Top Ten Books I Feel Differently About Now That Time Has Passed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

There are a lot of books that I loved while I was reading them, but when I think back to them, I realize they weren’t actually that good, or that I will probably never reread them.

Books that Don’t appeal to Me anymore

I started reading YA really early, and it took me a while to develop my current taste in books. In middle school I was really into paranormal and dystopian books, and it kind of killed the genre for me. But even if I look back and realize that I would hate the book if I reread it today, that doesn’t change the fact that I loved it when I was younger.

1. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I LOVED these books when I was in elementary school, but all of the hype concerning the later books has scared me off the series. Also, when I think of rereading the series, I feel like the parts I found hilarious previously probably wouldn’t amuse me anymore. My sense of humor has changed a bit.

2. The Selection series by Kiera Cass 

I loved the first book, but the second book didn’t really work for me. By the time The Elite came out, I’d gotten over my “I love overly dramatic YA romances” phase (I really did have one for a while there), and the series started to annoy me. I haven’t read past book two, and I can’t imagine I will.

3. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

I still enjoy these books (I haven’t gotten rid of them), but I don’t know if I’ll ever reread them. The drama that drew me to the series originally now makes me not want to read it. It’s not that the books are in any way bad—what I remember of the series was awesome—but they aren’t the style of book I reach for anymore.

4. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Nope. This book was actually bad the second time I read it. When I read it the first time, I got caught up in the story and ignored the lingering feeling that the writing wasn’t good. The second time I read it, the story didn’t grab me, and I honestly wondered what I’d loved so much originally.

5. Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Again, this book had all the drama and consuming romance that younger me would die for. But nowadays, this kind of plot puts me off, and though I considered rereading it, I knew that it would kill my positive memories of the book.

Books that I Like in a Different Way Now

These are the books that I read when I was really young and had a certain impression, and when I reread them a few years later, my impression of them changed. I still love them (often even more) but I can’t deny that my first impression was not my second impression.

6. The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter

I’ve loved this series for years. I reread all six books at least once a year (but sometimes twice, or three times). They are my comfort-reads, my feel good books. But as I get older, I find that I have to suspend my disbelief more and more each time. I still love them, but I’m more aware of just how ridiculous they are each time I reread them.

7. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

 

The first time I read these books, 50% of the plot went over my head. By the third time I read them, though, I was old enough to really appreciate the difficult subjects that Bray tackled in her book, and the depth of the story she created. These books get more impressive every time I read them.

8. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Okay, so my mom bought this book for me in elementary school, and it sat on my bookshelf unread for years. I’d pick it up, read the first sentence, and set it right back down. It was just plain boring for me.

Thankfully, I finally decided to push past that first page and read the whole book…and I fell in love. Now, that first sentence makes me fangirl uncontrollably, and the series is my favorite series of all time. Every time I read the series, I find something new to love.

9. Going Underground by Susan Vaught

This book destroys me every time I read it, but the subject matter has gotten more meaningful to me as I get older. When I first read it, I understood that the story was powerful and important, but the full breadth of the story Vaught was telling didn’t hit me until I was older.

10. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This book had become more meaningful to me as time passes and as I realize how impressive it is that Bray was able to weave so many social discussions into one book. As the push for diversity in YA books grows, I come to appreciate this book even more. (And the humor gets funnier as I get older.)

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What books did you see differently when you reread them? Do we have any similar opinions?

Happy Tuesday!