Pleasant Surprises: Books That Exceeded Our Expectations

Descrizione
Our List of the Month this August is devoted to those pleasant surprises that come into our reading lives—books that exceeded our expectations, and ending up providing far more enjoyment than we thought they would. Each participant may vote on ten titles.
2
17,930 utenti
1,233 recensioni
½ 4.3
16 Members
timspalding, raidergirl3, perennialreader, Localhostess, nancjones, nagasravika.bodapati, bookmuse56, CKHarwood, larocco, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, ErinBraam, VioletL, ConantheLibrarianJr, dandalf, Craftybilda
Spiegazioni
perennialreader: I don't read much in the way of Science Fiction but read a review and thought I would give it a try.
bookmuse56: I could not put down this book and it felt so real to me and I kept wondering what I would in the various situations.
ConantheLibrarianJr: Great "hard" Science Fiction. The book reminded me that if you are marooned on Mars, humor is your most important survival skill.
3
1,129 utenti
84 recensioni
4.1
12 Members
kxn11, magneticvoyager, RBeffa, elkiedee, nancjones, ominogue, bookmuse56, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, VioletL, dandalf
Spiegazioni
elkiedee: I had no particular expectations of this book but picked it up because it was shortlisted for an award and it was excellent.
bookmuse56: I fell in with the writing, the time period, and the characters - perfect for armchair travelers.
4
4,529 utenti
337 recensioni
4
5
18,546 utenti
873 recensioni
½ 4.3
6
5,288 utenti
399 recensioni
4
13 Members
timspalding, anglemark, erinclark, magneticvoyager, PitcherBooks, nagasravika.bodapati, kara.shamy, HeatherMoss, CKHarwood, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, moc2902
Spiegazioni
anglemark: I don't like zombie stories. Color me surprised at how good this book was!
7
9,160 utenti
292 recensioni
4.1
8
16,405 utenti
440 recensioni
½ 4.3
10
42,945 utenti
1,745 recensioni
4
9 Members
pgmcc, knerd.knitter, deldevries, perennialreader, JuliaMaria, nagasravika.bodapati, Dammie, finnleyjames, ConantheLibrarianJr,EMS_24 ,Thelamon1
Spiegazioni
EMS_24 : It's all about expectations and what you like in a book
perennialreader: Not my kind of book at all, but I took a chance and have read the whole series, even the ones by David Lagercrantz. Just love the Lisbeth Salander character.
JuliaMaria: Ich habe die Serie erst gelesen als der Hype vorbei war - und war dann traurig, dass ich sie nicht doch früher schon für mich entdeckt hatte.
ConantheLibrarianJr: Powerful. What Solander goes thru is horrific, but she proves she is more than just a heroine. She is a survivor!
11
25,288 utenti
430 recensioni
½ 4.3
12
3,137 utenti
93 recensioni
½ 3.6
8 Members
RBeffa, Porua, elkiedee, Smits, kara.shamy, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, Xotomix, RMiller30
Spiegazioni
Porua: I rarely read books I know nothing of, from authors I know nothing of. Both were true for this book and yet I not only read and enjoyed it, I actually bought a print copy of it.
13
70,056 utenti
1,304 recensioni
½ 3.5
14
12,731 utenti
335 recensioni
4.1
15
17,620 utenti
330 recensioni
4.2
16
8,931 utenti
507 recensioni
½ 4.4
7 Members
raidergirl3, CDVicarage, LDVoorberg, CarltonC, nagasravika.bodapati, Yarnucopia, steller0707
Spiegazioni
LDVoorberg: A long book set in Russia?! I kept expecting tragedy upon tragedy but I got the enjoyable, daily happenings of a gentleman in a hotel!
CarltonC: I didn’t expect that I would find this as unexpected, seemingly short and warm hearted as it is.
17
17,127 utenti
910 recensioni
4
18
43,423 utenti
1,012 recensioni
3.9
19
40,911 utenti
1,044 recensioni
½ 4.3
20
9,658 utenti
200 recensioni
4
21
12,112 utenti
470 recensioni
½ 4.3
6 Members
CarltonC, vwinsloe, kara.shamy, nyowh, Algernon11, dandalf
Spiegazioni
CarltonC: Wowed by the imaginative rewriting of the epic from a different perspective and in such readable prose.
22
26,865 utenti
772 recensioni
3.9
7 Members
CDVicarage, amanda4242, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, ManWithAnAgenda, Boand, steller0707, RMiller30,Thelamon1
Spiegazioni
Boand: Original tales of magic, madness and mystery set in the early C19th. Clarke constructs a fantasy world like no other where customs and fey characters collide. Endless fun and brilliant imaginative twists make this a book to cherish.
23
2,326 utenti
148 recensioni
½ 4.3
24
7,756 utenti
654 recensioni
3.8
6 Members
raidergirl3, terran, LDVoorberg, PitcherBooks, kara.shamy, Boand,EMS_24
Spiegazioni
LDVoorberg: You must listen to the audiobook: the narrator makes the series amazing.
