You know, at some point, when you read as many books as I do, some of them are going to fall by the wayside.
Not intentionally, of course, but since I have neither managed to clone myself nor summon a demon to aid me in my endeavors, I only have limited time, and reviews take for freaking ever to write. So sometimes I just … don’t? Oops? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My lack of superpowers and unfortunate need for sleep shouldn’t stop people from reading, enjoying, and throwing these books at others, though. They’re still great books and deserve all the love. I’m just a slacker. But today, I’m going to try to rectify that at least a little bit.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is books I loved but never reviewed.
I’m still not going to review these books, for all the reasons mentioned above, but I will give you reasons you should totally read these books anyway. So really … it’s kind of like I’m reviewing them? Loop hole! Woo-hoo!
Artificial Condition
★★★★★
Reasons to Read:
- Murderbot is a precious, precious gift to be appreciated.
- Everyone loves sarcastic, anti-social robots.
- Big mystery plot about Murderbot’s background that needs to be uncovered.
- ART is adorable and deserves to be appreciated.
- Murderbot trying to understand humans is precious.
- But also, humans are super confusing creatures, yo.
ART said, What does it want?
To kill all the humans, I answered.
I could feel ART metaphorically clutch its function. If there were no humans, there would be no crew to protect and no reason to do research and fill its databases. It said, That is irrational.
I know, I said, if the humans were dead, who would make the media? It was so outrageous, it sounded like something a human would say.
To kill all the humans, I answered.
I could feel ART metaphorically clutch its function. If there were no humans, there would be no crew to protect and no reason to do research and fill its databases. It said, That is irrational.
I know, I said, if the humans were dead, who would make the media? It was so outrageous, it sounded like something a human would say.
Trapped in a Video Game
★★★★★
Reasons to Read:
- Deliciously geeky gamer content.
- Hilarious commentary.
- Boys are funny when they play video games. Who knew?
- Wish fulfillment for pretty much every gamer everywhere.
- Quick, fun romp through adventure and danger.
Here lies Jesse Rigsby of Middlefield, Ohio. He was tragically taken from us by a giant praying mantis while trying to save a video game world from fake aliens. He bravely led the resistance, which lasted for all of 10 seconds.
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World
★★★★★
Reasons to Read:
- Parenting is hard. This is a nice reminder that you’re not alone in your struggles.
- Everyone deserves a laugh now and then. Especially those raising children.
- Laughing at others’ misdeeds is fun.
- Everything Fredrik Backman writes is gold. You should read all his books.
But my generation knows, OKAY? We know EVERYTHING! So if anything goes sideways with your childhood, I’ll be held responsible. It will never be legally sustainable that I acted “in good faith.” I could have googled it. I should have googled it. My God, why didn’t I google it? Damn it.
My Song for Him Who Never Sang to Me
★★★★☆
Reasons to Read:
- Very personal book of poetry with some really deep lines.
- Gorgeous wordplay that really tugs at the feels.
- Has one of my favorite poems, Epitaph.
Look for me in the people I’ve known or loved.
If you cannot give me away,
At least let me live in your eyes,
And not in your mind.
You can love me most
By letting hands touch hands,
By letting hearts touch hearts,
And by letting go of
Spirits who need to be free.
Love does not die, bodies do.
So, when all that’s left of me is love,
Give me away.
If you cannot give me away,
At least let me live in your eyes,
And not in your mind.
You can love me most
By letting hands touch hands,
By letting hearts touch hearts,
And by letting go of
Spirits who need to be free.
Love does not die, bodies do.
So, when all that’s left of me is love,
Give me away.
Before I Disappear
★★★★☆
Reasons to Read:
- Autism rep.
- Super cute and strong sibling bonds.
- Hate-to-love romance.
- Creepy, intense mystery to solve.
- Really heartwarming ending.
Ever since that night in July, I don’t wear makeup, or rebel against authority, or drive above the speed limit. Staying out of trouble is pretty much at the top of my priority list. But the thing about trouble is that it has a way of finding you. Especially when you are looking for it.
The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles
★★★★☆
Reasons to Read:
- Hilarious Sherlock Holmes parody.
- So many laughs, it’ll make it hard to breathe.
- Fantastic supporting characters.
- Really interesting overarching mystery to solve.
