Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 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.    

It's Tuesday again. It's expected to be a bit dreary today. That makes it a great day to work. At least if it rains, I don't have to water the garden. 

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is books that surprised me (in a good or bad way). At first blush, I'm not sure if there are ten of those. Of course, after close to two decades of blogging, there must be. I'm going to give it a whirl and see how it goes. 

Top Ten Books that Surprised Me

(in a good or bad way)

This book grabbed me from the first page, and I quickly read eight chapters. The author compiled stories from dozens of women that encourage you to embrace a sweeter life while traveling rocky roads. This Christian self-help book provides readers with a different perspective, allows them time to reflect, and shares the reward of quick and easy recipes. 

I added this to my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection in 2011, when the author contacted me for a review of her new release. I'm glad I read it, but I was surprised I couldn't love a book about a person who decides to go on a personal journey to many of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites. Having gone on a scaled-down version of my own Laura Ingalls Wilder adventure, I thought I would connect better with the story. While having a strong beginning, as the author proceeded, she poked fun at Laura fans, which wasn't enjoyable either.

Have you ever come across a book that makes you laugh so hard your sides hurt? This is the one that did it to me. I picked this up at the Target in Wilmington while visiting our daughter. The title and cover are hilarious enough, but I couldn't get past the first couple of pages without tears streaming down my face. I have never had a book tickle my funny bone as much as this one. 

Because watching the mini-series is what persuaded me to read the novel, I was disappointed that Ralph's looks in the book were very different from Richard Chamberlain's Ralph. The Thorn Birds mini-series also put together a more compelling conclusion for Meggie and Ralph's storyline than the book did because it changed the sequence of a few events. 

I am always pleasantly surprised when I guess who the murderer is before it is revealed. With this book, I was fairly certain who that would be, but some of the details eluded me. 

The author told this romance from three points of view: the female lead, the male lead, and the daughter of the female lead. This was a neat surprise, and that decision added significant depth to the plot. 

After reading the final book in The Hunger Games series, it surprised me that it seemed like Haymitch was the only character who truly changed in the books. As a result of being with Peeta and Katniss, the reader watches him evolve and become more engaged in the fight against the Capitol. 

This book was not what I expected. As I wrote in my review, "...we end up with a bride, but it's many years in the making." These books were so well written, I really need to finish the series. 

When you get into a series and the author never finishes it, that can be an awful surprise. Such was the case with the Sam's Quest series by Ben Furman. I read both of these books and loved them. The third and final book of the trilogy never made it to print. 

Not being a huge lover of fantasy or science fiction, when I find a book in either of these genres that I enjoy, it's a bit of a surprise. This book was so funny, quirky, and unique that I couldn't help but love it. 

Looking forward to seeing which books made your list this week.