Time for another Top Ten Tuesday! TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but as is becoming the norm, I’m going off script again and putting my own twist on the theme.
This week, I was supposed to discuss the top ten books I want to read but haven’t purchased yet, which presented problems for me. You see, I don’t buy books until the second before I start them (I use an e-reader). Meaning, the prompt would really just be books I want to read, which I’ve discussed here, and here, and here.
So I’ve taken matters into my own hands and will offer a slight twist on the prompt by doing something I’ve wanted to do for forever: check out the craziest lists on Goodreads. Crazy is never a bad thing. In fact, I love crazy. For the purposes of this post, I’m defining crazy as something that I don’t hear about often. Or lists on things that I didn’t know were THINGS.
So, on that note, here are the top ten craziest lists I’ve come across on Goodreads and the books I want to read on them (which I haven’t purchased yet). (See. Totally fits the theme.)
So I’ve taken matters into my own hands and will offer a slight twist on the prompt by doing something I’ve wanted to do for forever: check out the craziest lists on Goodreads. Crazy is never a bad thing. In fact, I love crazy. For the purposes of this post, I’m defining crazy as something that I don’t hear about often. Or lists on things that I didn’t know were THINGS.
So, on that note, here are the top ten craziest lists I’ve come across on Goodreads and the books I want to read on them (which I haven’t purchased yet). (See. Totally fits the theme.)
1. Meow! Female Cat Shifters
It’s always in romance that I find things I didn’t know were things. Obviously, werewolves are shapeshifters. And I’ve heard tales of dragon shapeshifters. But lady cat shifters? Who knew?
And while I thought this list was limited to household cat shifters, I quickly discovered how small my imagination is. I want to read about the lady tiger!
Craving More, by Brandy R. Walker (Tiger Nip #1)
2. SciFi, Fantasy, and Speculative Poetry
What. I never knew. I never knew that I could read my poetry in SciFi form. Not that I’m a huge fan of poetry, but maybe if I had known that sheer bounds of poetry, I could have gotten on board. I think I’ve been putting poetry in a teeny, tiny little box. This list has opened my eyes.
In fact, I discovered that I’ve already read a number of things on this list and enjoyed them. Sir Gawain and the Green Night? Not only read it. I wrote a paper on it. But I’m going with Margaret Atwood for my next read.
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood
3. Bald Heroes of Romance
Levi in Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl showed me how hot a receding hairline can be. And now I have a whole Goodreads list of men to replace him.
The Unsung Hero, by Suzanne Brockmann
4. Best of the Trolls
It’s these types of lists that always surprise me. Sure. I’ve read books with trolls. But have I ever given the troll more than a passing thought? No. I’ve never loved trolls so much that I created a list of books featuring trolls.
But if I’m going to read about trolls, I figure I might as well read this troll love story.
Troll: A Love Story, by Johanna Sinisalo
P.S. I sort of wish that book was about an internet troll who finds love and changes his troll-like ways. It’s not.
5. Haunted Dolls
This sounds terrifying. Just absolutely horrifying. And I had no idea there was a whole genre built around dolls scaring the poop out of people. I guess it makes sense, as Chuckie is a thing—a thing I’d rather not think about.
If I must scare myself silly, I’m going to do it with a Holly Black book because I trust her.
Doll Bones, by Holly Black
6. YA & MG Baking Fiction
This is, I think, my most delightful and surprising find. I love baking. I love YA. I feel like I should have known about this. But now that I do… it’s hard to know where to start.
Save the Cupcake!, by Lisa Papademetriou (Confectionately Yours, #1)
7. Gay Mermen
Yes. The answer to your question is yes, gay mermen are in fact a thing. So much of a thing that there are over 50 books on the list. This list makes me wonder if straight mermen are also a thing and I just didn’t realize. Literally, in all my years of reading, I’ve only ever encountered maybe two mermen or mermaids.
I think I’ll start my gay mermen education with this spectacularly titled book:
The Kraken Lord and the Eater of the Sun, by E.E. Ottoman
8. Best Animal Books in Fantasy
Animal books are a thing? Like sure, books about animals. But I’m guessing this means books from the animals point of view, and I can only think of two books where an animal narrates. This list has over 100 books!
But my first choice on the TBR list is clear.
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
9. SCARS ARE SEXY – Books with imperfect/disfigured/disabled heroes
Sometimes, it gets tiring to have a perfect hero, with perfect hair, and a perfect chest. The only perfect thing I need from my hero is a perfect jawline (and I suppose even that’s negotiable).
No one is perfect, and I love that someone made a list devoted to highlighting this. But I must say, some of these books placement on the list is a little dubious. The Hunger Games makes an appearance, and I don’t remember Peeta having any imperfections, disfigurements, or disabilities in the first book (other than being spectacularly lame in the Games). Also, do tattoos count as scars for purposes of this list? Because that seems like a cop out for an imperfection. Unless the tattoo is on his face.
My first pick from the list?