Boand: Another recommendation of a whodunnit led me to the first of this quirky series and sealed it as one of my all time favourites. What’s not to love about a pesky teenage girl who beats the grownups at their own games, negotiates troublesome sisters and adores her father while they all mourn her mother and saves Britain from evil masterminds.
25
6,719 utenti
286 recensioni
4.1
26
52,587 utenti
1,297 recensioni
4.2
27
3,367 utenti
250 recensioni
3.8
28
5,522 utenti
273 recensioni
½ 4.3
29
9,013 utenti
188 recensioni
4
4 Members
hipdeep, RBeffa, elkiedee, saraLucilleIngram
Spiegazioni
hipdeep: My only other experience of Hemingway was The Old Man And The Sea, which bored me to tears. But these autobiographical vignettes were captivating.
30
1,003 utenti
73 recensioni
4
4 Members
3togetready, bookmuse56, rmarcin, saraLucilleIngram
Spiegazioni
bookmuse56: Just a wonderful read that I finished in one sitting!
31
19,257 utenti
1,242 recensioni
4.2
32
5,794 utenti
108 recensioni
4.1
33
13,853 utenti
351 recensioni
4.2
34
2,961 utenti
191 recensioni
3.8
35
50,158 utenti
450 recensioni
½ 4.5
36
2,757 utenti
167 recensioni
½ 4.3
3 Members
anglemark, saraLucilleIngram, Tosta
Spiegazioni
anglemark: A nice surprise after the boring feelgood The long way to a small, angry planet
37
106,415 utenti
981 recensioni
½ 4.4
38
2,936 utenti
88 recensioni
½ 4.3
39
20,432 utenti
794 recensioni
4.2
40
5,227 utenti
150 recensioni
4.2
3 Members
kxn11, dewasus1, CarltonC
Spiegazioni
CarltonC: So much more than I expected, funny and perceptive.
41
5,811 utenti
331 recensioni
3.9
4 Members
Localhostess, kara.shamy, BornAnalog, steller0707
Spiegazioni
BornAnalog: One of the few books that everyone talked up to me, and then it actually delivered. And then some.
42
4,832 utenti
62 recensioni
½ 4.3
43
5,403 utenti
358 recensioni
4
44
3,873 utenti
199 recensioni
4.2
3 Members
anglemark, sundancer, conhauf
Spiegazioni
anglemark: I didn't like the Temeraire books at all, but this one was great!
45
5,675 utenti
263 recensioni
4
46
520 utenti
24 recensioni
3.9
47
1,144 utenti
28 recensioni
4
48
4,355 utenti
93 recensioni
3.8
49
868 utenti
15 recensioni
½ 3.7
3 Members
Localhostess, Boand, conhauf
Spiegazioni
Boand: As a Londoner born and bred the Thames is part of my heritage and consciousness. Ackroyd weaves a wonderful historical journey covering millennia as well as miles as he follows the river from source to sea. It’s a really fascinating and captivating book which was a joy to read. For those who are interested there is also an accompanying TV series with highlights from the book and wonderful camera work.
50
34,829 utenti
600 recensioni
4
51
3,451 utenti
196 recensioni
3.9
3 Members
perennialreader, bogopea, kara.shamy
Spiegazioni
perennialreader: I did not like Eat, Pray, Love but someone recommended this one and I actually like it.
52
7,351 utenti
162 recensioni
3.8
53
3,947 utenti
225 recensioni
4.2
54
1,547 utenti
80 recensioni
½ 3.5
55
39,420 utenti
1,268 recensioni
4.1
3 Members
kleo, cherpy, ErinBraam
56
959 utenti
68 recensioni
4.2
2 Members
elorin, rmarcin
57
639 utenti
19 recensioni
½ 3.7
58
12,429 utenti
188 recensioni
4
59
202 utenti
47 recensioni
½ 3.6
2 Members
hipdeep, conhauf
Spiegazioni
hipdeep: Took a flyer on this one through Early Reviewers. It blew my mind as an introduction to leisure studies.
60
7,666 utenti
294 recensioni
4.2
61
12,903 utenti
289 recensioni
4
3 Members
Boand, steller0707, conhauf
Spiegazioni
Boand: A book that has a split dual timeline and an irresistible story of star crossed lovers. Byatt’s writing intrigues and compels across different centuries and compares how social mores shape our lives bringing joy, heartache and sorrow.
62
7,403 utenti
245 recensioni
4.1
3 Members
Minthe, Cecrow, conhauf
63
18,949 utenti
402 recensioni
4.1
64
242 utenti
22 recensioni
4
2 Members
nancjones, AbigailAdams26
Spiegazioni
AbigailAdams26: I had no fixed ideas going into this book, and certainly did not expect it to be one of the best middle-grade novels I have ever read!
