Tuesday, April 23, 2013



 Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to go to their site to see the original list for today plus links to a whole slew of other blogs. After you read mine, of course.






 Today's topic: The top ten books I thought I'd like more or less than I actually did. 

5 books I liked more than I thought I would:

Gone GirlHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

               Baby ProofThe Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Gone Girl by Gillian Glynn
This book has stayed with me for the past year. I honestly had this book pegged from the beginning, but what I thought was going to be the ending was the middle of the book. And then it just kept getting better from there. This book is amazing. It's smart. It's been on the best seller list for, like, 45 weeks. If you haven't read it, seriously: Go read it now. If you have read it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
So I was very late to the Harry Potter party. In fact, I didn't pick up the first book until the last one was out. I never thought these books would be something I'd enjoy. I've read the whole series 3 times now.
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
I was not late to the Hunger Games party, however. I read this series way before the movie buzz. This series is so good. Katniss is kick-ass. The end.
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Even though I was huge into chick-lit at the time, I scoffed at Emily Giffin's pastel covers. I checked this out from the library one day and was amazed at her writing style. I quickly checked out Something Borrowed and Something Blue as well, and then anxiously awaited her next offering. Although I haven't loved any of her books as much as those three, I'm glad I was able to look past this cover.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
I adore this book. I re-read it all the time. Frankie Landau-Banks is exactly the type of girl I wish I had been as a teenager. She's who I wish I was now.

5 books I didn't like nearly as much as I thought I would:

GlamoramaMatched (Matched, #1)The Host (The Host, #1)

                  Insatiable (Insatiable, #1)I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis
I went through a bit of a love affair with Bret Easton Ellis in my early 20s. I adored Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction, and while American Psycho is weird and long, somewhere around the halfway point it becomes pretty amazing. I kept waiting for Glamorama to get good. It never did. This book is long and confusing and completely pointless. Seriously, this book is crap.
Matched by Ally Condie
Like a lot of people, I feel in love with the dystopian craze and was always on the look-out for the "next Hunger Games." One look at that cover and I couldn't wait to start Matched. This book is so booooring. Total snooze-fest.
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
I absolutely slogged through this book. I got the audiobook to listen to in the car alongside the physical book to make it go faster. This book is long, boring, and cliche. I hated it.
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
I adore Meg Cabot. Her books are funny and warm. Usually. I didn't get this book. At all. The girl's "voice" was every one of Meg Cabot's characters' voices, but in this book it didn't make any sense. There might have been something about a dragon at the end. I don't know, I skimmed the last 100 pages because I just couldn't take it anymore.
I Am Number 4 by Pitticus Lore
I was excited for this one. Aliens? Yes, please! But the writing was just laughably bad.

What about you what are some books you like more or less than expected? Leave a comment below.

*Followers and comments are much welcome and appreciated. If you leave a comment, please also leave your link so that I can come visit you. I will always try to follow those who are following me, but if I miss you, please just let me know (we're all in this together).

39 comments:

  1. Thank you for the visit! I hope you like Girl of Fire and Thorns. I liked the first one but LOVED the second one.
    That is disappointing about I am Number Four, it is currently in my to read pile.

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  2. Yay, I'm glad I'm not the only one who found The Host really dull!!!! Everyone keeps going on about how great it is now that it's a movie, and I'm just like, really? Kudos to you for finishing it though. I couldn't do it because I was forcing myself to keep on reading it.

    I read the first Harry Potter book in high school, and I loved them all. I was so sad when the series ended though =(

    I still need to read The Hunger Games!! I found the movie boring, but I was still going to give the books a chance. Ohhh, you should read Battle Royale. It was written before the Hunger Games & is a lot more...violent, lol. The movie was really good as well.

    Hmm, I'm on the fence with Matched. I've seen so many mixed reviews on it. =/

    Sorry for writing a long comment, lol. I kinda got carried away, lol.

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  3. I didn't think I would like Harry Potter, either, but it was SO GOOD. And Frankie is one of my all time favorite books. I love it so so so much.

    Totally agree on Crossed--I couldn't finish it, which was really disappointing, because Matched was so awesome!

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  4. Gah, I loathed I Am Number Four - that writing was too, too painful. The audiobook was just as bad. I really enjoyed Matched though - loved the wordy slower pace :) Go figure!

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  5. Great list. I've STILL not read Gone Girl. I must get around to it some day soon.

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  6. Totally agree with your loved more except Baby Proof which I haven't read. I really enjoy chick lit so must give this one a go. Didn't think much of Matched either. And I found The Host boring and complicated at the start but ended up really enjoying it.

    BookishTrish @ Between the Lines

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  7. I agree with Harry Potter, I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. I figured it would be on a lot of lists today.

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  8. The Hunger Games was a nice surprise. :) I thought the idea and world building was brilliant. I'm glad I didn't pay much attention to the negative feedback and went to read it.

    Stephenie Meyer has always been a struggle for me. I dawdled my way through the first three Twilight books but I couldn't finish Breaking Dawn and The Host. Wasn't my thing in the end.

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  9. I was also pretty late to the Harry Potter game (as in, I read them all after all of the movies were released --- yikes!) but they were FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! Same with The Hunger Games. Words can't even describe how profoundly I was affected by this series. It moved me in a way no other series has before.

    I struggle to admit that though Meyer's Twilight series was VERY poorly written, there was SOMETHING about it that lured me in and had me devouring all of the books in the series. It's one of those series that I secretly kinda hate to love. I was intrigued by The Host because it seemed like such a departure from Twilight, but I think I might just stick with the movie-version for now.