Ravished, by Amanda Quick
10. Fantasy Books with Tree Characters
In the words of the list creator: “In fiction, trees typically serve as inanimate props and backdrops. Human characters climb trees (and fall out of them), use them as targets, build treehouses in them, carve hearts and initials on their bark and use them as hiding places or lookouts.”
So this list is devoted to the trees that aren’t that. Which is pretty cool. The only reason I knew that there were any books with sentient trees is because I read The Giving Tree (which did not in fact make the list) to my son. But this list just so happens to include a book I’ve been wanting to read for forever.
The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time, #1)
It’s always in romance that I find things I didn’t know were things. Obviously, werewolves are shapeshifters. And I’ve heard tales of dragon shapeshifters. But lady cat shifters? Who knew?
And while I thought this list was limited to household cat shifters, I quickly discovered how small my imagination is. I want to read about the lady tiger!
Craving More, by Brandy R. Walker (Tiger Nip #1)
2. SciFi, Fantasy, and Speculative Poetry
What. I never knew. I never knew that I could read my poetry in SciFi form. Not that I’m a huge fan of poetry, but maybe if I had known that sheer bounds of poetry, I could have gotten on board. I think I’ve been putting poetry in a teeny, tiny little box. This list has opened my eyes.
In fact, I discovered that I’ve already read a number of things on this list and enjoyed them. Sir Gawain and the Green Night? Not only read it. I wrote a paper on it. But I’m going with Margaret Atwood for my next read.
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood
3. Bald Heroes of Romance
Levi in Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl showed me how hot a receding hairline can be. And now I have a whole Goodreads list of men to replace him.
The Unsung Hero, by Suzanne Brockmann
4. Best of the Trolls
It’s these types of lists that always surprise me. Sure. I’ve read books with trolls. But have I ever given the troll more than a passing thought? No. I’ve never loved trolls so much that I created a list of books featuring trolls.
But if I’m going to read about trolls, I figure I might as well read this troll love story.
Troll: A Love Story, by Johanna Sinisalo
P.S. I sort of wish that book was about an internet troll who finds love and changes his troll-like ways. It’s not.
5. Haunted Dolls
This sounds terrifying. Just absolutely horrifying. And I had no idea there was a whole genre built around dolls scaring the poop out of people. I guess it makes sense, as Chuckie is a thing—a thing I’d rather not think about.
If I must scare myself silly, I’m going to do it with a Holly Black book because I trust her.
Doll Bones, by Holly Black
6. YA & MG Baking Fiction
This is, I think, my most delightful and surprising find. I love baking. I love YA. I feel like I should have known about this. But now that I do… it’s hard to know where to start.
Save the Cupcake!, by Lisa Papademetriou (Confectionately Yours, #1)
7. Gay Mermen
Yes. The answer to your question is yes, gay mermen are in fact a thing. So much of a thing that there are over 50 books on the list. This list makes me wonder if straight mermen are also a thing and I just didn’t realize. Literally, in all my years of reading, I’ve only ever encountered maybe two mermen or mermaids.
I think I’ll start my gay mermen education with this spectacularly titled book:
The Kraken Lord and the Eater of the Sun, by E.E. Ottoman
8. Best Animal Books in Fantasy
Animal books are a thing? Like sure, books about animals. But I’m guessing this means books from the animals point of view, and I can only think of two books where an animal narrates. This list has over 100 books!
But my first choice on the TBR list is clear.
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
9. SCARS ARE SEXY – Books with imperfect/disfigured/disabled heroes
Sometimes, it gets tiring to have a perfect hero, with perfect hair, and a perfect chest. The only perfect thing I need from my hero is a perfect jawline (and I suppose even that’s negotiable).
No one is perfect, and I love that someone made a list devoted to highlighting this. But I must say, some of these books placement on the list is a little dubious. The Hunger Games makes an appearance, and I don’t remember Peeta having any imperfections, disfigurements, or disabilities in the first book (other than being spectacularly lame in the Games). Also, do tattoos count as scars for purposes of this list? Because that seems like a cop out for an imperfection. Unless the tattoo is on his face.
My first pick from the list?
Ravished, by Amanda Quick
10. Fantasy Books with Tree Characters
In the words of the list creator: “In fiction, trees typically serve as inanimate props and backdrops. Human characters climb trees (and fall out of them), use them as targets, build treehouses in them, carve hearts and initials on their bark and use them as hiding places or lookouts.”
So this list is devoted to the trees that aren’t that. Which is pretty cool. The only reason I knew that there were any books with sentient trees is because I read The Giving Tree (which did not in fact make the list) to my son. But this list just so happens to include a book I’ve been wanting to read for forever.
The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time, #1)
***
You should keep in mind that Goodreads has thousands upon thousands of lists. And as I don’t have endless hours to devote to perusing Goodreads, I’ve likely missed some of the best ones. So let me know how I did and the craziest list you’ve ever come across in the comments!
By Rachel Paxton-Gillilan. She can sometimes be found hanging around Twitter.
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