Top Ten Tuesday: TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature at The Broke and the Bookish.  They got a new button and a great topic for this week:  Top ten books you HAD TO HAVE ... but are still sitting on my bookshelf.

I, like everyone else, have a house full of these.  It's like I panic that if I don't buy the book while I'm thinking about it, then I'll forget about it entirely.  Here are just a few brand new hardcovers (which I don't even like reading all that much) that I bought and still haven't gotten around to.  All of these books were published in the last two years.

10. Freedom by Johnathan Franzen:  I really liked The Corrections and had been hoping that Franzen would publish something new even before the hype.  And then there was the hype, and I couldn't resist it, but also didn't find time to read it.

9. Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul: I heard this author on NPR and was intrigued by her ideas about how the mother's health and behavior impact infants prenatally.  I actually ordered this from my local bookstore, and couldn't believe I was doing it then.  My internal voice was screaming, "Wait for the paperback."

8. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood: I really like Atwood's dystopian fiction - I've been teaching The Handmaid's Tale every semester for a couple of years now.  I was excited for this, but then I realized that it was a follow up to Oryx and Crake, which I haven't read.  So, now there are two books that I need to read, but haven't yet.

7. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart:  Here is one where I couldn't resist the cover.  It also was one of those Amazon recommendations based on other things I liked, and sometimes I have trouble resisting those.

6. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown: I bought this one right when it came out.  It is the beginning of my new book hoarding pile for 2011.  I am really looking forward to it, but keep giving priority to something else.

5. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver:  I am a big Kingsolver fan. The Bean Trees is still one of my favorite books, and one I would love to reread.  I'm not sure why I haven't read this one yet, but I haven't.   It  has graduated to this year's TBR shelf.

4.  A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan: I saw this on all the top lists of 2010 and just couldn't wait for the paperback, so I ordered it from Book Depository and justified it because it was pretty cheap with no shipping.  However, whenever I order for Book Depository it is just evidence that I'm not going to read it right away, because I'm not going to get it very quickly. So obviously, I could wait.

3. Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayar Hamann: This is one of my more compulsive purchases, because I don't even want to read it that badly.  I read something about it, thought it sounded interesting and then the next time I saw it at the bookstore, I bought it.

2. Great House by Nicole Krauss: My brother-in-law got us a Barnes and Noble giftcard for Christmas, and I went in with a list from my wishlist, and this was the only book on it that they had on the shelves.  Apparently the last minute Christmas shoppers ravaged the selection.

1. The Instructions by Adam Levin: I had such bad book lust for this one, it isn't funny.  I drooled over it as the Powell's Indie-spensible selection and added a subscription to my cart a bunch of times and then talked myself out of it.  Then I saw it at Book Soup in L.A. and realized that it was the size of a suitcase and  my husband thought it would be absurd to by a book of that size on vacation (come on, we drove).  I conceded and then bought it online as soon as we got home.  It is taking up a lot of space now on the shelf. 

If all these books were hanging around your house, which would you read first?

Comments

  1. The Weird Sisters is amazing! I loved it. Freedom...eh. I didn't love it.

    Melissa

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  2. I wasn't a huge fan of Great House, but there were a lot of people who really loved it.

    I've heard great things about the Levine book. He teaches at my school so my information on it could be biased.

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  3. Ooh, I really want to read super sad true love story (cause there was an extract of it or whatever in the new yorker that I liked lol) and the Nicole Krauss book- I just finished the history of love and it was AMAZING!

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  4. The Lacuna is one that I keep seeing but I still can't decide whether or not to read it!

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  5. I'm just wrapping up A Visit From The Goon Squad: so far it's certainly an engaging book, but I'll let you know...
    Based on your review, I'm glad that I didn't run out and purchase Swamplandia; I admired Russell's short fictions, but sometimes novels are a tricky business for those who excel in the former genre.
    Also, just a simple shout-out: I continue to enjoy your blog here for your writing as well as the content you choose.

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  6. Laurie- Thanks for the kind words. If you liked Russell's short fiction, you might like Swamplandia. I'm sure that some of the same things are good about both. I am looking forward to the short fiction.

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  7. I didn't like Freedom but then again, I didn't really care for The Corrections so you may actually get a lot out of it. I also love Barbara Kingsolver & want to read all of her books.

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  8. I'm thinking The Weird Sisters will soon be added to my pile! I have Freedom waiting too.

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  9. I want to read Origins and The Weird Sisters too. I'll take them off your hands. JK! Thanks for commenting.

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  10. I've read The Year of The Flood, but didn't realise it was a follow-up until I had finished it! I enjoyed it though!

    I am also going to be reading my first Kingsolver book soon. I chose ''The Poisonwood Bible'', which is sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me!

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  11. What an eclectic selection! I've been eyeing up "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver but the one and only book I've read of hers was "The Poisonwood Bible" and I didn't enjoy it, so have been put off it slightly. Is there a Kingsolver book you'd recommend I read to give her another try?

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  12. I read The Lacuna straight after The Poisonwood Bible and found it really engrossing. It was a little strange to read about historical figures as if they were fictional characters, but the story has stuck with me.

    A lot of the others sound interesting too!

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  13. Easy-peasey. I would read Weird Sisters. I just finished that and gave it a 5. Go check out my review. There are not any spoilers. I'm going to follow your blog.

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  14. It's funny -- The Weird Sisters was one book I bought and read right away!

    The Year of the Flood and Oryx and Crake are my two least favorite Margaret Atwood novels.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  15. If all these books were hanging around my house I would probably read The Weird Sisters first. Thanks for stopping by mine. Here's hoping we all get some of these books read. Happy reading!

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  16. I feel what you're saying about buying the book before you forget about it. I've definitely done that before, too, or snatched up a book in the library even though I already have like 5 or more checked out. lol I'm looking forward to reading The Weird Sisters since so many bloggers' reviews have praised it.

    Happy reading!
    ~DJL

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  17. I want to read Oryx and Crake when I realized that The Year of the Flood is a follow up. I actually had a library copy in a stack for 6 months before I took it back to the library.

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  18. I've been wanting to read Freedom and The Weird Sisters too. Hopefully 2011 will be the year! Have a great week.

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  19. I haven't read any of these either, but have been hearing good things about the Weird Sisters

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  20. The Lacuna was the first book I read this year! A new favourite!

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  21. Thanks for hopping by. Freedom is one of those books I feel like I vaguely should want to read, but probably won't.

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  22. For you, I'd pick The Lacuna since you said you're a big Kingsolver fan. For me, I'd pick The Super Sad Love Story one.

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  23. Super Sad True Love Story sounds so good! I find that most of my must-have but never read purchases are coz of gorgeous covers- I am so shallow!

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  24. Freedom is another one on my list. I just haven't had it as long as the others.

    I really want to read Atonement but I heard that it was really depressing.

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  25. I've been meaning to pick up Freedom. I got it for my Secret Book Santee this year.
    Great list

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  26. Thanks for visiting me. I see we have some books in common. The Lacuna for one is a book I want to read but have not purchased yet. I also have Freedom and The Year of the Flood.

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  27. +JMJ+

    I like that you include the story of why or how you bought the book. That is a big factor in how long these books have to wait, isn't it?

    And I had to smile at what you said about the Book Depository's slow delivery making it seem as if you have all the time in the world to get to the books, even after they've arrived. My sentiments exactly!

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