Michael Gerber : This is a book for people who hate Narnia…but no one hates it. So this is a big problem of a book. Oh and the author also hates Harry Potter and Downtown Abbey. I just can’t. 
5. The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq: Basically sex is the only meaning of life and we hear this from a man named Daniel who clones himself like 20 times . Then it’s supposed to be science fiction and that should be exciting but it’s not. I’ve never read anything more boring.
6. The Interpretation of Dreams and how everything is about sex by Sigmund Freud: How basically every dream has a sexual interpretation… I think gypsies nailed explaining dreams way better.
7. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman: It feels like a 600-pages long rant about nothing. “Resist much, obey little.”  How does this make any sense? The most annoying part about Leaves of Grass is that it theoretically could be good. But there’s no comparing this with Sylvia Plath…
8. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan : Imagine watching a movie on super slow-motion.  Like 0,25 of the normal speed. That’s how I felt about this book. I think I missed the plot because of that slowness too. Does it get better? 
9. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell : “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn“. Also can I just slap Scarlett because she was so annoying.
10. On the Road by Jack Kerouac: Lacking meaning. Makes not want to go on a road trip…

 Featured image:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14768011294

What books can’t you believe you’ve read? Have you read any of these? Thoughts?
Happy TTT! :)

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96 thoughts on “Books I Can’t Believe I Read”

  1. I love how you describe ‘The Wheel of Time’ :D that’s exactly how i felt as well, although i even read a couple more books of the series before i fell asleep^^

    And oh yes, my good friend Sigi Freud. You dream about a pen? Penis! You dream about ANYTHING? Probably stands for a penis as well. Oh, and if you dream about flying and are a girl? Yup, you have the secret wish to be a man.

    But no surprise if you look at how fucked up Freud’s life was.

    Love your list! Fun read :)

    1. Maybe he wrote them so people could read something for like I don’t know couple of pages each night… not to swallow the whole book in one night like I usually do. Good old Jordan fighting insomnia one book at a time…

      YES!Exactly!! And can you believe people rate that one as high as 4 stars?? For what? I think I still liked his ego, id talk and thoughts but then it went wrong and fast.

      I aim to please :)) Happy TTT!

  3. Awesome list. I tried reading Jane Austen once (Sense and Sensibility) and it didn’t go well. I like the movies though, go figure! And the Chronicles book- yeah probably not my thing either, I liked Narnia (or some of it anyway).

  4. Haha, I love your little asides.

    I actually quite liked Pride and Prejudice, but I read a Jane Austen book a month for six months and I don’t know whether I liked it for itself, or just because I was more interesting than the one I read the month after! I might try and reread it some day, but I’m not sure how well it will go.

    Here’s my TTT.

  6. I do love Austen – but, although her books are classics I like to class them as Regency Rom Coms – there isn’t a great deal going on in them and there’s always a romantic theme.
    Fifty Shades – would definitely have made my list, I couldn’t stand it, but I’ve gone for a different take on this weeks themes – books that I can’t believe I’ve read (but I’m glad I did).
    Gone With The Wind was a book I read whilst still at school and it had a very romantic feel for me at the time – it might be interesting to reread it to see what I make of it these days (especially as I don’t really read romance).
    Lynn :D

    1. That’s an excellent classification Lynn! Regency Rom Com :D That’s perfect for Goodreads shelf too. It’s good that someone opted for more positive top ten :) I’ll come check it out!

  7. I love how you describe ‘The Wheel of Time’ :D that’s exactly how i felt as well, although i even read a couple more books of the series before i fell asleep^^

    And oh yes, my good friend Sigi Freud. You dream about a pen? Penis! You dream about ANYTHING? Probably stands for a penis as well. Oh, and if you dream about flying and are a girl? Yup, you have the secret wish to be a man.

    But no surprise if you look at how fucked up Freud’s life was.

