Top Ten Tuesday - Above and Beyond

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Above and Beyond!

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Happy Tuesday! Today we are talking about books that defied by expectations. I guess I could have done books that didn't live up to the hype in my head, but I would much rather share books that surpassed my expectations. I mean, when I pick up a book, I always hope I will enjoy it, but these are books that all rated really high and impressed me. Almost all the authors were new-to-me which automatically forces me to go into the book with normal expectations, but some were outside my reading zone or the type of books I commonly don't have great success with. 

1. The Takedown by Carlie Walker - This is a romantic suspense book. This sub-genre is usually just ok for me, but The Takedown was such a great blend of romance, suspense, and comedy that it was a rock solid hit for me. 
2. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - Look, I am a middlebrow type reader. Literary fiction usually puts me off by either being super pretentious or obscene just to be provocative. There was something special about Tom Lake, and even though the author managed to sneak in those "talking points" that authors tend to go on about all the time, Patchett did it in a way that either didn't annoy me, or I didn't notice because I was enjoying the story so much.  
3. Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman - This is going to sound bad, but I don't read many male authors. My go-to are heartwarming contemporary novels, and this seems to be a female author dominated space. Color me surprised that Norman wrote such a lovely and touching story. 
4. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - I saw cat in the title and thought this would be a fun and cute story. Wrong! It was a rather deep and emotional tale which had me in tears, but in a good way.
5. The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White - White is a very popular author, but I have passed on her books because paranormal mysteries are not my go-to. Then I saw Karen's review, and I was convinced this could be a good fit for me, and it was! 

6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - I had seen this book in passing, but never paid it much mind because I am not rushing to read adult sci-fi books. It was Nicci's review that gave me the push I needed to read this book. The story was great, it was entertaining, but it was the way it made me reflect on life that earned its way onto this list. 
7. Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore - Moore is another author I had seen around, and I am so glad I finally gave her books a try. I thought I would like the book, but I never expected it to enchant me the way it did. 
8. The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman - I love a comeback, but this one has way more depth than I anticipated. Loved every second of it.
9. The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer - The subject matter for this one could be tricky. Writing about death is never easy, and death was Clover's business. My heart grew about three sizes as I read this book, and I cannot say I was expecting that given the topic. 
10. Miles and Miles of You by Jennifer Bonds - When I am looking for a fun read, I never hesitate to pick up a contemporary romance. Bonds was new-to-me, and I had no expectations for this book. Needless to say, I was thrilled with how much fun I had listening to this one. 

What books have surpassed your expectations?
Let us know in the comments!