It's been awhile since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday, my favorite bookish meme.  The last few topics haven't really piqued my interest, but I love the one for this week:  Top Ten Finished Series I Have Yet to Finish.  Although I could seriously list about a million answers, I'll try to restrain myself and keep it to just ten :)

If you want to play along, head over to The Broke and the Bookish.  Read the rules, make your Top Ten list, share it with the rest of us, then visit other blogs to see lots of fun answers to the question du jour.  Simple.  It's an enjoyable little diversion that will put a smile on your face while introducing you to tons of great book blogs.  What's not to love?

Here we go with my list.  In no particular order, here are the Top Ten Finished Series I Have Yet to Finish: 


1.  Matched by Ally Condie—I enjoyed the first book in this series, but never moved on to the second.  Not sure why.  At this point, I'd probably have to re-read Matched before picking up the next installment.  One of these days ...


2.  Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer—This is a series that was already wrapping up when the author died in 2014.  Still, the thought of no additional Jacky Faber stories makes my heart sad.  She's such a lively, vivid character that I can't imagine not having her in my reading life.  Perhaps that's why I'm stalling instead of finishing up the series?  Probably.  I've read five of the twelve Bloody Jack novels, so I've still got a lot of ground to cover with this one.


3.  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I was totally absorbed by Outlander, but again, I never picked up another book in the series.  Why not?  Who knows?  I need to since I believe it's now complete?



4.  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis—The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe stands out in my mind as one of those reads that just swept me away as a child.  As much as I loved the book, I don't think I kept on with the series.  My memory ain't what it used to be, that's true, but I'm pretty sure I've never read the rest of the Narnia books.  I need to remedy that, for sure.


5.  Divergent by Veronica Roth—Again, I enjoyed the first book, but didn't progress beyond the series debut.  I've heard not great things about Insurgent, thus my hesitation ...


6.  The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter—These books are so dang fun.  I love them!  And yet, I've only finished two of the six books in the series.  They're easy, entertaining reads, so it wouldn't be tough (in fact, it would be quite enjoyable) to binge-read the rest of them.


7.  Virgin River by Robyn Carr—When it comes to creating small, cozy towns that teem with so much life and warmth that I want to move in right away, there is simply no one like Robyn Carr.  I adored her Grace Falls series.  Her newer ones, Virgin River and Thunder Point, are just as engaging.  While the latter continues, I believe the former is complete.  I've read 6/20 V.R. books and am always excited to open another one and get back "home" to Virgin River.


8.  The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd—I've read 2/3 of this series in 2015.  I'm hoping to finish it this year as well.


9.  The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale—I'm halfway through this enjoyable series, but it's been a loooonnnngggg time since I read the first two books (2008 and 2009, respectively).  I'll have to re-read them before grabbing the final two.


10.  Incarceron by Catherine Fisher—A two-book series should be a cinch to complete, and yet, I'm still only halfway through this one.  I proclaimed Incarceron one of my favorite books of 2010.  For some reason, though, I never read Sapphique.  It's gathering dust on my shelf—methinks it's high-time to re-experience Incarceron and finally get to its sequel.

There you have it, ten of the many, many, many series I've started and never finished.  So, where should I start?  Which series are your favorite?  Which have you left incomplete?  Why?  Inquiring minds (mine, anyway) really want to know ... I love visiting book blogs, so leave me a comment and I'll gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!

Remember when I boldly declared Incarceron to be my "hands down favorite book of the year"? Well, I almost had to retract that statement when I finished Matched by Ally Condie. While the novel didn't blow me away as completely as Incarceron, it seduced me so subtlely that I can't stop thinking about it. So, while Matched may not finish first in my 2010 favorites race, it earns a close, close second because, let me tell you, I have a serious case of book love here. It's not so much about the storyline since the novel follows a fairly typical dystopian pattern - it's more about the way Condie spins the yarn. It's got a soft, old-fashioned cadence that makes this futuristic drama read like a fairy tale.
Matched takes place in a world not so unlike our own. In fact, it's been created from the ruins of the society that came before, a population which destroyed itself by overusing technology, natural resources, and independent thought. Having learned from the mistakes of their ancestors, the Officials now control everything in the Society: meals are prepared based on an individual's carefully-calculated caloric needs; careers are assigned according to whom statistics deem most able; Aberrations are kept out to ensure a pure gene pool; lives are terminated at 80 so the elderly never feel useless; and girls and boys are precisely Matched to others whose histories indicate an ability to produce healthy offspring. Everyone follows the rules for the good of their world. After all, "This is as close to perfect as any society has ever managed to get" (114).

Since the Officials never make mistakes, 17-year-old Cassia Reyes expects them to choose her a perfect match. And they do. No one is better suited to her than Xander Carrow, the boy who's been her best friend since childhood. Most girls are given mates from other Provinces - Cassia's ecstatic to be Matched not only to someone from her own city, but to someone she already knows and trusts. She couldn't be happier. Until another face pops up on her matching screen. Another face with which she's familiar. Although the Officials blame the error on a practical joker, assuring Cassia the rulebreaker will be severely punished, the whole situation unnerves her. Seeing the faces of two boys on the Matching screen opens Cassia's mind to something she's never even considered before: the possibility of choosing something - or someone - for herself.
The more Cassia tries to convince herself that Xander is the only Match for her, the more her thoughts fly to the other boy. Ky Markham came from the Outer Provinces as a child and has always been secretive. What does he know of the world outside the Society? Why do his ideas cause her heart to soar, her mind to flood with unimaginable prospects? His ideas challenge and endanger everything she knows. So, why does she want more of them? More of him? The Society has already chosen the perfect man for Cassia. She can't break all the rules for something as illogical as love. Or can she?
While Matched lacks the complexity and nuance of other dystopian epics, it has a refreshing frankness that makes it more variegated than it seems at first glance. Condie asks all the usual questions, but also digs deeper, questioning things like the cost of abandoning creativity and passion in pursuit of greater efficiency or the effects of choice on the health of a human being. Not that the story is all deep, philosophical pondering. It's not. It's also an enthralling romance disguised as a tense, suspenseful adventure. I mean, really, what's not to love? Because, truly, I adored every word.
(Readalikes: Although it has a gentler touch, Matched reminded me of other dystopian classics like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for intense scenes
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Matched from the generous folks at Dutton. Thank you!