- Leading character that is hilarious but hopeless.
- Poor Waston. Just … poor Watson.
The smell nearly distracted me from my task, but no-I remained steadfast. Stiff upper lip, Watson! Action! Answers!
THEN bacon.
THEN bacon.
The Whisper Man
★★★★☆
Reasons to Read:
- Single father raising his son and killing it.
- Super creepy jingle kids say, because kids are creepy.
- Will give you all the goosebumps and then some.
- There are some messed up scenes, not gonna lie.
- But also some really touching ones.
If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.
If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home.
If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.
If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home.
If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.
Into the Drowning Deep
★★★★☆
Reasons to Read:
- Mocukmentary style study of murder mermaids.
- Capitalizes on the Monster in the Deep trope that’s so easy to love.
- Deaf rep and F/F relationship.
- Badass hunters who are unapologetically proud of their abilities.
- Sarcastic scientist lady who is great at what she does.
- Really creepy horror (and quite a bit of gore).
Humanity has feared the dark since time immemorial, and yet humanity has never experienced the dark, because it wasn’t until recently – the age of cunning hands and clever machines – that the dark had been anything more than a whispering legend, a rumor of a nightmare.
Good Omens
★★★★★
Reasons to Read:
- Terry Pratchett. Duh.
- Fun twist on the apocalypse.
- Bromance between Aziraphale and Crowley, despite everything.
- Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and sarcasm.
- Best time you’ll ever have during the apocalypse.
- It’s now a miniseries, and you should totally read the book before watching it.
- Get a glimpse at Death in the wild, outside of Discworld.
DON’T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.
Keeper of the Bees
★★★★★
Reasons to Read:
- From the point of view of an accidental antagonist.
- Enemies as friends! In the cutest of all friendships.
- Sweet romance between two broken people who think they can never be loved.
- Enough feels to make your heart ache.
- Lots of action, when the action gets under way.
I may have a condition that causes me to see things that no one else can, but I am loved.
Loved. Wanted. Needed. Something shifts in my heart and mind like a bone snapping back into its socket. And then, this singular thought: it isn’t selfish to want more than this.”
Loved. Wanted. Needed. Something shifts in my heart and mind like a bone snapping back into its socket. And then, this singular thought: it isn’t selfish to want more than this.”
These would definitely count as book reviews so technically yeah, this is reviewing them? Haha I still have so many of these on my TBR. Why is there always NEVER ENOUGH TIME?!
Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…#TopTenTuesday: Books I Love But Never Reviewed
Woot woot! Mission accomplished, then. 😀 I don’t know. I feel like that’s the eternal question, right? D: Must find a way to get more time! I’m gonna go ahead and add that to my to-do list, right under “read all the books”.
Good Omens was amazing. Have you seen the miniseries based on it that came out last year (ish? time runs together now) ? If not, I think you’d LOVE it.
My TTT .
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Favourite Science Fiction Tropes
I diiiid, and I loved it! As I was writing this post, I was thinking that I should definitely go watch it again. xD
“Everyone loves sarcastic, anti-social robots.” –> Yes they totally do! Or at least, I do haha 🙂
Also really want to read Good Omens before seeing the series!
I don’t think I’ve encountered anyone I know that *doesn’t* like Murderbot yet? I’m sure there’s someone out there, but still. xD
You totally should read the book before watching the series! I actually read it as I was watching the series, which was also interesting. Since Gaiman was involved, they did a really good job of staying true to the book when making the series, but there were things that happened in the book that I really wish had been in the series.
I’ve actually written reviews for two of these, Into the Drowning Deep and Keeper of the Bees. I love your short “reasons to read” and I wish more of my reviews were in that format. But I just keep blathering on about the books I love, lol.
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS by Stephen Graham Jones – Review
Look at you, being on top of things, like always. xD I’m such a slacker haha. I love your reviews, though haha. You go so in depth on things, and it just makes me want the read the books all the more finding out exactly what you loved about them.
Murderbot. But yes sometimes it just slips from you. I’ve been putting off writing a review for over 2 weeks and I think I’m just going to let it go now haha.
Annemieke recently posted…5 Books and 1 Series I Loved But Haven’t Reviewed This Year | #TopTenTuesday 251
Bwahaha, I’m pretty sure I have you beat. I actually had notes and everything ready to write a review for Imaginary Friend and kept intending to for, like, three months, at which point I was like … eh, never mind. It’s too late. LOL.
