Book Unhaul

First, a little backstory - I've always been that reader who held onto their books and refused to unhaul any. I actually used to be horrified by the idea of getting rid of any of my books. Lately, though, I've been really burdened by the number of books I own and was wanting to go through and purge my collection. I've seen more and more people mention unhauling books and I recently read The Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (post on that is linked here) and was super inspired to finally do it. Most of these will be donated, I might sell some or do a "books for trade" thing with a few, but I'm definitely getting rid of all of them. Not all of these were bad or books I disliked, but they're all books I don't want to keep, so even if I liked them I'd rather them go somewhere where someone else who will love them can find them. I'm not sure how many books are on this list exactly, but it's a lot, so settle in.



BOOKS:

Insurgent/Allegiant by Veronica Roth

These were a huge disappointment after the wonder that was Divergent, so I'm unhauling both. However, I'm keeping Divergent itself. It's odd, I know, but I loved Divergent and hated these, so I only feel a little bad about splitting up what was a boxed set.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I read this several years ago and, at the time, enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting. Although I enjoyed this, I never continued with the sequel and now that it's been several years since I read this, I'm no longer interested in continuing with this series as my opinions on this book have changed quite a bit. It's an aesthetically pleasing book, and that's why I've kept it for this long, but I'm ready to let it go. If I ever change my mind about the series, I can always rebuy it or borrow it from the library. 

Towering by Alex Flinn

At the time I read this, Alex Flinn was a fairly hyped author. The book I heard about most from Flinn was Beastly and I remember it being a favorite amongst readers of YA. I happened to find this and thought it wouldn't hurt to read this instead as an introduction to the author. Well, I was wrong. This had such an interesting premise and to be fair, it is very short, so it's not like I wasted a huge amount of time on this. The execution for this is where I feel it failed. It was a decent fairytale retelling told in a contemporary YA way until about halfway through, when it took an incredibly weird turn. If you've read this, you know what I mean. 

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

I read this a little under 10 years ago, so I don't remember much about this. I do know I was disappointed by the ending and I never bothered to continue with the series.  

Matched Series by Ally Condie 

The Matched series took the same unfortunate turn as the Divergent Trilogy. I really enjoyed the first book, Matched, but it's sequels, Crossed and Reached, were disappointing. The second book felt pointless and could have been condensed into a couple chapters and added to the third book, instead of making this a trilogy. The third book was an underwhelming summation of the series and made me wish I had just stopped after the first book.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children/ Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

The first book took me a while to get into, but once I did, I actually really liked it. That being said, these are fairly long books, and since it's been so long since I've read book one, I would probably have to reread it in order to read the sequel. I don't see myself wanting to get to the sequel anytime soon, so I'll be unhauling these. 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 

I had heard the best things about this, but ultimately it was just okay. I didn't dislike it, but I definitely didn't get the hype and aspects of the story seemed to me to be pointless or poorly explained.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

This is another one I had heard great things about, but it didn't live up to those expectations. It was strange, which I usually like, but this was strange in a way that felt like the concept had been poorly constructed. There were things I liked, and things I didn't like, so I have no desire to keep this book. 

Beyond Top Secret by Rob Lubitz

I know very little about this, but I've had it for years and still haven't picked it up. And it doesn't sound like something I would pick up in the future.

Red Chameleon by Erica Wright

I've had this for too long, and haven't had any desire to read it, so it only makes sense that I get rid of it. 

, said the shotgun to the head by Saul Williams 

This was recommended by someone whose opinion on books I trust, but unfortunately, this didn't hit me like it had her. To be fair, poetry really isn't my thing and that may have played into why I didn't like it. It was quick though, so I don't regret it necessarily. I just don't feel the need to keep it.

The Biology of Luck by Jacob M. Appel

This is an unread book that I don't and haven't had any desire to read, so I'll be passing this along, and hopefully, someone will find it who will love it. 

