Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Liked More/Less Than I Thought I Would

Hey! It's been a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), so I'm happy to be doing one again!

 

 

This week's prompt is "Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would" or, alternately,  "Books I Liked Less/More Than Everyone Else." I'm going with a combination of books I liked more/less than I thought I would. I have probably mentioned most of these books at one point or another on the blog, whether in a Top Ten Tuesday post, or a book tag, or a review.... Sadly, the number of books I've read that I actually remember enough about to say anything about them is pretty limited... So I apologize for any repetitiveness!

***

Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this book. My best friend's mom highly recommended it, but my best friend herself said while she liked it, it wasn't a favourite. I had absolutely no preconceived notions about it beforehand, aside from these recommendations and the many, many people online who recommended it. I wanted to read it, but kind of wasn't sure if I'd like it because high school romances aren't really my thing anymore... but it turns out that I loved it! Current favourite love story, actually!

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

This one's a bit of a cheat. When I first heard about this book, I thought it sounded awesome and I was super excited! Plus Divergent is one of fave series, so I had some pretty high expectations. The doubts started when all those crazy bad reviews went shooting around the internet and I got kind of scared, because I had preordered the book. I don't typically buy new releases, and rarely pay full price for a book, so I was worried that in pre-ordering I would be paying more than the book was worth. I didn't read any of those reviews, but I had heard the gist of the supposed offenses, and tons of people saying they couldn't get past the first few pages, or swearing they would never read it, on principle... But I got my preorder, devoured it pretty quickly, and really enjoyed it! I only wished that it wasn't the first in a series because now I have to wait a super long time to know what happens!

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

I received this book in my OwlCrate box a few months ago, and just read it last month. It sounded interesting, but I wasn't actually that compelled to read it. I had heard lots of good reviews, but for whatever reason I wasn't that intrigued. However, once I read it, I loved it, and I can't wait for the sequel! Here was my review post.

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Going way back... I had to read this book in school. Generally speaking, the books we're forced to read in school aren't all that interesting, or maybe it's just because we're forced to read them that makes them less interesting. Anyway, I actually really loved this book. I don't typically re-read books, so the fact that I have re-read this one means it's pretty special, and I really liked the movie that came out a few years ago as well.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This book... it was highly recommended to me by a family member, and while it did sound interesting, I wasn't expecting to be as impacted by it as I was. Not that I loved it, but it's one of those books that sticks with you, leaves an impression on you. And those books that leave an impression on us, make us feel something, are the ones we recommend the most to others, and recommend it I have done.

 

*BONUS*

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

This was another book I had to read in school, and much like Still Alice, it's not so much about a love of the story, as it is the impact it left on me that makes me say I liked it more than I thought I would. Part haunting, part intriguing, this was probably one of the best books I ever read, merely for the way it makes you think and the impression it leaves. I mean, what are the limits/capabilities of the human brain? What is the inner dialogue of a mentally disabled person actually like, vs what we think it must be like? I think I'm due to read it again, if I can get my hands on it... I have been hesitant to recommend it to others, but I do think it's a good book.

 

Books I Liked Less Than I Thought I Would

Worlds Of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

I got this book in one of my first OwlCrate boxes, and I was actually really disappointed in it. I thought it sounded great and I was excited to read a historical fiction about the Bronte siblings, but it just fell a bit short for me. Maybe it was the fantasy bit, I'm not sure, but it was just wasn't as good as I had anticipated. I reviewed it here in this post, along with another book.

 

Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I didn't like the looks of this book when it came in my OwlCrate, and I waited nearly a year to read it. I didn't even want to then, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because OwlCrate generally makes good recommendations (with the exception of the one above...) But I really didn't enjoy it. It was kind of interesting, and I didn't hate it, but I was expecting to like it more simply because it was recommended by the OwlCrate crew. The theme here is historical fiction, maybe it's just not my genre... Here was my review post.

 

 

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

I'm pretty sure I read The Secret Life of Bees once upon a time, but I can't quite remember... In any case, I was expecting a really compelling story from this author, but it was not what I was hoping for, and I didn't enjoy it all that much. I wrote a review in this post, along with another book.

 

 

Paper Towns by John Green

I was expecting this story to be really interesting. And, to be honest, the adventure, the meat of the book was; it was the ending that fell short for me. It felt very anti-climatic. I was expecting/hoping for a much more interesting and exciting ending. So that kind of ruined the whole book for me, unfortunately. Here was my review post.

 

 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

There was quite a bit of hype surrounding this book and lots of rave reviews, but it didn't have the same effect on me as it apparently had on others. It wasn't that impactful, I barely remember the story, and I only gave it a 2-star rating on Good Reads - and I'm a pretty easy grader, so I really wasn't that impressed by it.