I’ve heard such great things about Murderbot and the Whisper Man, I’ll have to get working on my TBR!
I so recommend at least giving Murderbot a try! I really haven’t heard too many people say bad things about it. xD Seems pretty widely loved (and I’m on that train, too, so maybe I’m a little biased haha)
I totally love Murderbot! I’ve only read book one and he is the best.
Heather @ RandomRedheadedRamblings recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Love But Never Reviewed
Definitely keep going, because it only gets better! I’ve read the first three novellas so far, and the second is my favorite at this point.
I love the way you gave bullet points for these! You gave us reasons to read them without reviewing. Very smart!
My TTT.
Thanks! I like to think that’s a skill I’ve developed with my librarian hat, because you have about 30 seconds to tell a patron why they should read a book before you cease to exist in their world view and they wander off to explore other shelves. xD
Woot woot! Murderbot and ART!
To be fair, though, I don’t think I wrote a review of Artificial Condition until my second time reading it.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday ~ Books I Loved but Never Reviewed
I think I’m just probably going to do some listicle when I finally finish the novellas and just review the novel haha. Because I don’t know what to say about the novellas other than read them, so I’ll probably just pick my favorite things from each to highlight. xD
I just bought the first Murderbot book the other day! I was shocked at how short it is. I can’t wait to start it though. Yes, to Backman! I loved that book. He’s definitely my #1 auto-buy author!
Leslie recently posted…T.T.T. Loved Without A Review
That’s because the first four are actually really only novellas. 🙂 The fifth one in the series is the first actual full-length novel. Probably because everyone loved the novellas so much that I imagine there was pressure to make them longer? xD I don’t know. I’m for sure not complaining about more Murderbot, though!
Yeees, mine too! I was actually proud that I held off buying his nonfiction book last year until Christmas, because my instinct was to just get it right away haha.
Good Omens is an all time favorite – and the adaptation is outstanding. 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
It sure is! I’ve been thinking I need to rewatch it again soon. xD
I really need to read Trapped in a Video Game! Also Good Omens because I’ve been hearing about it for years and love Neil Gaiman, and yet have never picked up the book. But that’s most of my TBR so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
Hollie @ My Thing About Books recently posted…TTT: Books I Enjoyed but Didn’t Review
Yeeeah, that’s the trouble with unruly TBRs … which is any TBR, really. You should definitely read it, though!
Sammie, I can see how reviewing every book you read, when you read the amount you do would be difficult, if not impossible! I loved Good Omens and the other books on your list sound pretty great, too! As I don’t read half as much as you, I do review all the books I read, so this week I had trawl my memory back to before I had my blog to make my list! 😅
jessicabookworm recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Books I Loved But Haven’t Reviewed… Yet!
Yeeeah, I can’t decide if the lesson here is to read less or review faster lol.
I used to do that a couple years ago, when I read a much more manageable amount (like 30 – 50 books a year). Reviewing them all felt doable. Gosh, I don’t remember any books before I started blogging, because I didn’t use Goodreads, and if it’s not on Goodreads, it didn’t happen. xD I also don’t think I really reviewed books before I started blogging, either.
Really interested in Warlock Holmes… I love Sherlock, I love parodies, and i hope I get the chance to love this book.
Tanyx recently posted…Folklore Book Tag!
I still need to read that Backman selection. I’ve been seeing Into the Drowning Deep everywhere lately, and I must say I’m intrigued. I don’t even know why, but I am. Ha!
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Five-Star Reads I Loved But Never Reviewed
These books sound so good! I’m especially interested in Murderbot, Trapped in a Video Game, and Good Omens.
Writing reviews can be so daunting. I always find myself wordless. =P
I need to take a look at Martha Wells’ books. Everyone loves them! Keeper of the Bees is one of my favourite books. There is much heartache and it talks about the stigma of mental health.
Happy readings!
I loved Hound of the Baskervilles when I read it in high school, so I just might have to check out that parody. I’ve also been meaning to check out the Murderbot series because who wouldn’t want to read a book from the perspective of a robot that calls itself Murderbot?
Ren Strange recently posted…My Blog Name in Books Alphabet Tag