Top Ten Books I Loved More Than I Thought I Would

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Some of you might know that I've just come back home, after a few months abroad. I quickly jumped right into reading all the unread books on my shelves, which have almost doubled since I arrived back. (Seriously, I am buried under my TBR and I may need help in digging myself out.) I came home to find tons of books that I thought I would probably never read, never finish or just not like (why do I even own them?) but I vowed to give them all a try. I was happily surprised when I loved some of these books way more than I thought I would.

Top Ten Tuesday is created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is: Top Ten Books I Loved More Than I Thought I Would.


A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (10/6/15): I was super hesitant to even read this when it first came out. I'm not too familiar with the original tale that this retelling was inspired from. However, I picked it up and quickly found myself done with it before I even fully realized. It was a quick read with gorgeous writing.

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West (5/5/15): Kasie West's books are quickly becoming an auto-buy for me. Her romances are so whimsical and adorable. And this one is no exception. I didn't know what to expect, considering we have all seen the pretend-relationship trope and it's kind of getting old. However, I enjoyed it-- not as much as The Distance Between Us-- but I loved it all the same.

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky (2/23/16): I thought this was going to read like a documentary, a look on the boy band society and their fans around the world. That probably would be an interesting, but a little boring book and I wasn't ready for what Moldavsky threw my way. We got some humor because talking about boy bands, how can you not? But the big surprise that made me really love it was how dark the plot really was.


Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (8/18/15): I heard about this book from a few others and wanted to give it a try. Historical fiction is not really my go-to genre so I was pretty hesitant in beginning but I quickly fell for all the characters and the non-stop action pushed me deeper into the story.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (9/10/13): A coming of age story. I do not tend to read a lot of these because the synopses sound so vague. "These things happen to the protagonist. She grows up because of it. The end." As an English major, I have read my immense share of coming of age stories and some are really great. Fangirl was one of those books that it seems everyone has read besides me already so I gave it a try. To say that I loved it would be an understatement.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (9/15/15): I never read horror books anymore. They make me stressed. But when I was given this one for a review, it sounded awesome so I gave it a try. I was so surprised that as much as I cringed every few pages, shied away from the book while reading (it was scary!), I did really enjoy it!


Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (10/20/15): There is a huge hype behind this series and even while reading, I can't quite place it because I wasn't sold on the story. However, the format is so different than regular prose that I just wanted to keep reading. As much as I found the beginning to be a bit slow, it definitely picked up in the end-- so much so that I hope to read the sequel soon.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (9/29/15): This is another series that is super hyped. I tend to shy away from books during their hyped peaks. It seems everyone is talking about it and as much as I would love to join in the conversations, Six of Crows didn't sound like something I would ever read. I picked it up anyway and loved it. The writing is a masterpiece, with characters that will make you weep, and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seats.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (10/26/04): Confession: I saw the show before I read the book. I even told myself that I can't watch the show before reading but Outlander is a monster of a book, with thin pages. I bought this flimsy paperback that is now very well-read. It just took me months to read for some reason but it was so good!


A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (9/27/11): I knew I wanted to see the movie so I picked up the book. I didn't quite know what to expect. It's super short and even had some pictures so I gave it a try. As much as the plot didn't grip me as hard as I know it did others, I found myself loving the magical realism with the monster's stories. It was a nice surprise since I did not like Patrick Ness' A Knife of Never Letting Go.

What books have you read that you were pleasantly surprised you liked?

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1 comments

  1. Nice picks! I admit I was nervous too with Illuminae and Six of Crows! They were SO hyped I was afraid I wouldn't like them because they were so liked! Lol! If that makes sense! I also ended up loving The Dead House! Forgot about that one! The formatting was another reason for me to be leary but I did end up loving it too!

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