Top Ten Tuesdays: Books That Surprised Me (in a good or bad way)

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Today’s topic was: Books That Surprised Me (in a good or bad way)

As someone who more often than not has a love-hate-relationship with poetry (leaning more towards hate), this book was a complete surprise for me. I randomly picked it up to read not all that long ago and absolutely devoured it. I cringed in parts, was utterly uncomfortable in others, and angry yet again. But I found myself nodding along more often than not, and there was this indescribable feeling of belonging and comfort as well.

Kylie Scott has been a must buy author for me for a long time now. While I brought this one quickly, it took me a long time to actually get around to reading it. I went in thinking I knew what the story was about and was completely blown away in a good way by this story. Scott creates characters that are oh so real, who sweep into your life and completely ruin you.

I’ve read a number of John Green books so far, and I never thought one would take the place of The Fault In Our Stars. While I’m not sure if this one does over take it, it definitely sits on par with TFIOS for me. This book is so completely raw, and you can literally see the parts of John Green put of himself on the page. The book is confronting, difficult, raw, and oh so rewarding in a way that will break your heart and leave you with a glimmer of hope, love and a sense of something better just beyond the corner.

This is the first book by Tess Woods that I’d read, but it definitely will not be the last. This book is …. everything. Completely topical with current world events and Australian politics, but its about so much more that I truly struggle to break down why it spoke to me so much and why everyone should read it STAT, just know that you should.

I had no idea where this book was going, but I was so there for the ride. This cover doesn’t do much for me ( I am no where close to the intended audiences age though, and I admit, it works for them), but the story is engaging, and I am so intrigued to where Jessica Townsend is going to take the rest of this series.

This was the stand out book for me in 2017. All I’m going to say about it here, is that you need to read it!

This book was, and still is, a stand out book for me. I read it years ago and it sparked a whole new genre that I simply can’t get enough.

This wasn’t my first Marchetta novel, but it’s THE novel that sparked my obsessions with audio books and left me reeling head first into one of the longest book hangovers I’ve ever had. 

Written with sheer panic and fear on the page, this book is yet another stand out for me. While the Bronze Horseman is still perhaps my favourite Paulliana Simons book, this one was the most eye opening and surprising book. It’s raw, gripping, and utterly terrifying. I loved it.

And my final book in this list is yet another poetry book, because I’m still utterly shocked and surprised that I’m reaching for poetry and loving it. It’s moving, and encompassing and just … everything.