Six for Sunday: Books that have been on the TBR (to-be-read) pile forever…
Once again, this list would have been a lot longer once upon a time, but I have steadily been trying to work my way through my backlog and read the books that I have been meaning to read for ages!
Here are a few that I have yet to get to:
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse – Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena – Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
I think I must be one of the few people in the world who hasn’t read this series or seen the movie. I love Greek mythology so I think I will like this. I even bought a copy of the first book a few years ago, but have just never got around to actually starting it!
The Maze Runner
If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
This books sounds like I would love it as I have a soft spot for dystopian fiction. I don’t own a copy of this trilogy in hard/paperback, but have an e-book of this first book so there really is no excuse for why I haven’t read this yet…
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police.
This sounds like a life-affirming, uplifting read and I cannot even count how many people have recommended it to me. I finally gave in and bought a copy about a year ago…but have yet to pick it up! Why aren’t there more hours in the day so I could read more?!
The Blade Itself
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.
My sister bought this trilogy for me a few years ago and timing meant that I still haven’t read it – I moved to the other side of the world about two weeks after she gave these to me and haven’t been back at home (my parent’s house) for more than a few weeks since. Recently, I finally moved these over to my flat in England where I currently live and my boyfriend devoured them, since reading everything the author, Joe Abercrombie, has written. I have a feeling that this might be the next book to get read…
IQ84
The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that.
But in this world, there are two moons in the sky.
In this world, the fates of two people, Tengo and Aomame, are closely intertwined. They are each, in their own way, doing something very dangerous. And in this world, there seems no way to save them both.
Something extraordinary is starting.
This book came out in Japanese when i was living in Japan (that was ten years ago, scary!). I didn’t buy it then because, whilst I love Murakami’s writing, I find his books quite hard work at times, even in English, let alone reading them in my second language. My boyfriend bought me a copy of this last year for my birthday, but I have yet to read it. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to love it!
Holes
Stanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so he isn’t too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys’ juvenile detention centre. At Camp Green Lake the boys must dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the dried up lake bed. The Warden claims the labour is character building, but it is a lie. Stanley must dig up the truth.
Again, I’m not entirely sure how I have managed not to read this yet. My school even uses extracts from it for Year 6! I am generally pretty in-the-know with kidlit as I love children’s books and I love being able to give informed recommendations to my pupils. Yet, somehow, I have not read this yet…still a week of the summer holiday left to maybe squeeze it in!
What did you think of my list this week?
Have you read any of these?
Which would you recommend me bumping up the pile to read sooner rather than later?
Are there any that you think I should just give a miss?
Let me know in the comments!
#SixforSunday is created by Steph from A Little But a Lot.
Check out some of my previous weeks of #SixforSunday here:
Books I would like to see as movies
Book characters I would like to stuck in a lift with
Animal companions in children’s books
Book characters I would like to be friends with
Favourite books of 2018 so far
Favourite snacks to eat while reading
Favourite books that nobody has heard of
Books that have made me want to shout
Books people are always telling me to read
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Thanks for reading!
Chrikaru Reads 
The only one I’ve read is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and that was at least two or three years ago. I liked it but for some reason I never carried on with the rest of the series or looked at any of Rick Riordan’s other books.
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I always hear people talking about it and I love Greek mythology so, by rights, I should have picked it up before now! Have you got any books that have been sitting on your TBR for a long time?
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Oh yeah. There are many many books – Ink and Bone series by Rachel Caine, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan, and a ton of classics!!
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Ink and Bone and Three Dark Crowns are on my TBR too but just bought Ink and Bone (3 for £5 in The Works!) and ordered Three Dark Crowns from the library so will hopefully read them soon. I have heard quite a lot of criticism of The Magician’s Guild series but I really liked it! 😀
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I think I saw that offer when I was in there earlier in the week. I also got mine fairly cheaply from the second-hand book case at my village bookshop. I actually have a feeling I read The Magician’s Guild a few years ago and I think I liked it but I don’t really remember anything about it. I want to read it again though because a couple of my friends have really liked it and it seems like a staple, easy fantasy to read.
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I would definitely recommend the Percy Jackson series! I have been reading Riordan’s books for 12 years now, and I have yet to find one that I didn’t like.
I’ve never read Holes, but the movie was pretty good. I remember watching it quite a bit when I was younger.
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Wow, that’s a high recommendation! I guess that the good thing about starting late is that I have so many Riordan books to read! Is Lightning Thief the best place to start?
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Absolutely! A lot of Riordan’s series interconnect with one another, so you might get confused if you start anywhere else.
I only realized how long I have been reading Riordan when I went to write that comment which made me feel old 😂.
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Maybe a reread is in order to reclaim your youth! 😁
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I usually re-read them at least once a year. For me Percy Jackson is what Harry Potter is to a lot of people. 😊
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I was going to read The Maze Runner books but then the author got accused of sexual harassment so…
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Yes, I have to admit that put me off too…it’s very difficult to separate what someone has created from them as a person.
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I loved the Percy Jackson series as a kid! So much nostalgia…
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Definitely need to read these!
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I’ve got an ebook of the Maze Runner too! Still haven’t read it..
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