Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week's theme is 'Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would', so my list is divided in half with five books I liked more than I thought I would and five I liked less than I thought I would. On with my list!
Books I liked more than I thought I would
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: I know! Considering how much I talk about this book, who'd've thought I wasn't always sure it was going to be for me. I don't know what it is, but I'm never drawn to books set during the '80s so I really didn't know what I was going to make of this. What I got was a fantastic coming-of-age story along with totally unique witchcraft - I love it!
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng: I saw Mallory @ The Local Muse mention this and decided to pick it up, but it seems the '80s aren't the only decade I tend to stay away from - to be honest I don't tend to read much fiction set in the 20th century after the 1950s, and I'm not usually a big lover of family sagas because there's always at least one person I don't care about and I get bored, but this debut proved to be the exception. It's written and plotted beautifully and I can't recommend it enough.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: This is a tricky one in that I didn't realise I had actually really enjoyed it until a couple of weeks after I finished it. When I initially finished I wasn't sure how to feel about it, and I felt little cheated by the ending, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it and the more I think about it the more I realise how cleverly it was plotted.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: Austen and I have a difficult relationship and a couple of years ago I read Northanger Abbey after avoiding Austen for around five years. I actually quite liked it, and I'm tempted to give her another chance.
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: I had a very similar experience with this book as I did with Dark Places. I couldn't stop thinking about it despite not enjoying it as much as I thought I would, and now I think I'd like to re-read it in future so I can fully appreciate it.
Books I liked less than I thought I would
St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell: I went into this short story collection full of hope and it just wasn't for me. I liked a lot of the ideas behind some of the stories, but I felt like every single story had a very weak ending that Russell just didn't know how to execute... so she didn't do anything. Not for me, sadly!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: Unlike Dark Places, I haven't developed a new respect for Sharp Objects since I finished it and I was so hopeful. I don't really have any interest in reading Gone Girl, but I do think Flynn is a fantastic writer and I was very excited to read her debut; I love stories that explore mother and daughter relationships, especially the creepy ones like Carrie and Black Swan, and I'm all for Southern Gothic, but this story and I didn't get along at all. Dark Places felt clever, Sharp Objects felt gratuitous.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik: I didn't dislike Uprooted, but I didn't love it either and I was hoping I would as my lovely friend Natalie @ A Sea Change thought very highly of it. I just felt kind of 'meh' about the whole thing and that was mainly because of the way it was written; I don't know what it is about Naomi Novik's writing in this book, but it felt like a struggle to get through. The cover is beautiful, though.
Among Others by Jo Walton: So many people love this book and I hated it! I really wish it didn't because it sounds like the perfect book, but I had way too many problems with it to enjoy it.
Summer Days & Summer Nights ed. by Stephanie Perkins: I really enjoyed My True Love Gave to Me, but I ended up DNFing this one. So many of the stories were so bloody depressing until it eventually got to the point where I realised I didn't care anymore. I did enjoy Leigh Bardugo's story, so I'm planning to read Six of Crows this year.
Which books made your list this week?
I was so excited for My True Love Gave to Me but actually ended up DNFing that one. I think that's the one that made me realize short stories just aren't for me. I almost gave in a bought Summer Days & Summer Nights because of the authors and cover but resisted. I'm afraid I just wouldn't enjoy it either. Also, I bought Uprooted when everyone was talking about it but I'm scared to start it because I'm afraid I'll be meh about it now too.
ReplyDeleteI still think you should give Uprooted a chance! There are a lot of people that really liked it as well, and I do think it reads like a book that the author has put an awful lot of love into, it just wasn't for me.
DeleteI liked Dark Places much more than Sharp Objects too. I haven't read any of the others on your list, but I will have to check some of the other out!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not the only one who wasn't too impressed with Sharp Objects! =)
DeleteThe only one I've read on your list is Uprooted and SAME, sadly! I didn't *hate* it, but I didn't love it either. I was mostly apathetic. I still need to read Signal to Noise! And sadness about Summer Days, I was looking forward to that one- I assumed they'd be... fluffier. Boo. Great lists!
ReplyDeleteYou do still need to read Signal to Noise. ;) I know! I thought it'd be a really uplifting collection, but a lot of them just... weren't. It was a bummer. :\
DeleteWait, you didn't like Among Others? Oh no! I'll have to look for your review, I'm interested to know why.
ReplyDeleteSadly not! I wish I had, though.
DeleteI haven't read Northanger Abbey yet, but I got into Austen after enjoying Persuasion more than I thought I would, so that might be a solid next choice? Pride and Prejudice, which everyone loves, is actually my least favorite of those that I've read.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough Persuasion is the first book I encountered that turned me off Austen back when I was 18, but I would like to give it another chance at some point. =)
DeleteThe only one of these I've read is Uprooted and I really didn't love it either :/
ReplyDeleteHere are my Top Ten!
It's an odd book, isn't it? I feel as though I should have liked it way more than I did and I just didn't.
DeleteI felt the same way about Summer Days and Summer Nights. It just wasn't special enough for me!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not the only one! =)
DeleteI've only read Sharp Objects and I can't really remember if I liked it or not..so I'm guessing it wasn't my cup of tea since I can't remember it. I've seen Uprooted on some others list that didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteHaha, well I recommend checking out Dark Places! It's a really well done thriller.
DeleteI'd like to read more Austen and did start "Northanger Abbey" (years ago!), only to never finish it. At this point, a "begin again" would be required. :D
ReplyDeleteBummer about 'Summer Days.' That's one I'd been curious about.