Top Ten Books That Surprised Me

(This meme is actually hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl now, but I am far too lazy to make a new graphic)

As devoted readers, I think that we tend to have a pretty good idea of which books we will enjoy and which books we won't, but occasionally a book comes along and surprises us--which can be a good thing or a bad thing. I present to you five books that I liked much more than I expected and 5 books I disliked more than I expected. 

1) Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman - Whenever there is a lot of hype surrounding a book, I try to brace myself for disappointment, but this novel exceeded my expectations. It is addicting and fun and I fell in love with the characters. 

2) Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally - I'd read some of Kenneally's other books in this series, and while they were okay, they were nothing worth raving about (for me--other people adore them!). However, I really enjoyed this one! I thought it had depth and lots of kissing and really good messages. 

3) Caraval by Stephanie Garber - This is another book I was hesitant to read because of the hype but it completely stole my heart. It was an emotional roller coaster. The whole novel kept me engaged and eager to find out what happens next. 

4) Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin - I didn't know what to expect from this one, but it was gritty and interesting and had fascinating, unique formatting. 

5) And I Darken by Kiersten White - This one was completely unexpected. I'm not really one for historical fiction or dense YA novels, which this one definitely is, but I fell so in love with the characters and the story. I couldn't stop talking about it for months! 

1) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - I can't even put my finger on what was disappointing about this. I ate it up in like one sitting, but, in retrospect, it just wasn't that riveting. 

2) The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder - I was expecting something beautiful and poignant with a premise that sounded interesting and magical. That's not what I got. The emotion in this book was unconvincing and the protagonist was infuriating. I was completely unsatisfied at the end of this novel. 

3) Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard - I thought the first book in the series was really interesting and I was invested in the characters, but this sequel was boring and painful to get through. The ending picked up a bit, but not enough. 

4) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - This book just reeks of creepiness and darkness and FUN, but it was really slow. And not really creepy. 

5) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Maybe it's my fault for letting the hype get to me, but I was completely underwhelmed by this book. Again, the ending was pretty good, but it was such a struggle to get through like 2/3 of it. 

Christmasing Book Titles

Christmas is tomorrow!!!!! Holy crap!!!!!! In an effort to get you as utterly excited as I am (and if you're already excited, at least fuel the fire a little bit), I've taken the liberty of Christmasifying some book titles (and adjusting the covers accordingly)!

Some of these are better than others, I know.

ME BEFORE YULETIDE BY JOJO MOYES

in which a twenty-something woman transforms from unemployed and overly cautious to unemployed and a little adventurous thanks to Christmas magic. 

AMY AND ROGER'S EGGNOG DETOUR BY MORGAN MATSON

in which two teens on their way to Grandma's house go out of their way to find a grocery store and get some eggnog. 

BEYOND THE RED NOSE REINDEER BY AVA JAE

in which Rudolph struggles to be more than what the media portrays

NORTHANGEL ABBEY BY JANE AUSTEN

in which an English girl is convinced there is an angel lurking the halls of her friend's mansion

A COURT OF TINSEL AND RIBBONS BY SARAH J. MAAS

in which a malicious Christmas elf is very protective of his pretty decorations

LITTLE BLACK DRESSES, LITTLE WHITE LIGHTS BY LAURA STAMPLER

in which a trendy teenager struggles for hours to untangle a strand of Christmas lights

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PRETTY CAROLS BY RANSOM RIGGS

in which only the best singers are privy to this strange home as they use their angelic voices to defeat grinches everywhere

A MISTLETOE CALLS BY PATRICK NESS

in which a young boy fights the urge to kiss meet his first crush under the mistletoe for his first kiss

ALL THE BRIGHT POINSETTIAS BY JENNIFER NIVEN

in which readers will learn everything there is to know about poinsettias. 

THE FRUITCAKE IN OUR STOCKING BY JOHN GREEN

in which two teenagers receive fruitcake so horrible they both fall ill

WE OWN THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS BY ASHLEY POSTON

in which all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except a group of mischievous teens desperate to find out what presents await for them under the tree. 

Just a note: this post was not meant to be making fun of these books in any way whatsoever. These are all books I really enjoyed reading and I had a lot of fun thinking about what their Christmased version would be. 

I want to hear your Christmased book titles. 
Bonus points if you tell me what the book would be about! 

Would You Rather #3: Dark Edition

Hiya! Would You Rather is a pretty self-explanatory new feature here at The Left-Handed Book Lover, and I think it will be a lot of fun. Each WYR post will have a different theme.

This time I chose books with dark covers. I picked 20 dark-covered novels, paired them up at random, and then picked one. This was extremely difficult! I love most these books so much (there are a few I'm not so fond of), and there were some pairings where I spent way too long deliberating which one to choose.

ARE THERE ANY CHOICES YOU'D MAKE DIFFERENTLY? 

Top Ten Books With A Memorable Setting

So I know that for today's topic I was supposed to pick a specific setting, but that was too difficult so I took a different route.

