The Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly challenge post previously hosted by The Broke and Bookish and now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. You can follow along for each weekly post here. This week’s post is all about books you can’t believe you read! My list includes not only books that I can’t believe I read because “what was I thinking?!” but also books that I thought I’d never finish or never get the guts to read. Here we go!

I Can’t Believe I Read This Book – Good 

The Way Of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I honestly was so sure that I would never reach the end of this book. Over 1000 pages and much heavier fantasy than I’ve really read in the past, I was certain that I was going to give up and it was going to end up in pile of books in favor of all the YA novels that I can read much easier and faster. But the book continued to get better and I am so proud of myself for doing it.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I read this book when I was 13 years old and in eighth grade. We had to read a classic novel for a book report and originally I was going to do The Secret Garden from the list because I adore that book but then I saw this…and I loved the movie…and I am still in awe of the fact that I finished this at the young age I was. And I’ve read it almost every year since then.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I hated the cover. I hated the title. I was over vampires. I literally scoffed every time I saw this series in the bookstore. If my friend, Jade, hadn’t convinced me to read it, I would have never read it. Now I have a tattoo for the series haha, so this definitely a crazy read for me.

Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien 

This is another book series that I read when I was younger. The movies were coming out when I was in middle school and so I wanted to venture into the print version. I definitely had the reading level but my attention span tends to stick to YA, always has, so I’m super proud that I got through this entire series. I’ve reread it a few times since then.

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 

This, like The Way of Kings, was another undertaking and I can’t believe that I pushed myself through as well. I don’t remember a lot about it but people always talk about it and how heavy it is and it reminds me that, my god, I actually read this book!

I Can’t Believe I Read This Book – Bad

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James 

I have this thing where I don’t speak badly about a book unless I’ve read it and I had a bad taste in my mouth about this one, but I forced myself to read it so that I could feel valid in my opinion about it. I actually read the first two and I’m still in disbelief that I actually did that.

Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley

For those of you that don’t know…this is the sequel to Gone with the Wind. It was written by another author and I’m honestly unsure if its considered canon but I can say that it was written like a fan fiction, and not in a good way. I’m of the mind that Scarlett never gets Rhett Butler back, she just messed up too bad, and this book ruins that ending for me.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare 

Okay, I had to read this book because I love this series and I love the characters and I had to know how it ended. I was just so disappointed in this book that I just can’t believe it even exists. For the most part, I just pretend that 4-6 in the Mortal Instruments doesn’t exist. City of Glass had a much better ending.

Pucked by Helena Hunting 

There are just no words for how in disbelief I am that I picked up this novel and read it. I know there are a fair amount of people who enjoyed it but my god. Just. No.

After by Anna Todd 

Just like 50 Shades, I felt like I had to read before I could judge and just…no. I can’t believe I got through that book. It’s insanely long too and it felt like it was dragging forever. I kept thinking…this could have been two or three books but why would you do that? It read like a fan fiction, which makes sense, since it started as one but yeah…I can’t believe that I did that.