Hey there, book nerds! How’s everyone doing today? I don’t know about y’all but I’m still sleepy after all of yesterday’s festivities! 
Whether you celebrated with family and friends, were serving our country abroad, or chilling in with some good books I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!
So today’s post isn’t actually a tag (as implied by my cover photo), but it is something I’ve seen plenty of book friends (Kathy & Destiny, etc) participate in, and honestly, it looked too fun to not do as well!
Want to play along?
Head over to your Goodreads Want To Read/TBR/Whatever Catchy Name You’ve Branded It shelf and sort your books by the number of ratings category. (If it’s not listed look at your settings and add “num ratings.”) Take the TOP TEN most popular books (the first ten) and show off your TBR shame.
Ready to check out the 10 that made my list?? 
1) The Lighting Thief (Percy Jackson #1) by Rick Riordan
Current Rating: 4.23/5 Current # Of Ratings: 1,573,737
Growing up it seemed like you were either Camp Harry Potter or Camp Half-Blood. Whether that’s because they dropped almost a decade apart or because fan bases for wizards and demigods don’t mix I’ll never know. What I do know is that I’ve been interested in this series for more than a decade, but now fear it’s too late to dive in.
2) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Current Rating: 4.12/5 Current # Of Ratings: 1,352,870
So when I went to NTTBF I met some uber Cassie Clare fans that could NOT believe I hadn’t read one of her “life-changing” novels. And I know I should have, but it’s so daunting getting into a series that’s already 6+ books deep. However, when 1.3 million reviews are averaging over 4 Stars it might be a sign to crack open CoB.
3) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Current Rating: 4.21/5 Current # Of Ratings: 648,028
IF I’m being honest, this series didn’t pop up on my radar until a year before the Starz show premiered. I discovered it through fangirling friends who were thrilled that their favorite Scot would finally be on the screen and I can’t say I’ve been disappointed in the final result. I’ve always planned to read the source material, but at 850 pages it’s hard to convince myself to pick this bad boy up.
4) Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Current Rating: 4.15/5 Current # Of Ratings: 528,884
Unlike the three novels that preceded this, Cinder is a current (ish) novel with a topic that should still appeal to me, is only 4 books deep, and is only 300 or so pages. What I’m trying to say is there’s really no excuse for why this hasn’t been read yet.
5) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Current Rating: 4.55/5 Current # Of Ratings: 523,079
Beyond the fact that this is one of the books that’s been on my TBR the longest it’s also one that has stats that blow my mind. People clearly love the story/writing/characters what have you because with over HALF A MILLION reviews it comes in at the HIGHEST ranked book on this list with 4.55/5 Stars!!! WHY am I sleeping on this series?? Why? 
6) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Current Rating: 4.13/5 Current # Of Ratings: 482,550
Like Percy Jackson this is one of those series that I’m certain I would have LOVED in its’ heyday, but am now a little wary. I know this was beloved by many so if it’s something I should still pursue please let me know!
7) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Current Rating: 4.55/5 Current # Of Ratings: 416,380
This WW2-story has been on my radar for ages. From the stunning cover art to the glowing reviews (please note this is tied with TNOTW), I’ve wanted to immerse myself into Hannah’s pages. Hopefully I’ll gather the funds and time to read this soon!
8) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Current Rating: 4.23/5 Current # Of Ratings: 403,129
Unlike the ACO-series, which I read, loved, and will continue to devour, I haven’t gotten around to Maas’ other fantasy series. I’ve honestly heard such mixed things that I’m not sure if I want to dive into this soon-to-be 8 book series.
9) Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Current Rating: 4.09/5 Current # Of Ratings: 377,248
Coming in as the oldest book on my TBR (first published in 1959) this tearjerker is something I somehow was never assigned to read in school. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful, emotion-filled things, and I hope to cross this off before the end of 2018.
10) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Current Rating: 4.25/5 Current # Of Ratings: 350,919
Wrapping up the list is this historical fiction novel about books. Although it’s the lowest reviewed title on this post, it is by no means the least loved. Many reviewers call this one of their favorite books of all time and I hope to get around to it sooner than later.
Well there you have it guys! My MOST POPULAR READS ON MY TBR!! I am seriously torn about some of these titles so if you think they’re worth the time please let me know! If you think it’s better to turn and burn them, I’d also appreciate the feedback. Anyone else need to cross some of these off their lists? Let me know below, y’all!