Nameless by Lili St. Crow

The synopsis for this drew me in, but Nameless is another book where the execution ruins what would otherwise have been a good idea. It's marketed as a crossover between Snow White and the Godfather, but it sets up a paranormal/dystopian world without actually setting the world up. There's no explanation for how this world came to be or why it operates the way it does. The characters in this are one-dimensional and make nonsensical decisions. Overall, this was a confusing and poorly written read, so I'm getting rid of it.

Marked/ Betrayed by P.C Cast

I know this was a popular series way back when, but the first book was so annoying that I decided to just not continue with the series. This book suffered from an adult author trying too hard to sound like a teenager, and failing. The characters were like something out of a cheesy teen movie and the plot was only kind of interesting. 

Kanin Chronicles (1-3) by Amanda Hocking

This whole series was a solid 3 stars for me. It wasn't bad, or good, but it was alright. I really liked the idea of following a troll character, and the troll folklore that came with that, but other than that, nothing about this stuck with me.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I happened to see the movie before I read this and found the movie to be preferable. There are huge chunks of this that are void of action before you're practically beaten over the head with what was intended to be action-packed scenes. The action scenes though seemed to work better on screen than on paper as the action scenes in this were written in a very dull way. I decided after reading this not to continue with the series, so I'm unhauling it. 

Summerlost by Ally Condie 

This is a cutesy MG story. I'm not a big fan of MG but decided to give Ally Condie another chance after the mess that was the Matched series. I liked this alright, but I know this is not something I'll ever reread again.

Watch Me by Anjelica Huston

This is an unread book I've had for way too long. I don't have an explanation for this one, I just know I'm not likely to read it. 

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewster

I read this years ago and liked it at the time, but I never continued with the series and am no longer interested in this story.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I liked the idea of this, and it was a very hyped book when I read this as it was around the time the movie adaptation was released. I found it to be pretty boring though and really had to drag myself through it, so I'm hoping someone else will happen across this and appreciate it more than I could.

Mercury and Murder by Rhett Bigler 

I don't know anything about this, and really don't see myself ever picking it up.

Ash by Shani Petroff & Darcy Manley

I had a few issues with this when I read it several years ago, but I liked it and saw the potential it had. This is co-written and since it's publication, something has happened with the two authors who wrote it, and the sequel that was planned never happened. I have no idea if it will ever be published or how the story would have changed during this huge gap, so I'm not going to bother keeping this for a book that may not even happen.

Queen of the Fall by Sonja Livingston

This was a nice memoir essay collection, but I don't feel the need to keep this as it's not something I find myself referencing and don't think I'll reread. 

Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

I read this as a young teen, but never continued with the next book. I would like to reread this someday and see if the series still interests me, but I don't think I'll do it anytime soon, and since I don't own the other books, I'm going to unhaul this and I'll just borrow the books from the library if/when I decide to read them.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 

I struggled to read this and still only managed 70 pages. I hated the characters and the premise of the story so much that I DNF'd this, which was the first time I'd ever done that. This is the only book I've ever come across that I can say I actually hated. I've considered forcing myself through this someday, so I can fully review it, but if I do, I'll just borrow the book as I don't even want to look at this. 

Paper Towns by John Green

Somehow I bought two copies of this at the same time??? Like I picked up two of the same book, but with different covers, and didn't realize they were the same thing. I'm keeping the cover I like best, and just unhauling the second copy. 

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

This book was given to me, but this really isn't the kind of thing I would reach for. 

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

I was really excited about the idea of a zombie, possibly post-apocalyptic Wonderland, but that is definitely not what this is. Ultimately, this was a disappointment and not what I was looking for it to be. 

The Feather and the Moon Well by Shean Pao

I believe this is a prequel to a series by this author, but I haven't read the series, and after reading this, probably won't. This was well-written and as interesting as it can be to someone who isn't into this type of book, but this just wasn't for me. Maybe someone else will enjoy it more than I did. 

✿ So those are all the books I'm getting rid of. Were there any that surprised you? Hopefully, this post will inspire you to try out unhauling as well, if you don't already. Comment, and subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness. Thanks for reading!