    Love your list! Fun read :)

    1. Maybe he wrote them so people could read something for like I don’t know couple of pages each night… not to swallow the whole book in one night like I usually do. Good old Jordan fighting insomnia one book at a time…

      YES!Exactly!! And can you believe people rate that one as high as 4 stars?? For what? I think I still liked his ego, id talk and thoughts but then it went wrong and fast.

      I aim to please :)) Happy TTT!

  9. Awesome list. I tried reading Jane Austen once (Sense and Sensibility) and it didn’t go well. I like the movies though, go figure! And the Chronicles book- yeah probably not my thing either, I liked Narnia (or some of it anyway).

  10. I’ve never read Jordan’s epic fantasy novels. Part of it is an intimidation factor of being so many million pages behind. And part of it is I’ve heard from readers who dove into the series that it starts to lose focus the farther you get into the series.

    1. Yeah… I don’t know how would it be even possible to read through those million pages on slow-motion and then you’re telling me it starts losing focus…Uhhh. I think I will do my best to avoid this series.

      I hope GRRM finishes Song of Ice and Fire before he loses focus!

  12. Haha, I love your little asides.

    I actually quite liked Pride and Prejudice, but I read a Jane Austen book a month for six months and I don’t know whether I liked it for itself, or just because I was more interesting than the one I read the month after! I might try and reread it some day, but I’m not sure how well it will go.

    Here’s my TTT.

  14. I do love Austen – but, although her books are classics I like to class them as Regency Rom Coms – there isn’t a great deal going on in them and there’s always a romantic theme.
    Fifty Shades – would definitely have made my list, I couldn’t stand it, but I’ve gone for a different take on this weeks themes – books that I can’t believe I’ve read (but I’m glad I did).
    Gone With The Wind was a book I read whilst still at school and it had a very romantic feel for me at the time – it might be interesting to reread it to see what I make of it these days (especially as I don’t really read romance).
    Lynn :D

    1. That’s an excellent classification Lynn! Regency Rom Com :D That’s perfect for Goodreads shelf too. It’s good that someone opted for more positive top ten :) I’ll come check it out!

  15. Haha, I do love Pride and Prejudice, and I read and liked Gone With the Wind (I doubt I’d ever re-read, because mainly I just like Clark Gable, which is why I read the book after watching the movie a million times in high school… a long, long time ago).

    1. Having differences makes us awesome :)

      Somehow you view books a little bit different in high school… at least I did give more positive ratings then to books I’m sure I now wouldn’t like.

    1. There are quite many reasons for my dislike of the novel. Every thought seems unfinished. Every description. I feel like Austen was a clever woman but she was confined to her own life and the circumstances of it and this unfortunately reflects greatly in the novel. Novel takes place in a very small village and most scenes happen indoors so I did not like that. Maybe this all is my biggest issue with the book.

      It’s supposed to be one of the greatest love stories of our time. Yet there is no romance in the plot. It’s there between the lines, never actually mentioned and so it feels like a hallucination instead of reality.

      There is no symbolism. This usually doesn’t bother me as I don’t like to over analyze everything, however here I’m missing it.
      To list a few reasons.

      I do always appreciate different opinions, we are all unique in how we read and see books :)

      1. I didn´t ask to disagree with you, just to understand your reasons.

        I don´t see any problem about the novels be set in “small universes”. She were not writing epic tales, just stories about girls getting married! But I understand you. It is a matter of taste!

        I believe you gave some fair points and I am ok with it!

  19. I’ve never read Jordan’s epic fantasy novels. Part of it is an intimidation factor of being so many million pages behind. And part of it is I’ve heard from readers who dove into the series that it starts to lose focus the farther you get into the series.

    1. Yeah… I don’t know how would it be even possible to read through those million pages on slow-motion and then you’re telling me it starts losing focus…Uhhh. I think I will do my best to avoid this series.

      I hope GRRM finishes Song of Ice and Fire before he loses focus!

  21. Haha, I do love Pride and Prejudice, and I read and liked Gone With the Wind (I doubt I’d ever re-read, because mainly I just like Clark Gable, which is why I read the book after watching the movie a million times in high school… a long, long time ago).

