Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Books I Haven’t Reviewed Yet

Dini @ dinipandareads65 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is Books I Never Reviewed (Share the titles of books you never reviewed on your blog/tiktok/insta/etc. and if you liked them or not!)

I’m usually quite diligent with writing reviews as soon as I finish reading a book. Ever since I got into the book community, I’ve made it a point to try and review all of the books I read and if not all, at least 90%. I’ve enjoyed doing it over the years! Apparently, that hasn’t extended to this year… Out of the 21 books I’ve read so far, I’ve only reviewed (7) ARCs and not one of the other backlist books I’ve picked up, although I still plan to eventually (she says). To shake the list up a bit, I’ve decided to mix it up by including five titles from previous years that I also never reviewed!

2025 Reads I Haven’t Reviewed:

  • Exit, Pursued by A Baron ✦ I was surprised by how much I loved this! If you love an MMC who grovels (we’re talking months here) and an FMC who is guarded and doesn’t cave so easily—plus, a bit of Shakespeare—check this out!

  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January ✦ This had been on my TBR for ten thousand years and I’m glad I finally read it. It’s hard to convey how much I loved this and how beautifully written it is!

  • Listen for the Lie ✦ This ended up being my favourite read of January 2025! It was so much fun!

  • Sorcery and Small Magics ✦ I enjoyed this but didn’t end up loving it the way I thought I would. I’d still recommend this quietly whimsical stubborn slow burn of a book, it just took a minute to get into!

  • Long Bright River ✦ This was more literary than mystery but I loved the exploration of complex family relationships and the impact of poverty and corruption. Brutal, depressing, poignant. I’d recommend it but do check out the content/trigger warnings beforehand.
  • That Time I Got Drunk and Saved A Demon ✦ I’m not sure why I didn’t review this because I loved it. Lemming knows how to write a fun, sexy, slightly ridiculous (but in the best way) paranormal/monster romance. Highly recommended!

  • Jade City ✦ This book and this series is my all-time favourite. Like, number one spot. I love these books so much and that’s why I haven’t been able to review them. No words can adequately capture how I feel and what I think about it. I will never stop recommending this epic urban fantasy. PLEASE READ IT!

  • The Magicians ✦ This might be the only book on this list that I feel negatively about. I was so disappointed by how much I didn’t enjoy this book and I know I’m in the minority with my feelings. I was just so bored! 🫣

  • The Shadow of the Wind ✦ Another literary classic that is one of my all-time favourites. I read this before I started reviewing books but I was so surprised by this because I don’t have much luck with magical realism. This proved me wrong! I plan to re-read and review it at some point.

  • A Little Life ✦ This is the only book that has ever given me a book hangover that lasted for 3-4 months? Maybe that’s more of a slump, huh? 😂 But the emotion this made me feel… It wrung me out! I was able to cry simply thinking of a character’s name at the end. Would I recommend it? If you like to be tortured with feeling, sure. I absolutely LOVE it.

Do you review all of the books that you read or are you selective about the books you review? Do you struggle to review books that you love more than books that you dislike? Have you read any of these?

65 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday: Books I Haven’t Reviewed Yet”

  3. Oh my goodness YES to Jade City! That whole series is just incredible, top tier for sure!!

    I also remember really liking Shadow of the Wind when I read it, but that was yonks ago now and I don’t remember why.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I don’t know why I feel The Green Bone Saga is still underrated. Maybe I just want more people to read it because it deserves to be loved! 😂 I will never stop recommending the series!

      The feeling that stayed with me after finishing Shadow of the Wind is what still makes it one of my favourites even despite not remembering all the finer details. I want to continue the series after re-reading it again at some point!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. I definitely don’t review all of the books that I read. I do review all of my ARCs and publish the reviews on Goodreads but generally only publish one a week on my blog. If I reviewed every book, I think that it would come to feel like a chore. I guess it probably works out at about 20% and that feels enough for me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Yes, ARCs definitely do great priority and so far this year they are the only ones I have reviewed. 😂 I want to post more on my blog but my memory is just also so poor that it’s hard to write decent reviews after too much time has passed. Maybe the reason why I haven’t written more reviews this year is because my subconscious feels tired of writing too much 🫣

      Like

      Reply

  6. I’ve been putting off A Little Life forever because I’m afraid it will destroy me. lol. I do really want to read it, though. One day.

