Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

This is the topic from 21 February, since this is my first Top Ten Tuesday and it’s on hiatus until next week, I thought this would be a good place to start. 🙂

Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would 

1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (review to come)

Love love LOVED this. I didn’t think I was in the mood for WW2 historical fiction when I started it, and it’s not the genre I imagined Kristin Hannah writing. But I became so engrossed in this book immediately and it was the best book I read in 2016.

2. You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
I didn’t really know what I was getting in to when I found this book and I didn’t even know who Felicia Day was. But this book was excellent, and I highly recommend the audiobook!

3. Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Suffcliffe
This was another book by an internet personality that I didn’t know much about.  I read the book before watching any of Lucy and Kaelyn’s videos, and found it touching and uplifting. And it didn’t hurt that Lucy is English (like my wife) and Kaelyn is from Michigan (like me).

4. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
I avoided this book for a long time.  I’d never heard of it until the movie came out, but the previews made it look AWFUL! I decided to give the book a chance because I’d heard it was very different from the movie, and I’m so glad I did!  I’ve read the entire series plus it’s spinoff twice.

5. Snowflower and the Secret Fan
My mom recommended this book to me years ago, but it never really called to me and sat on my metaphorical ‘to be read’ shelf for years.  I’m so glad I finally read it. I had never heard of footbinding before, and this horrifying practice grabbed my attention and completely hooked me into the book. Upon finishing this, I immediately read (and loved) Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy.

Books I Liked Less Than I Thought I Would

1. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Perhaps I had the wrong expectations going in, but I just couldn’t really get into this book and sadly gave it a DNF. 

2. Wreckage by Emily Bleeker

I liked this book, but I was expecting to love it. It came highly recommended and I didn’t feel it lived up to my expectations. 

3. One Plus One by Jojo Mayes

After devouring Me After You and After You and experiencing SO MANY FEELINGS, I couldn’t wait to read more from Jojo Mayes.  This book was pretty good, but in my opinion it didn’t hold a candle to the others.

4. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

I pretty much think Sophie Kinsella is magic, and can do no wrong.  So when I found out she’d written a book about a girl with a severe anxiety disorder (I myself have anxiety, but nowhere near what Audrey struggles with) I was thrilled.  However I found the book a bit slow and almost boring. I forgot that it was even a Sophie Kinsella book.  (I still think she’s magic and em eagerly anticipating her latest book.)

5. The Dinner by Herman Koch

This book really fell flat for me.  I disliked the characters and didn’t find anything to relate to.  I read the whole thing, but only because I didn’t want to abandon it while I was just starting my 2016 Reading Challenge.