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider - This will forever be one of the coolest settings of all time--a half-hospital/half-boarding school for teens suffering from a new, incurable strain of tuberculosis.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I love Gatlin, the southern Gothic town this series takes place in! I really enjoyed learning all the town intricacies and quirks. And, of course, the underground community of witches.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Who can forget New Pretty Town, a place for all the new Pretties to go and party & live in mansions & drink champagne. They can essentially do whatever they want as long as they don't question the surgery to make them Pretty.

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler - I know that New York City has been written about loads of times, but there was something about this book that really put me in New York and made me feel like I was there. MY REVIEW.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Not only does this take place in Wales, but it takes place in 1940s Wales with a house full of fantastical creatures. MY REVIEW.

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell - If you want to travel to a dark Neverland that shifts and changes at random, this is the book for you. MY REVIEW.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Cuz Panem.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I just adored reading about the Amsterdam adventures in this book! I'm fairly certain I've never read anything else that takes place in Amsterdam.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - THE LONDON INSTITUTE <33333

And I Darken by Kiersten White - Somehow I always find a way to talk about this book. Because it's fantastic. And part of what makes it so spectacular is the setting. I mean, come on, THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE! MY REVIEW.

BBCP: Bookish Yearbook

You've probably heard of/been shown extreme kindness by Nori, the infamous poodle from ReadWriteLove28. Wellll, she is hosting this marvelous event to inspire book bloggers to have fun, work together, and create an original feature.

In honor of the new school year fast approaching, my group decided to do a bookish yearbook, with superlatives and "yearbook quotes." I know some people in the group chose books from the previous academic year, but I just picked books I read within the last year or so.

Here's our schedule:
Monday, August 8th: Bonnie @ A Backwards Story
Tuesday, August 9th: Charleigh @ Charleigh's Book Nook
Wednesday, August 10th: Lefty @ The Left-Handed Book Lover
Thursday, August 11th: Cheyenne @ Once Upon a Time a Review
Friday, August 12th: Nori @ Read Write Love 28
Saturday, August 13th: Karla @ Reads and Thoughts

Follow along to see everyone's answers! 

I'm so proud of myself and my group for coming up with this feature. Collaborating with an eclectic group of people can be problematic and frustrating at times, but I'm extremely pleased with what we've produced! 

goodreads | my review

Although even in the beginning it was obvious Lena did not completely buy into her society's beliefs, she still wanted to. She was scared and she played by the rules, but as the book and the series progresses we get to see her blossom, embrace love and feelings and freedom. The Lena she is in the beginning of the novel is unrecognizable compared to the Lena she becomes. 

goodreads | my review

This was soooo tough, but I made sure to pick a book I've read recently without repeating myself. This book has such pretty colors and a pretty font and this cover is truly underrated. 

goodreads | my review

This book is the very definition of eclectic characters! There are kids who can levitate and be invisible and create fire. If that's not a motley crew, I don't know what is. 

website

Okay, so I took a long break from blogging and when I came back, all of a sudden there was this author named Victoria Aveyard EVERYWHERE. Everyone had read Red Queen and most people loved it. I felt so out of the loop and knew that I needed to get on top of this book PRONTO. 

goodreads | my review

Okay, to say this ending was unexpected would be a lie. I knew things weren't going to end well for our protagonists (it's written in history) but I still had my fingers crossed that it WOULDN'T end the way it did and of course I had my heart broken. 

goodreads

Lara Jean basically epitomizes "the girl next door." She is sweet and innocent. And she's the girl who has always been around but you never think much of but then you get to know her and she's just awesome! 

goodreads | my review

This book was definitely EVERYWHERE when it was released. Even people who don't usually read contemporary or people who had never read anything by Morgan Matson ended up picking this book up because buzz buzz buzzzzzz.

goodreads

I don't care what anyone says, Levi is my book boyfriend of the year so far. He's kind & friendly to everyone and a bit of a nerd and just mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

goodreads | my review

Will I ever stop raving about this book? NO BECAUSE IT'S FRICKLY FRACKLY INCREDIBLE. I'm pretty sure I mention it in at least one post a week and tweet about it EVERY DAY. There's stabbing & kissing & unconventional gender roles whoooooooooooooooooo! I cannot wait to see where this story goes next after dat ending. 

goodreads

This book isn't even out yet and everyone loves it. I have no doubt this book is going to be successful, especially given the love for Marissa Meyer's other series. 

goodreads | my review

I'm straight up obsessed with this book. This is my favorite book by Morgan Matson and one of my favorite books that I've read this year. 

goodreads | my review

Idk why there aren't more people talking about this book. It's fantastic. It's all dark and pirate-y. Who is the good guy, who is the bad guy? Who do you trust in this dark rendition of Neverland??? YOU HAVE TO READ TO FIND OUT.

website

My queen forever and always. Saint Anything, her newest release, was 100% A+ perfect. Like, every time she releases a new book I get nervous because I feel like there is no way she can top the beautiful work she has already done but then she goes and DOES IT. 

goodreads | my review

No explanation required. 

goodreads | my review

Don't get me wrong--I loved this book, but there are some events that transpire toward the end that made me wat to HURL THIS BOOK ACROSS THE ROOM. I was shocked and sad. But I can say no more because spoilers and all that. 

Which of these choices do you agree with/disagree with? What books/authors/characters would you have put in this bookish yearbook?