65
22 utenti
2 recensioni
½ 4.7
2 Members
AbigailAdams26, alderwand
Spiegazioni
AbigailAdams26: I expected to enjoy the artwork here, being an admirer of the illustrator (Frances Tyrrell), but I was surprised to find the story itself so beautifully-written and immensely poignant.
66
26,158 utenti
500 recensioni
4.2
2 Members
Patricia.Ralston, elahrairah
Spiegazioni
elahrairah: My girlfriend said I should read this. It didn't look like the sort of book I would even consider but I did and it was brilliant. It made me realise that there was whole swathes of literature that I was missing out on because of my preconceived notions of what markets were being aimed for by covers, and that I had subconsciously coded whole swathes of literature as aimed at female audiences and ignored it. This was a bit of a shock, because I thought that I was an indiscriminate reader. It is always painful to learn things about yourself that you don't want to be true. I hope that I no longer ignore books that are marketed in a feminine way, and I make an effort to remember this whenever I am considering buying or reading a book. The novel is incredible, by the way.
67
3,767 utenti
100 recensioni
4
68
4,396 utenti
251 recensioni
4.1
2 Members
edparks, conhauf
69
20,131 utenti
552 recensioni
4.1
70
2,898 utenti
63 recensioni
½ 3.4
71
2,668 utenti
102 recensioni
3.8
72
2,892 utenti
42 recensioni
4.1
2 Members
elkiedee, ManWithAnAgenda
Spiegazioni
elkiedee: Read by mistake from the library when I was 14 and I think I thought it was something different, but I really loved this.
73
8,657 utenti
119 recensioni
3.8
2 Members
JalenV, ManWithAnAgenda
Spiegazioni
JalenV: I picked it because it was a classic, but the characters and their stories were much more interesting than I expected. BTW The Wheat and the Tares chapter is old name for the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds.
74
8 utenti
5
75
5,637 utenti
92 recensioni
3.8
2 Members
Cecrow, alderwand
76
761 utenti
23 recensioni
3.8
77
93 utenti
2 recensioni
4.1
2 Members
BornAnalog, alderwand
Spiegazioni
BornAnalog: Read this argument for an ethics-driven technology sector. . .and then contemplate how far that is from our current reality.
78
933 utenti
55 recensioni
½ 4.3
2 Members
Micheller7, Ann_R
79
1,332 utenti
88 recensioni
3.8
2 Members
JuliaMaria, nyowh
Spiegazioni
JuliaMaria: Geschichten mit Tieren als Hauptprotakonisten interessieren mich normalerweise weniger, deshalb war ich positiv über die philosophische Tiefe des Romans überrascht.
80
42,284 utenti
706 recensioni
3.8
81
17,284 utenti
153 recensioni
4.1
2 Members
hipdeep, msemmag
Spiegazioni
hipdeep: Came for the theology, stayed for the clever use of language.
msemmag: Look, I didn't go into this book expecting C. S. Lewis to be funny. But goddamnit, he is in this. I don't agree with a lot of what he espouses, but fuck this was enjoyable to read.
82
1,066 utenti
3 recensioni
½ 4.3
2 Members
cpg, Yarnucopia
Spiegazioni
cpg: Surprisingly successful devotional work.
83
5,446 utenti
190 recensioni
4.1
84
1,443 utenti
90 recensioni
4.1
2 Members
vwinsloe, Ann_R
85
478 utenti
7 recensioni
½ 3.5
2 Members
Cecrow, TechThing
86
2,119 utenti
66 recensioni
3.9
87
3,853 utenti
199 recensioni
½ 3.7
88
1,209 utenti
41 recensioni
4.2
2 Members
CarltonC, nyowh
Spiegazioni
CarltonC: I didn’t expect to be so engaged by this story, who for all his faults, comes across as very human.
89
10,752 utenti
252 recensioni
4
90
11,501 utenti
830 recensioni
4.1
91
14,001 utenti
312 recensioni
4.2
92
3,092 utenti
156 recensioni
4.1
93
1,949 utenti
108 recensioni
½ 4.3
94
1,247 utenti
21 recensioni
½ 3.6
95
5,017 utenti
143 recensioni
4.1
96
9,834 utenti
187 recensioni
4
2 Members
hipdeep, Cecrow
Spiegazioni
hipdeep: I didn't love Steinbeck in high school English class. I wish they'd taught this one.
97
4,273 utenti
224 recensioni
4.2
2 Members
Micheller7, sturlington
Spiegazioni
sturlington: I thought this was a book about Shakespeare, but it was so much more than that--such a moving depiction of motherhood and grief.
98
1,783 utenti
60 recensioni
½ 3.4
99
5,434 utenti
182 recensioni
½ 4.3
100
12,119 utenti
593 recensioni
½ 4.4
2 Members
MaryKay1822, KarlN