Top 10 Tuesday: 10 YA Books I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read Yet

Today Quirk Books is linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday! This week we’re talking about books we haven’t read. I personally read across many categories and genres, so of course I can’t read everything that catches my eye (although I would really, really like to). Especially when it comes to YA novels—the hype around new YA releases is infectious. Reading book blogs about this great novel, and that great novel, I know there are a few staples that I simply need to read… and yet I haven’t. Here are ten books that I’m super guilty of still having on my to-read shelf:

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky

Rumour has it this book is sort of great and totally worth all the praise. I haven’t even watched the movie (or the trailer, or anything related to it), so I’m still completely clueless when it comes to knowing what Wallflower is actually about. I just know I should have read it by now.

ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell

I know. I KNOW. I need to read this book. I’ve even put it in my to-read pile for February (which just means moving it from the giant to-read bookshelf to a smaller to-read shelf). I really, really love Fangirl (Rowell is just so snarky! And clever! And smart!), and I’ve heard E&P is the cutest contemporary romance.

POINTE by Brandy Colbert

I’m not a dancer. I have never taken dance lessons. Regardless, most of my favorite movies growing up had something to do with dancing: Save the Last Dance (swoon); Center Stage (the reason why “The Way You Make Me Feel” is my favourite Michael Jackson song); Coyote Ugly (dancing on bars is still dancing, okay). To bring us back around to Pointe: I want to read this book about this epic dancer who is dealing with something truly terrifying.

DOROTHY MUST DIE by Danielle Paige

You know that saying “Curiosity killed the cat”? Well, curiosity is basically killing my desire to read this book. Let me explain: Wicked by Gregory Maguire is my favorite book. I’m quite dedicated to Maguire’s reinvention of Oz, and Elphaba is my soul sister. So while another reinvention of Oz is something I’m 100% interested in, I’m always ridiculously faithful to Maguire and I’m worried I won’t be able to put it behind me. But I still need to know.

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

My best friend will probably never talk to me again if she finds out that I haven’t read Divergent. I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of dystopian novels, but I know that my best friend loves it and so I feel pretty guilty for not giving this book (and the rest of the series) a shot.

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake

So this is like the YA horror book, yeah? And I don’t think I’ve ever seen the book in person. It’s just a creepy cover made out of pixels to me. I love horror, and yet this book hasn’t been read by my eyeballs. I can feel every single one of you YA Horror fans judging me right now.

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green & David Levithan

I’m really late to the John Green train. The Fault in Our Stars was the first Green book I read… and I didn’t really like it. But I decided to give Green another chance and read Looking for Alaska… and now that’s one of my all-time favorite books. Ever. Of all the books. The concept of Will Grayson, Will Grayson is so me, but my tumultuous history with John Green leaves me hesitant. 

ELIXIR by Hilary Duff & Elise Allen

Confession: I really like Hilary Duff. Like, a lot. Lizzie McGuire was my jam back in the day (~hey now, hey now, this is what dreams are made of~). I think she’s a decent human being (I could be wrong) and I’ll support her through everything. I forgot this book existed until I started thinking about this list (that is making me feel tremendous amounts of guilty, by the way), but I can’t quite believe I haven’t read Elixir. Yet.

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

Every time I ask for YA book recommendations this book is mentioned, but for some reason I haven’t picked it up. Even the cover grabs my attention! What is wrong with me?

CINDER by Marissa Meyer

I am the biggest fan of fairytale retellings and I’ve somehow never read Cinder. I even own a signed copy of Cress! This book has been on my to-read list for the longest time. Is it as good as everyone says? Am I going to be angry with myself for waiting so long to read The Lunar Chronicles?

Now that I feel beyond guilty and ashamed to call myself a book fan, let me know in the comments which YA books you haven’t read yet (I can’t be the only one with an epic list like this, right?). You can also tell me which book on this list I should feel the worst about neglecting if you want to see me buried under an even bigger blanket of guilt.

Someone needs to take my bookworm badge away.