Tag Archives: Reading

Top ten series I started and haven’t finished (yet)

I’m jumping back into the Top Ten Tuesday club this week, one of my favourite things about TTT is that you don’t have to take part every week, you can dip in and out when the topic takes your fancy, or – like me – you finally get a minute to type! TTT is a blog meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl where we pick ten books or series on a different theme each week. This week it’s Top Ten Book Series I Gave Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish.

I’m going to split my list into series I don’t plan to continue reading, and ones I do but haven’t gotten round to yet, because, you know, life.

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Book Series I DNF’ed

Red QueenMaze Runner  Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Red Rising by Pierce Brown Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence Me Before You

  1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

    1. I still wonder whether I should just bite the bullet and read War Storm, it’s incredibly frustrating DNFing a series on the penultimate book! But I just couldn’t get on with Mare, and I enjoyed each book less and less, so I decided to cut my losses and just stop reading the series. If anyone’s read War Storm and wants to tell me how it ends please do in the comments – just leave a spoiler warning in case anyone else hasn’t read it yet!

  2. Maze Runner by James Dashner

    1. I read books one and two in the Maze Runner series, book two took me months to finish and I really didn’t enjoy it, so despite the fact I’d bought the entire boxset, I quit reading after Scorch Trials. I might watch the last two movies just out of curiosity, but even they aren’t great in my opinion. I was gutted I didn’t love this series because so many people online raved about it. Oh well, different strokes and all that.

  3. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

    1. Sadly, I think I just came to this series too old, which is heartbreaking because I bet I would have really loved it at sixteen or younger. I enjoyed book one, but with so many other books out there I didn’t love it enough to commit to the rest of the series and all the spin-offs Riordan has written. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re into MG though!

  4. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

    1. This is one series I heard nothing but good things about, everyone seems to love Red Rising, and it was good, but I just didn’t click with it the way I wanted to. This one isn’t a never, but with new books coming out every month that I can’t wait to read I’ll probably never get around to reading the rest of this series. Unless you really think I should? Is book two way better than book one? Let me know in the comments if you think I should persevere! To be honest, I wonder if it was the narrator I didn’t mesh with, as I listened to the audiobook…

  5. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

    1. Unfortunately, the reason I DNFed King of Thorns halfway through was because it was a library book and I had to return it as I’d already extended it to the full extent possible, plus we were moving house to a new city. Even though I loved the series up to that point, I wasn’t absorbed enough to find another copy of the book (as easy as that would have been with Amazon and the Book Depository!) so I just gave up on it. It’s a great read though, so check out my review of Prince of Thorns to see if you’d enjoy it.

  6. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

    1. I loved Me Before You, absolutely adored it and recommended it to everyone I knew, but to me it ended so well that I don’t need to continue reading the rest of the series. I’d be heartbroken if it didn’t live up to book one and disappointed me. Plus I read the first chapter of After You in a sampler and didn’t love it, so I decided to keep Me Before You as a standalone in my mind.

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Series I still plan to finish one day!

Half Bad by Sally Green Artemis Fowl

Cinder by Marissa Meyer Lyndsey's Book Blog The Cuckoo's Calling

  1. Half Bad by Sally Green

    1. This is one of my absolute favourite series, and I can’t bear for it to end! I haven’t bought Half Lost yet because I’m saving it, I really want to know how the series concludes but I know I’ll have the worst book hangover when it ends. One day, Nathan, one day…

  2. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

    1. I loved every Artemis Fowl book I could get my hands on when I was in school. I’d go to the mobile library every month and grab the next one until I’d read them all. A few more have been released since then, but I’d moved onto other book series and left MG behind after school. I hope to read the rest one day, maybe when I’m reading with my son, I hope he’s a bookworm like me!

  3. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

    1. I read Cinder last summer as part of a read-along with a Goodreads group, and I plan to continue the series soon, but I have a few books on my TBR before I pick up Scarlet and Cress.

  4. Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling

    1. I actually listened to the audiobook of Career of Evil before reading either of the two previous books, because it was on an Audible Daily Deal. I didn’t realise it wasn’t book one until afterwards. I’ve watched the BBC adaptations now, but I’d still love to read the actual books, as I adore Rowling’s writing, Harry Potter is my ultimate favourite book series, and I imagine the TV series missed out a lot of detail from the books.

