Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.”
There are books that you go in to knowing you are going to love, and books that you read hoping you will like them but they completely blow away your expectations. I am excited to share those books that took me by complete surprise- in a good way!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo last summer and I did not know what to expect going in to it. I definitely was not anticipating it to become one of my favourite books of all time. I was blown away- it is ever better than everyone says it is!
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
I actually did not think that I was going to like Never Let Me Go! I only read it because it is so high acclaimed and I had seen good reviews. I just did not think that it would be anything special, and I was so wrong! This book is beyond brilliant and now lives happily on my favourites shelf.
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
The Lonely Hearts Hotel was a cover buy! I had a gift card and walked in to the bookstore not knowing what I wanted to buy. I saw this cover and the title and was drawn to it. I can not believe how wonderful this book ended up being! I want to read everything that Heather O’Neill writes.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
I love the movie Practical Magic but I have never read the book! The movie is kind of cheesy so I thought that the prequel would have the same feeling. I was so surprised by how much depth and substance Rules of Magic has! Alice Hoffman is incredibly talented. I have since bought a few more of her books and can not wait to read them.
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Far From the Tree was another cover buy! I expected to like it but I was not expecting to form such a deep connection to the characters. This is a book that I still think about from time to time and I wish more people were talking about it.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalo
Stalking Jack the Ripper is not the kind of book that I would normally enjoy. I am not a huge fan of horror/thrillers but this book was so much more than that. I am so invested in Audrey Rose and Thomas!
The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
I am realizing how many books I have bought simply because of the cover. I had heard nothing about The History of Bees when I bought, but if you have seen this cover in person than you will know why I drawn to it! The story itself was just as beautiful. I love that it took place over the course of many decades and opened my eyes to the importance of bees.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
I went in to Red Rising thinking I was not a fan of SciFi, but this book proved me wrong! It so worth all the hype that it gets! I am so thankful to Red Rising for open up my eyes to the world of Science Fiction.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
I bought Burial Rites in the discount section at Chapters! I remember seeing it around but knew very little about it. I did not expect much from it. This book is so fantastic. It is one of the most atmospheric books that I have ever read!
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Night Film is another book that I bought on a whim for something like $3! It is so far out of my comfort zone, that I do not even know what compelled me to buy it! It is a horror/thriller and told through a series of interviews/articles/etc. It takes a little getting used to but it is excellent. It kept me on the edge of my seat!
I also want to share the books that surprised me in a bad way! I will hopefully be posting that soon!
What books surprised you?
Great list.. definitely want to read Never Let Me Go! I also look forward to reading your bad surprises ;-). Every book that has a 5 star rating must have surprised me really :-). Maybe This Is How It Ends most of all because I wasn’t feeling it really, and then I turned around completely in the end 🙂
Thank you! You will love Never Let Me Go! I love when I book turns around and you end up loving it!
This is a fantastic list! I want to read so many of these! Especially The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Stalking Jack the Ripper, and Red Rising. So happy to hear they were all great surprises for you!
Thank you! I read those three books last year and I consider them favourites! Obviously I highly recommend them and think you will love them!
I keep hearing such great things about Burial Rites. I need to more seriously look into that!
Ah it is so good! Definitely worth checking out!
Never Let Me Go is a great book ♥
It really is. It’s one that will stay with me for a long time!
I want to read more books by that author. I heard great things about “The Remains of the Day”. We’ll see =)
I really enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Far From the Tree as well!
Try are both so good!
I was never opposed to SciFi but I went into Red Rising quite apprehensive. Now it is one of my all time favourite books and I just don’t know how it happened haha
It is just so freaking good!!!
Agreed!
I have only of Red Rising on this list so now I am officially updating my TBR list on Goodreads because of this post. Thanks!
I am so glad! I am always happy to add t your TBR!
I’ve started-and-stopped Red Rising so many times with no real reason as to why I just don’t plow through at least the first book but I seldom hear negative things about this series so I hope I get surprised in the same light as you when I attempt to re-read it for the umpteenth time!
Cheers,
Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
Sometimes you really just have to be in the right mood to read a book! There are some parts of the books that can drag on but it gets so good and action-packed! I truly think it is worth pushing through!
I hope to get back to it because so many people talking about Iron Gold and FOMO is real 😭😂
I’m a rabidly obsessed Red Rising fan, but I admit that when I first read it I thought some parts were great and some were just meh. It got really brilliant during the last third of the book, though, which is how I ended up falling in love with it and the rest of the series. If you do decide to attempt a re-read I hope you end up having a better reading experience than you did previously!
😱 now I am hyped to reach the last third of that’s what it takes to join the masses of flailing 😂
Love seeing Red Rising on this list. Some of the moments in that book were so haunting and memorable I still get chills when I think about them. I’ve not read Far From the Tree, but I’ve read a lot of really positive reviews about the book so I’ll have to check it out soon.
There was way more depth to Red Rising than I was ever expecting!! I highly recommend Far From the Tree. It is wonderful!
Great selection, Kristin. I had the same experience with Never Let Me Go. I’ve always heard good things about it, but I did decide to read it way before joining to book blogging community or watching any BookTube videos. It was purely from Goodreads, and I’m always thankful for those recommendations 🙂
Thank you! Never Let Me Go is truly a book I think everyone should read. It had a big impact on me that is for sure!
I would cover buy The Lonely Hearts Hotel too!
It is so pretty!
I really need to read Far from the Tree and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, they’re both getting so much love and I always trust your recommendations 😊
Aw thanks Rebecca! It is so nice to hear that you trust my recommendations! I really do not think you could go wrong with Far From the Tree and The Seven Husbands!!
You’re welcome! I’ll have to pick them up soon 🙂
Great list! I haven’t heard much about Far From the Tree since it was released, but I’m really excited to read it. It sounds like a really interesting, emotional read.I was really surprised by Red Rising as well, I almost never enjoy dystopians, but that one pushed all the right buttons for me!
Ah Far From the Tree is wonderful! I wish it was talked about more!
Red Rising is the perfect dystopian- characters with depth and a lot of action!
Glad to see you enjoyed Stalking Jack The Ripper, it’s on my TBR.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/top-ten-tuesday-150/
It was good and I was not expecting to fall in love with the characters!
That’s great to hear 🙂
Yay for including Red Rising on your list!! I’m gaga over that series!
Also, I was glad to see you listed Never Let Me Go as a good surprise. I’ve had it on my to-be-read pile for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it. Now that I’ve seen your post and all the positive comments from people who also loved it, I’ll have to make it a higher priority!
I still need to read the rest of the series. I know I’m going to love it!
Never Let Me Go is fantastic!! You have to read it!
The Lonely Hearts Hotel had such a beautiful cover! I’m definitely going to have to check it out.
The book is fantastic! It can be dark and sad but moving at the same time. I highly recommend it!
So excited for seven husbands and night film!! And agree about never let me go and red rising 😀 Awesome list!!
Seven Husbands an absolute must! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
I loved Red Rising and can’t wait to read the rest of the series! I love Stalking Jack the Ripper so much and the sequel is amazing!
Red Rising so good! I have it finishes the series yet either but I plan to you soon. I still need to read the sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper. I have heard amazing things about it!
So glad you love Red Rising – it’s the book that truly formed my love for books set in space 😁
I felt the exact same way!
I completely agree that Night Film, Burial Rites, and Never Let Me Go were all incredibly surprising reads. I wish I could experience each of them for the first time all over again!
I wish I could experience them for the first time too! They all were such unique reading experiences!