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Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like More or Less Than I Did

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! It's been a little while for me.

Books I Thought I'd Like More Than I Did

1. The Second Empress by Michelle Moran

I wanted to like it better than I did, and the novel did have its strong points in the characters and history, it just wasn't as developed as it could have been and the writing could have been better.

2. At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill

I was really interested in the Anne Boleyn story from Madge Shelton's point of view, unfortunately the writing was so painful I couldn't get through it. Madge just kept babbling about herself in anachronistic language and her character was such a weak, whiny girl.

3. Neuromancer by William Gibson

It won a Hugo and a Nebula and I'm generally a huge sci fi fan, but this world was just too hard to get into and I wasn't invested enough in the characters to try.

4. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

I thought I would love this Arthurian legend-based kids' story, unfortunately I found it far too predictable and just, well, childish. I probably would have liked it better if I'd read it as a kid.

5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

It's a classic and I wanted to like it, but it was too much of a simple kids' story for the age I was when I read it.

6. The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

I LOVE the title and the metaphor, but I just couldn't relate to the main character and felt like I didn't get the "point" of the book beyond the obvious. Maybe it's a generational thing. Atwood also tends to be hit or miss for me. I love The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake, but I haven't been able to get into her other stuff.

Books I Thought I'd Like Less Than I Did

7. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

I had no idea how much I would LOVE this book. Especially since the beginning didn't really do it for me, but as soon as I met the main narrator, I was hooked.

8. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

I requested to review this book because it's set in Boston and written by a professor who taught at the school I went to (I didn't know her), but I usually don't like mysteries, so this was a really pleasant surprise.

9. The Complete English Poems of John Donne, edited by A.J. Smith

Not really a book, but I took a class on Donne last quarter (and am taking a seminar on him again this quarter). I had no idea how much I would love his poetry, especially the love elegies. I finally know what kind of poet I want to be-let's get metaphysical baby!

10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I wasn't really sure how I would feel, especially since it got so much hype. But I really, really ended up liking it, a book all about the world and less about the characters. Unusual for me.

Comments

Epiphany Renee said…
I keep wondering about The Night Circus. I am usually all about the characters. What was it that made this so different and likable?

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