Surprise!
Happy Tuesday! This week we are talking about books that surprised us. There are so many different ways I have been surprised by books. Sometimes, it was a character's personal journey or how much I grew to care for a character who seemed unlikable. Other times, it was a twist the author threw in, or a book that everyone seemed to hate but me. I thought about it and decided to share some books I was surprised to really love. Many of these books were by new-to-me authors or outside my norm or both. Obviously, I think I will enjoy a book I select to read, but these ended up surpassing my expectations.
- A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote - I had never read anything by Capote, but his claim to fame is a gritty, true crime book. I was surprised by how warm and nostalgic these short stories were. Very heartwarming stuff.
- Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose - I am not a big mystery reader, but this mystery/rom-com mash up was exactly my speed. I hope Pomona After gets a sequel.
- Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid - I will never cease to be amazed by how much I love these survival romance books, and McQuaid did a fantastic job on all fronts.
- The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman - Hoffman continues to amaze me with these short stories. It surprises me how complete the tales feel, and how much I look forward to the promise of another story from this world.
- Three Days in June by Anne Tyler - Tyler blew me away with this story as it was NOT what I was expecting. The tale took a turn that I LOVED!, and I couldn't help throwing all the stars at this one.
- Work in Progress by Kat MacKenzie - MacKenzie is new-to-me, but she won me over with this warm and wonderful story. I knew I would delight in the travels, but I was impressed by the character's personal journey and how emotionally invested I was.
- The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo - This was a sequel I didn't know I needed and am so glad Santopolo wrote.
- You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon - I had a rocky start with this one and almost DNFed. I am glad I stuck it out because I ended up adoring this book.
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - You all know I am a celebrity book club snob and leery of short stories, but I was wowed by this novella. A quiet story that snuck up on me, I immediately had to read more from Keegan.
- Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane - Kane was new-to-me but won me as a fan with this book. Another quiet story that ended up making a huge impression on me.
Any bookish surprises?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
That's so great that you found some winners when you branched outside your normal types of reads!
ReplyDeleteIt's a risk, but sometimes it pays off. Most of the winners were recommended though.
DeleteI like when a book surprises me in some way.
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to be surprised
DeleteI just finished Three Days in June and really enjoyed it, too! I want to look up more by her. I have The Love We Found but haven't read the first book. I hope I like it without reading the first one.
ReplyDeleteI stand by saying to get the full impact of the Love We Found, you should read the first one. I am always working on Tyler's back catalog. June was my second and both were great.
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