And, as always: Happy Reading!
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Oooh this looks fun – I may have to do this over the weekend! I’m afraid I can’t shed any light of these – most of them I haven’t heard of! Maybe pick out of a hat? 😀
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Please do! I’d love to see which titles make your list! And the hat idea isn’t a bad one! 😉 Thanks for dropping by!
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Totally didn’t get to it this weekend but maybe soon!
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Hahaha! Been there!! Well let me know when/if you do! Happy reading!
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I love The Vampire Academy series, I’ve read it a long time ago but it always have a place in my heart. I hope that if you decide to give it a chance you enjoy it!, each book gets better and better
😄😄
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Aw, I’m glad it has a special place in your heart! Like I said I’ve heard good things, and Lord knows I used to be all about the vampires, but I just wonder if they’d still hold up today. Have your read them recently? Or do you think they’re timeless so I should just bite the…bullet…lol
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To be honest I read it about 5 years ago I think, so I really don’t know how I would feel about the series if I would read it today. Even so, I think that the first book is kind of cliche but as you advance within the story it gets better and better and honestly I can’t help but recommend it, especially if you like vampires and action 😄
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And is it necessary to read Bloodlines before it? Or did Vampire Academy come first??
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Vampire Academy is the main series, so you must start with it, then, if you like this series and want to continue with Bloodlines, you can do it. I never read Bloodlines though! And now that I think about it, I really don’t know why 😂
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Woah, there’s almost 8 book in the ‘Throne of Glass’ series? I gave up after the first one. Didn’t appeal to me at all. I get the mixed reviews.. You seem to either love it or hate it.
I tried reading the ‘Outlander’ books as a teenie but realized I don’t like reading about time travel. I enjoyed the first TV season very much though. That opening song is SO BEAUTIFUL! Disappointed by season 2 though and I haven’t watched it since. Not sure whether I want to pick it up again.
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Yeah I think book 7 comes out this winter and there’s a book that came out later on that actually precedes book 1. I still think I’ll try it — at least book 1 — for the author alone, but the mixed reviews are daunting.
As for Outlander I totally agree about the song. Now it’s stuck in my head (“Sing me a song of a lass…”) lol
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I’m so glad you did this post! I had such a blast doing mine. Okay, let’s see… you have some reeeeally good ones on here!
1. The Lightning Thief – I only picked this up earlier this year, after spending YEARS wanting to check out the series but thinking I had missed the window. NOPE. It’s so precious and lovable. ❤
2. City of Bones – It is really daunting with how many titles there are in this series, plus the 2 other series that go with it and the spinoff titles, but honestly, I think it's SO worth it. I'm halfway through the TMI series and now 1 book deep in the TID series (I'm reading them in publication order), and I just love the characters she writes.
4. Cinder – Oof, I have a hard time recommending this one. I gave it 5 stars at the time because it felt so unique to me, but that was almost 2yrs ago, and if I were reading it now for the first time, I'd probably give it and the 2nd book in the series 3-3.5 stars each. That said, I've read up to the 3rd book and the first 2 are worth reading just for how precious the 3rd one is.
6. I haven't read VA yet but I'm actually reading it either this month or in August, soooo if you own it or wanna get it soon, let me know and we can totally buddy read if you'd like!
8. Throne of Glass – I LOVE this series so far (3 books in), but pleeeeeaaaaase begin with The Assassin's Blade. Older fans of the series usually say to start with TOG because it's what they started with, but Sarah actually requests new readers to start with the novellas, and she's spot-on IMO. They give you a lot of background and emotional depth that the first 2 "main" books of the series would totally lack otherwise.
(Sorry for such a long comment!)
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Oh my gosh this was so thorough and so very helpful!! Thank you so much, girl! I sincerely appreciate all the info!! You made some of these sound so appealing again! Thank you!! 😍
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You’re welcome! 😀 ❤
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I absolutely loved “The Name of the Wind”. A spell-binding book!
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Oh so good to hear! I was like how does such a popular book get no love in the comments? I know he’s got a few series — i think that’s right at least?? — do you recommend starting here?
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That’s how I started in any case, and I really loved it! Haven’t read any of his other ones yet though…
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Well thanks for the advice! I appreciate the guidance! Happy Reading! =D
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