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So there you have it, ten book series I’ve started and not finished for various reasons. Let me know if you’ve finished any of these series, were they worth the time investment? Would you recommend I keep reading? Tell me your thoughts!

 

Lyndsey

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The 90s Kid Book Tag

If you grew up in the Nineties, like me, you’ll love this new book tag by Amber @ The Literary Phoenix. Being a Brit, a few of these 90s trends didn’t cross the pond from the US, but most of them are things we all remember from our childhoods. Let’s step back in time!

90s Kid Book Tag Lyndsey's Book Blog

The Rules

  1. Please, please, please steal this tag and spread it around!  I only ask that you link it back to The Literary Phoenix so that I can see everyone’s answers!
  2. Freeze tag was all the rage in the 90s.  Tag someone (or many) you think would have fun with this!
  3. Have fun!

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Pokemon

A GBA game and trading card game where you battled pocket monsters and strived to catch them all.  Back in the day, there were only 150 Pokemon.

The author you need every book from.

Sarah J. Maas! There isn’t a book she’s written that I haven’t loved so far (I haven’t gotten round to Tower of Dawn yet, so no spoilers!). I’ll be heartbroken when the final Throne of Glass book is finished, but at least we’re getting some new ACOTAR spinoffs, starting with the A Court of Frost and Starlight novella this year!

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AIM

AOL Instant Messaging – how 90s kids communicated with their friends after school before everyone had a cell phone.

Book that connected you with your best friend.

Me and my bestie are both huge Harry Potter fans – I can’t remember if we ever bonded over the books at school, but we definitely share the love now!

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Furby

Creepy needy robots you could teach to talk and were probably demon possessed.  Somehow these made a comeback?

Book that seemed like a good idea but was actually a monster.

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine – I feel like I’ve been hating on this book way more than necessary, but it’s so rare that I DNF a book, especially a YA fantasy! I can completely see why some people loved it, the concept is right up my street, but for some reason the execution just didn’t click with me. Or maybe I was in a bit of book slump. I might come back to it later… (like the Furby comeback!)

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N’SYNC

90s quintessential boy band.  You may have heard of Justin Timberlake?

A book you hated to say Bye, Bye, Bye to.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is the last book that left me with a raging hangover and a gaping hole in my life.

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Slimed!

Getting green slime thrown on you, courtesy of the show Figure it Out.  Also apparently still a thing at the Kid’s Choice Awards?

A book everyone loved but you hated.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater – I really wanted to like this book! I’ve loved every other Steifvater book, but for some reason this one just wasn’t for me and I ended up DNFing it and returning it to Audible. I do wonder whether I’d enjoy the physical book better than the audio book, but I probably won’t get round to trying for years because of all the other books on my TBR…

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Oregon Trail

90s computer game you could usually play at school, which was great.  It taught us people used to die a lot of gruesome, messy deaths.

A book that made you wish you died of dysentery.

That’s a pretty strong negative reaction, I’m not sure I’ve ever hated a book quite that much! I really didn’t enjoy the Maze Runner series after book one though, and gave up on the series completely, despite owning them all. I’m not a fan of the movies either.

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Mixtape/CD

Back before everyone had music on their phones (remember, we didn’t have cell phones!) folks would rip their CDs and make mixes for each other.

3 books you recommend to anyone, anywhere, no matter what.

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Dial-Up Internet

You know how it’s annoying when you aren’t on LTE?  IMAGINE WAITING 10 MINUTES FOR INTERNET TO START AND ANOTHER 20 MINUTES FOR GOOGLE TO LOAD!

A book that took FOR FREAKING EVER to read.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner – I struggled so much with the second Maze Runner book that I gave up and didn’t bother with books 3 and 4, it just went completely off track for me, and if I’m honest Maze Runner wasn’t exactly a favourite of mine. I had high expectations after seeing everyone rave about this series online, so I bought the boxset, and I’m disappointed I didn’t love it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

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Kenan Thompson

He’s that guy who’s been on SNL forever.  Also Mighty Ducks.  Good Burger.  Kenan and Kel.  All That.  Everything.

That book you see referenced everywhere and is in everything, but that’s okay because it’s awesome.

Harry Potter is the obvious choice here, or possibly Lord of the Rings for those slightly older than me (I feel like there’s a very clear divide between the HP and LOTR generations).

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Thumbs Up, Seven Up

A game where most the class closed their eyes and seven people tapped someone’s thumb and you had to guess who did it without peeking.

