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Friday, September 28, 2018

Books That Clear Your Expectations In One Leap // and those that fall flat on their cover . . .

Let's talk about those kinds of books that you open with skepticism only to find the best book you've read in a long time and the . . . other books. Maybe the other book is one you've counted down the days until its release date. Maybe it was an over-hyped book. Or worse, it's a sequel. Those books make you nervous about looking forward to a book too much or else you'll never be pleasantly [ecstatically] surprised again.

Here are a few of those good and not so good surprises that I've experienced. 


surprsie



Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I think of the anime when I think of this book even though I've never seen it, or any anime. I opened this book with mixed ideas. I was never impressed when I'd hear the title, but a friend highly recommended it [discussed here as well]. I guess, I just never took it very seriously before.

I cannot express how much I loved it.

It's not a serious book. Still. I never expected it to mean so much to me? It makes me laugh, and that's important.


A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

One of my favorite English professors loved Hemingway. He had a whole shelf full of Hemingway in his office. He talked and talked about the guy in class. And I rather liked Hemingway's short stories. So why not give his novels a try too?

Sadly, it didn't work for me.


Loki gif.


Hemingway's cropped style works well for short stories, but in longer fiction, I found it kind of annoying. And I didn't like the main character. There are parts and words that I appreciate about A Farewell to Arms, and I did really want to like the book, but it just didn't happen. 


Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Let's just say my views were tainted by the movie I watched first. Oops.


Loki



This series is so hilarious [it's an MG series, so aka MG humor. it's hilarious for what it is]. The chapter titles are outrageous, and I love the characters. They all have a strong life in and out of the books, meaning there's a large reader community surrounding the series. It's fun having halfblood comrades. And the books just make me laugh every time [totally not a reflection on my sense of humor].


Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I adored this book the first time I read it. But it has been awhile since, and I want to continue the series. What better time for a reread? Except. . . except what if I didn't remember well enough? What if my new expectations were too high, and I didn't like it as much the second time? That would be the worst sin among bookish sins. 


even for me


But, duh, I fell in love with it again. 

I actually had difficulty reading it as quickly as I wanted. I kept putting it down because I got so stupidly excited about the parts that I LIKE. "Oh, this is when Matteo comes in!" I'd stop and pick it up two days later. "Ah! Darrow kidnaps the cook in this chapter!" I'd wait until I had a quiet moment to read it over coffee. "Sevro! Knivesalknalkadkkajdg!" I have no idea why I kept doing this.

And guess it. I still haven't read Golden Son.  


sssh


The reread just solidified my appreciation for the world-building. The characters. The imagination that put this book together. Strategy and tactics. Character development. Huge concepts being explored throughout the length of a book instead of just being stated and there's the end of it. . . I just really love this author [it only takes one book, ok?].


Rebel Heart by Moira Young

A sequel. Uh, oh. 

Blood Red Road was a surprise favorite I found in a library. I would walk across a desert for it. [ok, i'd actually purchase it online? because i know how to navigate the interwebs better than a desert. common sense is essential to survival.] The second one had to be as good, right? 

*high-strung anxious tone* RIGHT!?


No shit, Sherlock


I admit it has good qualities. There were things I liked about it, buuuut *whines* it wasn't as good as Blood Red Road. Overall, it was a let down for me. 



Vicious by V. E. Schwab

I've heard a lot about this book. I've heard a lot about this author. Because Cait never shrieks about her enough. I didn't intentionally put off reading the book until I acquired the book [more on that later]. My friend [like, the face-to-face kind?] read it and did everything short of force-feeding it to me. 

Thing is, I knew I would absolutely love, love this book even before my friend read it. It wasn't an expectation. It was a certainty. Which is a very weird thing for me. But anyhow. Even though the outcome was positive, I still procrastinated?


like I've always done



I read it. And ALEFLKADNGA! It's even better than I could've imagined. So that's really saying something. Schwab is my new author hero [with only one book, yet again. i promise i'm not that impressionable]. I'll have a proper review later because there isn't enough flail room left in this post.



What are some books that overreached your expectations or ones that couldn't get past the starting line?

4 comments:

  1. So glad you liked Howl's Moving Castle, it's hands down my favorite book! Percy Jackson is so much fun, I enjoy that series. I've been meaning to read Vicious! Lockwood & Co is my new favorite series, it's MG and British. I probably already mentioned it at some point XD
    I wasn't a huge fan of Caraval and Legendary they were a bit of a let down.

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    1. Howl's Moving Castle is hilarious! I'd really like to reread it sometime. Also, you should definitely read Vicious. It does have a small atheist vs loose Christianity thing going on, but it's not super predominant. Also, I'm not easily offended by things like that (actually I think it'd make for good discussion). It is so well-written and nuanced. Everything about it is purposeful; nothing is an accident. And I love the themes too. So yeah, read it. XD

      Oh, I've heard of Lockwood & Co (probably from you)! I keep wanting to read those.

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  2. Vicious was soooo good! I fell in love with Victor Vale and Sydney as characters. It's great to see that level of complexity in fantasy characters these days, you know? ALSO, now I'm totally going to give Howl's Moving Castle a chance since I liked the anime anyway, haha.

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    1. Yes! They're my favorite characters as well, and I agree. There's a lot of complexity in the characters, in the structure of the narration, the themes, etc. It's my new favorite.

      Yes, try Howl's Moving Castle! It's a ton of fun! Definitely a good read to turn to when you're feeling down and need a laugh.

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