    I don’t come anywhere close to reviewing every book I read, but I do talk about my thoughts on each of them in WWW Wednesday posts. So, I skipped this week’s topic since my musings on almost everything I’ve read in the last few years already exists somewhere. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ngl, it will probably destroy you. It’s just so intense, sometimes in a really bad way, but like, gah, I can’t believe I read it tbh. 😂 Though I truly almost didn’t survive it, lol.

      I love recapping thoughts on books I’ve read in the Wednesday posts. I think I need to get more into mini reviews (I say this all the time, lol).

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. I try to always review the books I read (since I’ve been blogging), even if I don’t ever put them on the content calendar to publish. I still like to review them. I’m sure I’ve failed through the years, but I try to keep to the goal. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed these all! Thanks so much for visiting my list today.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I find I do post more of my reviews on Goodreads and still have quite a few that I haven’t posted on my blog, especially from the “early days” when I first started it. I still like to review them too (well, apparently except for this year, lol) but I hope to find my review writing mojo again soon! Haha.

      Like

      Reply

    • YES! This is one book that I’ve always wished I could read for the first time again. Tbh, if I pick it up now it might feel like I’m reading it for the first time because of how poor my memory is and how long its been since I read it. Let’s see if I ever get around to it 🙂

      I will go check out your review, thanks for sharing it, Anne!

      Like

      Reply

  16. I struggle with writing reviews for sure! I do mini reviews for my monthly wrap up of all books I read, but actual full reviews… let’s just say I haven’t written any yet in 2025. I do hope to read some Kimberly Lemming soon though, her books do look like so much fun!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I really need to get into writing more mini-reviews. They usually don’t end up being very mini but then I always critique myself because I feel like I’m missing out so much with the mini reviews 😂 I just need to do them cos then I’d at least be getting some thoughts down for the books I’ve read this year (that aren’t ARCs). I hope you enjoy Lemming’s books—they are so much fun!

      Like

      Reply

  17. JADE CITY?!?! What?! haha!! Just kidding. I don’t know that I reviewed them all. I’ve been so bad the last several years of reviewing anything that’s not an ARC. I am doing “mini-reviews” in hope that I get something out for those backlist book!! I just can’t give the time and energy to write long reviews for every book. Maybe when the kids are both in school, haha.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • JAAADEEE CIITTTYYY!!!! 🏆 You’ve been doing really well with writing mini-reviews. I always end up second guessing myself when I write them cos I don’t feel like I’m saying enough but then I get too lazy to write full length ones. It’s a conundrum 😂 I just need to do it! LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • haha.. I get it! I haven’t done many this month at all. I’m so behind. It happens SO fast. I’m just so tired and my brain is not functioning well. lol. I actually don’t proof-read my mini-reviews because then I would second guess all day long and never get them finished. lol oops

        Like

        Reply

    • Oh, fair enough. I usually only have like 1 paragraph to say about audiobooks and it’s mostly about whether I thought the narrator did a good job at holding my attention or not. 🤣 Someone commented that we read faster than we review and that’s exactly it, especially this year, lol. I’m just too lazy!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. I think I try to review all the books I read, just so that future me remembers what happened in these stories LOL. This is such a fun list of books! I also love the Green Bone Saga – every book just gets better and better, I honestly don’t know how Fonda Lee does it. The Shadow of the Wind has been on my TBR for a while – the author’s YA book Marina has also been on my radar. Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That’s exactly why I usually review all the books I read! My memory is usually so poor that it doesn’t take long for me to forget not just my thoughts on a book but also the details of the book 😂

      TGBS is AMAZING and I feel like it’s still so underrated but my love for it so strong that I feel everyone just needs to read it ASAP, haha. Fonda Lee is truly a master of the art! I hope you enjoy Shadow of the Wind! I’ve been recommended Marina before and I’m curious about it but I think I’m going to try finishing the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series first. Hope you enjoy both books if you check them out!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  24. I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January when I read it a couple of years ago and totally understand what you mean, it was a hard one to review. I read The Shadow of the Wind last year when it was recommended by my 12 Friends challenge and I don’t think my review did the book justice. Interesting list, Dini.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It would just be a whole post of gushing about the beauty of Harrow’s writing, I think! 😂 It’s so hard to review the books you loved so much. Oh, I’m so glad that you loved Shadow of the Wind! I really hope to re-read it so I can try to get my thoughts down. Let’s see if I can manage!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • I didn’t expect Long Bright River to be so depressing but I also thought the mystery aspect would have a stronger focus. I’m so glad I finally read it though and I can see why it’s so well-loved. I can’t wait to read the author’s most recent release 😃