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  10. Now you can hit me upside the head with a book...I have yet to read any of the Harry Potter books. I know what you're thinking, lol!

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  11. Hahaha, I LOVE that you've read the Harry Potter series multiple times! I've done the same. It's like, those books and the magic of them just never get old. :)

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  12. I was super late to the Harry Potter party. I didn't start the first book until the last movie came out. I keep hearing that Gillian Flynn's books are really good, I'm going have to check out Gone Girl.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

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  13. Completely agree with your 'liked them less' choices! It took me four attempts to read The Host and even now part of me wishes I'd just given up, I like to pretend I never pcked up Insatiable and I'm still struggling to figure out why so many people raved about I Am Number Four...

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  14. Felt the same way about Matched. =( but Yay for Harry Potter!!!! :D

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  15. I have got to get around to reading 'The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks', it's sat on my shelf right now!

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  16. Harry Potter RULES! YEAH!
    Matched...boring. Agreed.

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  17. I love Frankie, too! She's still one of my favorite characters and I read that book almost three years ago. A co-worker just told me about Gone Girl and is going to let me borrow her copy. She loved it as well. I completely agree about I Am Number Four. It's HORRIBLE!

    -Sarah @ YA Love

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  18. Yay for HP and The Hunger Games! Yes, Katniss is totally kickass! Love her!

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  19. Great list. :) I have not read The Host yet and cannot say I am dying to read it. Did you see the movie? Thank you for stopping by Love.Life.Read. Happy Reading!

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  20. I just bought The Host on my Kindle when it was on sale but I have a feeling I won't like it.

    I liked The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks a lot more than I thought I would too. I've even suggested it to adult library patrons who want to try teen fiction.

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  21. I wasn't sure if I would like Hunger Games either. One of my students told me to read it and I was like, 'ehhhh....' But when I did, I was HOOKED! I liked The Host, but it took me awhile to figure out wth was going on!

    Thanks for stopping by my TTT!

    Jessica@Lovin' Los Libros

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  22. Ahhhh you didn't like the Host? I loved it. I agree with you about Matched though, wasn't a fantastic book at all!

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  23. TOTALLY agree with you on the first three. I didn't think any of them were "my" kind of books, but all of them knocked my socks off. FRANKIE LANDAU, however, did not win my undying book love :( Ah well. Different strokes for different folks, right?

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  24. Agree about The Host. After all the hype about the movie (I don't particularly enjoy Meyer's work), I tried it but didn't like it. Honestly one of the few books where the movie was better for me than the book.

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  25. I'm so glad you love Frankie - it's one of my fave books, too!

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  26. Matched was disappointing to me as well. I also found Baby Proof disappointing, the only book of hers I really liked was Something Blue.

    Obviously THG and HP are musts on the liked more list!

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  27. I totally agree with Harry Potter! I waited forever to pick up the series b/c I didn't think I would like it. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong! :)

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  28. Yes to Harry Potter! I was in college when I read that "kids book" and was just trying to appease my mom and friends who said I'd like it :) I think I've read them at least 3 times, too :) Nice list!

    My TTT

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  29. With you on Gone Girl! Also a bit glad now that I never got to Glamorama when I had my Bret Easton Ellis faze!

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  30. I totally agree with "I am Number Four" being a disappointment - I just didn't feel like I belonged in the targeted audience. Can't wait to read "Gone Girl" and the other books you raved about that I haven't got round to reading!
    - Eve @ Every Flavour Books

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  31. i didn't like gone girl as much as i thought i would - there was too much hype. i still haven't read harry potter! i liked the host but the first 1/4 of the book was too slow. matched was ok, definitely not the best YA dystopian series out there!

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  32. I liked the premise of Matched - it is certainly no match (pun intended) for its predecessor The Giver, but I agree that the pacing of the series itself is inconsistent. And The Host needed an editor hard core. If I had to read one more time that his touch felt like fire, I was going to light the book on fire.

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  33. I really love the visual/text balance of your TTT! And I've heard a lot of the same sentiments about Insatiable from other bloggers. Nice list.

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  34. Harry Potter is fantastic! You kind of lucked out by waiting. If you think about it, you didn't have to suffer after each book then, longing for the next one's release like I did. I just finished The Disreputable History (I think you asked about it on my blog) and LOVED it as well! I've only read Gillian Flynn's Dark Places which I remember enjoying. i should definitely check out Gone Girl! great list!

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  35. I've got Gone Girl on hold at the library, so I'm hoping that it's a hit with me as well.

    I'm totally with you on Insatiable. I almost enjoyed it, but not quite. The sequel was even worse for me. I'm actually surprised that I bothered.

    Great list!

    Gotta say, I love your background. I'll be visiting again! New follower. :)

    Ems

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  36. I adored Matched, but then I'm an incredibly sentimental romance-addict, and most of what I liked about it was the romance, so I can understand your point about the lack of action. They were so cute though x)

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  37. Totally with you on I Am Number Four! It was terrible. I enjoyed The Hunger Games way more than I expected too.

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  38. Host could be on my opposite side of the list. I didn't like Twilight, but I liked The Host and it was unexpected.
    I liked the Hunger Games and Harry potter but I expected to like them so no surprises there.
    Thanks for stopping by my TTT.

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  39. I was a bit late to the Harry Potter craze too, I don't think I started reading until book four or five was out. And I could never have imagined how much I would love it!

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