    1. Having differences makes us awesome :)

      Somehow you view books a little bit different in high school… at least I did give more positive ratings then to books I’m sure I now wouldn’t like.

    1. There are quite many reasons for my dislike of the novel. Every thought seems unfinished. Every description. I feel like Austen was a clever woman but she was confined to her own life and the circumstances of it and this unfortunately reflects greatly in the novel. Novel takes place in a very small village and most scenes happen indoors so I did not like that. Maybe this all is my biggest issue with the book.

      It’s supposed to be one of the greatest love stories of our time. Yet there is no romance in the plot. It’s there between the lines, never actually mentioned and so it feels like a hallucination instead of reality.

      There is no symbolism. This usually doesn’t bother me as I don’t like to over analyze everything, however here I’m missing it.
      To list a few reasons.

      I do always appreciate different opinions, we are all unique in how we read and see books :)

      1. I didn´t ask to disagree with you, just to understand your reasons.

        I don´t see any problem about the novels be set in “small universes”. She were not writing epic tales, just stories about girls getting married! But I understand you. It is a matter of taste!

        I believe you gave some fair points and I am ok with it!

  25. I really like Austen, but Gone with the Wind and 50 Shades of Grey can take a flying leap. Some books I regretted reading are 100 Year of Solitude, which I read for a book club, and Ethan Frome, which we read in school. I like your comment about the sheep shagging book!

    1. Yup :D I feel like book club reads are oftten sort of weird. Like I’m participating in one and our first read was ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ … it was so mind-numbingly boring 🙈

      🐑🐑🐑

  26. I really like Austen, but Gone with the Wind and 50 Shades of Grey can take a flying leap. Some books I regretted reading are 100 Year of Solitude, which I read for a book club, and Ethan Frome, which we read in school. I like your comment about the sheep shagging book!

    1. Yup :D I feel like book club reads are oftten sort of weird. Like I’m participating in one and our first read was ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ … it was so mind-numbingly boring 🙈

      🐑🐑🐑

  28. Great list! I haven’t read any of these but I’ve always felt that I should read Gone With the Wind just so I could say that I had. Um, perhaps not. And Sheepshagger? 😳 I don’t think I want to know. Lol.

  30. Great list! I haven’t read any of these but I’ve always felt that I should read Gone With the Wind just so I could say that I had. Um, perhaps not. And Sheepshagger? 😳 I don’t think I want to know. Lol.

  31. A genuinely funny list. I often don’t mind fiction that references Austen’s works, but have actually read very few of the titles she’s written and feel no inclination to do so. And Gone With The Wind, the movie was painful to watch, so there is no way I would be able to get through the original novel.

  32. A genuinely funny list. I often don’t mind fiction that references Austen’s works, but have actually read very few of the titles she’s written and feel no inclination to do so. And Gone With The Wind, the movie was painful to watch, so there is no way I would be able to get through the original novel.

  35. Wow! That is quite a good list of dreadful books!
    The only one that really comes to mind for me is “A Separate Peace.” It’s not really THAT bad. I just felt like it was a horrendous waste of time. Maybe there was some deeper message or hidden beauty that I missed, but if that’s the case then they probably shouldn’t have forced me to read it during my summer break between the 8th and 9th grade. :(

  36. Wow! That is quite a good list of dreadful books!
    The only one that really comes to mind for me is “A Separate Peace.” It’s not really THAT bad. I just felt like it was a horrendous waste of time. Maybe there was some deeper message or hidden beauty that I missed, but if that’s the case then they probably shouldn’t have forced me to read it during my summer break between the 8th and 9th grade. :(

  37. To this day, I’m still very grateful my English literature teacher didn’t make us read Gone With the Wind. She just showed us the movie instead and it was still extremely boring.

  38. To this day, I’m still very grateful my English literature teacher didn’t make us read Gone With the Wind. She just showed us the movie instead and it was still extremely boring.

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