Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is:

Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read

I’m going to change up this week’s list a bit, because I’ve already done something similar in one of my Friday posts. This week I’m going to talk about the more recently published and hyped books I haven’t read, starting with…

1. Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – Although I own this book, and everyone seems to be reading it right now, I’m not feeling it. I gave my copy to my mother-in-law because I though that she might like it, but she’s been saying how awful she thinks it is. She doesn’t understand the characters, and can’t seem to get into the story. She’s an avid reader like me, so I’ll be giving this one some time until I finally get around to reading it.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James – I’m not much for reading erotica to start with, so this book has really never appealed to me. Add to the fact that it’s apparently Twilight fanfic, which is another series that I didn’t even enjoy reading, and I just don’t think this is the book for me. I can’t believe that I’ve actually heard people say “I liked it for the writing” because I have read a few paragraphs here and there and was appalled at the horrible writing.
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett – I tried to read this book once, but the narrative style was really hard to read and it didn’t grab me right away. I haven’t even seen the movie of this book, which seems to be the only reason that it was ever a hyped read. I don’t think I have sold a copy of this book in years since the movie became a thing of the past. People only read it because it was a movie, then completely forgot about it as a book.
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – This is another book that has really only become a big thing because of the movie. I know a few people who have enjoyed reading it, but overall I don’t see the appeal. One of my coworkers gave me the synopsis, so I don’t feel like I need to read the book. I don’t read a lot of mystery in the first place, and this one just seems really out of my wheelhouse. I like psychological thrillers, but I don’t think I’ll like this one.
5. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – A lot of people have read this book, there was a movie, and it was all over the place for a while. I have just never felt the desire to read this book. I’m also hopelessly stubborn about reading or watching things that everyone seems to be talking about because I get worried that all the hype is going to ruin the experience for me. I’m also not a “find yourself” biography reader.
6. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – I’ve mentioned these books previously, and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever read them. I watch the TV show with my husband and that’s good enough for me. I don’t feel the desire to make my way through such a long and involved series when there’s a more easily accessible way of enjoying the story. Plus, if I ever have any questions I could probably ask anyone on the street and they would be able to tell me.
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – This is another one of those books that I tried to read but didn’t get very far. Everyone seemed to be reading this book for a while, and I know I sold SO many copies to book clubs and individuals. People kept saying it was going to be this new magical world phenomena, and although people liked it, it’s definitely no Harry Potter.
8. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen – I like books about the circus, but something about this book doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it’s because there’s animal cruelty in it and that’s one thing that I just can’t stand to read about. Maybe it’s because Robert Pattinson played the lead in the movie and that didn’t work for me. I honestly don’t know why, but this book isn’t something I’m interested in reading.
9. Life of Pi by Yann Martel – I feel like people have been talking about this book forever, and before it was a movie it was still on all the literati’s radar as some profound book that will change lives. I tend to steer clear of books like this because I often don’t understand the message that I’m supposed to get from them. I’m an escapist reader, so being forced to think hard about the message behind a book defeats the purpose of reading for me.
10. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed – I don’t read a lot of non-fiction and my life journey isn’t really at the stage where this book resonates with me. Maybe I’m just too practical to understand the reason behind the author’s journey. I don’t have the resources or interest in walking around the wilderness for months to “find myself”. I would rather talk things out with friends.

Have you read any of the books on my list? Can you tell me why I should give them a try?