      Like

      Reply

  27. I tend to review everything that I read too. I don’t think I’ve actually missed any books since I began, although for some reason I never got around to posting my 2020 reviews anywhere. I need to upload them all sometime 😂

    I love hearing how much you enjoyed January because I think it’s simply incredible. How the hell does the author even describe the shape of letters and leave you utterly hooked? I can’t wait to get to Listen To The Lie either and I can’t think of any MMCs who grovel? 🤔

    The Jade books are part of my top ten unowned series that I majorly hope to get to this year. Everybody seems to feel similiarly to you and I’m eager to discover them for myself. Wow that last book sounds powerful 😳 and I’m kind of curious about the Magicians but in no real rush to get to the series. I liked the adaptation initially but think it got a bit weird for me so even before hearing that you were bored I was kind of worried about them. But a book can’t have a magical name and not end up on my TBR 😂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That is actually amazing! I know that I’ve missed a few and some that I also purposely didn’t review (like erotic romances cos I don’t know how to review those LOL) but not missing a book since you started posting in 2020 is INCREDIBLE! 😍

      And OMG, YES! Harrow’s writing is truly something. She’s a master of the art because the way she writes about things just blows my mind! It makes me wonder at the talent of authors like her and it makes me feel so lucky to be a reader because I get to experience that talent and magic with words! So amazing.

      I hope you love Listen to the Lie! And OMG!!! CHARLOTTE!!! You must read The Green Bone Saga series!!! They are sO SO SO SO GOOD. (OK I need to calm down) but holy granola, they are so freaking good. Favourite series of all the times ever!!! Do you like audiobooks? If you do or if you want to get more into them, I would highly recommend the audios for the series because the narrator does an immense job bringing characters to life and he does it so well. I’m not much of an audio girlie but these ones I LOVE!!!

      Also, I didn’t end up finishing The Magicians show because yeah, it did start getting a bit too weird but the first season was so faithful to the book and I heard after that it started veering off course. So I think I’m just done with both show and book but if you do decide to give them another try, I hope you enjoy it! 😍 I do think it’s either love or hate with that one, lol.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Aww thank you 🥰 I could be forgetting something. And I can understand why with that particular genre. I’m not sure if I’d know exactly what to say either 😂 memoirs I can imagine being tricky too as they’re about someone’s actual life.

        Oh wow I wasn’t expecting that level of passion. Although I know how loved they are so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. So many people list it within their favourites that I’m admittedly slightly nervous 😬 but so, so excited too. I want to try and get into audio but haven’t done so yet. I don’t think anyone’s mentioned them in that format before so thanks for letting me know. I may try them in that form. Or perhaps both. Idk. I’ll have to see exactly what my library stocks.

        Yeah I am admittedly nervous as me & weird don’t generally seem to mix well. And I can’t remember specifics but I know I found the show too odd. But I guess I’ll have to wait and see 😅

        Like

        Reply

      • Sorry I somehow missed the paragraph about Harrow. I’m glad we’re in agreement about her talent though. It’s unreal how immersive and mesmerising her prose is. I’m in complete agreement with you 🥰

        Like

        Reply

  28. I can’t bring myself to read *A Little Life*. I’m afraid to pick it up. A couple of times, I started reading it, but after the first two chapters, I chickened out because I’ve heard so many things about it, and I’m just not ready. Additionally, I have a few books waiting patiently for me to review them, but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to that, haha.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • As much as a part of me thinks that I’d be able to re-read A little Life, I know I definitely don’t have the guts to put myself through that again. Just thinking about how vulnerable that book had me feeling… I was in “cry on demand” mode just thinkign about that book for too many months after, haha. So wild! I’ve never had a book affect me in such a way. So… I don’t blame you at all for not being able to bring yourself to read it! It’s a lot (an understatement, lol)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • This is exactly why I used to write reviews immediately after reading them but this year I’ve just fallen off the wagon! 😅 I think I’m gonna roll with the “more reading, less reviewing” vibe for a while longer but hopefully the writing energy comes back soon, lol. I think it would irritate me to leave so many books unreviewed for too long!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to ReadyouLeyre Cancel reply