Book where you peeked just REAL quick at the ending because you don’t like guessing games.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – I spoiled the ending before I finished because I didn’t want to turn into an emotional wreck reading it in public (I read it on holiday). After The Fault in Our Stars I needed to know what I was dealing with advance!

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Dunkaroos

These were basically just Teddy Grahams dipped in frosting, which is still a wonderful snack idea.

Your ideal bookish snack.

Any kind of cake, cupcake, cookie, pie, tart, chocolate, biscuit… anything sweet basically. Plus tea, lots of tea.

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Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark

Collections of short stories that would scare any sensible kid!  Plus, there were illustrations…

A book that kept you up all night.

I love a bit of horror, one of my favourites is Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It has the right balance of creepiness, gore and humour.

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Bill Nye the Science Guy

Basically the coolest thing you got to do in science class was watch Bill Nye.  He has a Netflix show again!

A book that taught you something new.

One of my favourite things about reading is that every book leaves me with a little bit more knowledge about a different subject, I love learning and building on my collection of random facts. I recently learned a lot about historical medicine and pathology from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. Included with the books are photos and explanations from the author about which elements of the story are factually accurate and which she used her poetic licence to embellish. All books should come with maps, glossaries and notes from the author with snippets of their research!

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That was fun! The 90s was a great decade to grow up in, technology was advancing at an incredible rate, but we were protected from the negative effects of being constantly online that kids are faced with today. The music was brilliant (fight me), TV shows like Saved by the Bell and Sister Sister played on repeat after school, and we had a lot more freedom than most kids now – we didn’t have mobile phones so our parents just had to trust us when we went out to play with our friends and were late for dinner. Playing outside was the norm, cyber bullying hadn’t been invented yet (although normal bullying sadly still existed), and there was no such thing as FOMO, Instagram filters or online trolls. It was a simpler time!

If you feel like taking a swing at this tag, feel free, I won’t nominate anyone so consider yourselves all tagged!

 

Lyndsey

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The 90s kid book tag Lyndsey's Book Blog

Review: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

I read One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus on my holiday in Singapore in September and I literally flew through it, it was such a fun read.

TL;DR Five kids go into detention, but only four come out alive. They’ve all got secrets, but do any of them have a motive for murder? Simon’s plan to expose all their deepest, darkest truths on his popular gossip app could be the key…

One of Us is Lying Karen McManus

4 stars

Synopsis

A jock, a geek, a prom queen, a bad boy, and Simon the outcast are all thrown into detention for having phones in their bags. The weird thing is, they’re not their phones. That doesn’t seem to matter to the overzealous teacher though. When a crash in the school car park draws the teacher away from the room, leaving the kids alone, it’s not long before Simon is dead, the cause a suspected allergic reaction.

One by one, the kids are questioned by the police and their darkest secrets start to come out, secrets so big they might push anyone to kill to keep them hidden. Any one of the four could be responsible, or could they just be the scapegoats for a killer who’s hiding in plain sight?

By the end of the book, no one is who they seemed at first glance, and they’ll never be the same again. Isolated and feared by their schoolmates, and demonised by the local media, Bronwyn, Addy, Nate and Cooper gradually form a tight-knit circle, but is it a case of keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Or are the four witnesses to Simon’s death the only ones who can solve the mystery before the crime is pinned on the wrong person?

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This book is a fun, fast and gripping read with so many twists and turns it’ll keep you up at night turning page after page. Billed as a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars, it brings together a band of misfits from every well-known high school clique and throws them into a compelling murder mystery plot for the modern age.

I had my suspicions about the climax from somewhere in the middle, but I certainly didn’t predict the whole reveal and was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists. The only reason this wasn’t a five star read is because a few of the secrets were pretty predictable and some of the drama was very high school, which is not a criticism as such, but knowing that I’m not exactly the target demographic for YA, despite it being my favourite, from a personal point of view some of the issues could have been easily resolved with a little communication. I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem for younger readers, so that’s a very personal feeling on the novel and definitely wouldn’t make me recommend this book any less, I still think it’s a brilliant read.

I gave One of Us is Lying four stars, it’s a great contemporary thriller with well-written, flawed and interesting characters and an explosive plot twist. Have you read it yet? If not, what are you waiting for? If yes, tell me in the comments what you thought! Who was your favourite character? Did you see the twist coming? (No spoilers please!).

 

Lyndsey

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