hsinjulit.com
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved but Never Reviewed - Hsinju’s Lit Log
Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and each Tuesday, we get a prompt to talk about 10 books. This week’s topic: books I loved but never reviewed. I wrote my first review for personal reference in 2014 and started to post more on Goodreads in 2017. Sometimes, I put off reviewing and before I know it, the memory of the book has faded and I cannot review it any more. Since I have been keeping track of every single book I have read since 2007, I thought it would be fun to pick out one book I have read and really enjoyed each year since 2011. Maybe I will review them after rereading someday. For more info on Goodreads, click on the book covers. 2011 Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood Original Title: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud First Published: 2004 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keywords: romance, paranormal (interact with ghost brother) Comment: I think I watched the movie because Zac Efron was in it, and then read the book in Chinese. Five days later, reread it in English. 2012 The Pact by Jodi Picoult First Published: 1998 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keywords: mystery, suicide, romance Comment: It was year 2010 when I first read The Pact, and it has since been my favorite book by Jodi Picoult. I have read 9 of her works between 2010 and 2013 when I was 14 to 18 years old. 2013 The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Original Title in Spanish: La sombra del viento First Published: 2001 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keywords: historical fiction, mystery, fantasy Comment: I read this one in Chinese (風之影). It was so good I purchased an English copy but have not reread it yet. Though most of the plot has escaped me, I can say that it has something to do with books. A book on books! 2014 The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes First Published: 2011 Keywords: literary fiction Comment: I have no recollection of the plot but remembered to have loved its atmosphere. 2015 轉瞬為風 by 佐藤多佳子 (Takako Satō) Original Title in Japanese: 一瞬の風になれ First Published: 2006 Keywords: track & field, high school Comment: The direct translation of the Chinese title is “becoming wind in an instant.” I read this one in Chinese after my friend recommended it to me. Though I never rated it, I believe it is a 5-star. 2016 連城訣 (A Deadly Secret) by 金庸 (Jin Yong) Original Title: 素心劍 First Published: 1963 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keywords: wuxia, vengeance Comment: I have read all 15 fictional works of Jin Yong’s. All of these are wuxia novels and incredible, but I have a soft spot for A Deadly Secret. Over the years since I first read it in 2007 (or earlier), I have reread it a couple times. It is a dark story where the main character Di Yun is betrayed by his martial arts master and loses faith in humanity. Like I said, it’s pretty dark, but it ends on a hopeful note. 2017 Logo Life by Ron van der Vlugt First Published: 2012 Keywords: logo history My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Comment: 2017 was my worst reading year as I only read 4 books. I know! Though I wouldn’t call Logo Life a favorite, it was very fun to read as it illustrates the logo change of 100 brands over time. 2018 Girls Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake First Published: 2018 Keywords: victim blaming, rape, family, lgbtq+ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Comment: There are no words to express how much I LOVE this book! It is an incredible YA and I will not get into details because I’m leaving that for when I review this book. I am also going to read everything Ashley Herring Blake writes because of this. Here is another wonderful book by her that I have reviewed: How to Make a Wish. 2019 Beautiful on the Outside by Adam Rippon First Published: 2019 Keywords: figure skating, memoir, lgbtq+ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Comment: I preordered the audiobook and loved every minute of it! Adam Rippon is hilarious as he narrates his own story, and even if you do not care for figure skating, this memoir is still extremely enjoyable. Plus, you’d get your daily laughs. 2020 Untamed by Glennon Doyle First Published: 2020 Keywords: self-help, feminism, memoir, lgbtq+ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Comment: This was also an audiobook listen for me, and I love how Glennon herself narrated it. It left me in tears because I resonate a lot with her words, and while this wasn’t a perfect book (see Jenn @ The Bibliofile’s incredible review), the impact it had on me totally warrants my 5-star rating. I also purchased a physical copy to reread and maybe review one day. There you have it. One book every year for 10 years of unreviewed books I love. Have you read any of these books? Have you reviewed any of them? Comment what you think, or talk about any other books you loved but never reviewed! For more of my reviews and whatnots, follow my blog, my Twitter, and friend me on Goodreads.
Hsinju @ Hsinju's Lit Log