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Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did
Books I thought I’d like More Than I Did:
1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
I am not the biggest fan of Jane Austen, but I figured what better way to read the book than to read it with zombie mayhem? I’m not sure if I just dislike the story that much that zombies didn’t help it or it just didn’t work together. Either way, I was disappointed.
2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Even now, when I read the synopsis, I get excited. This should have been THE book for me. But perhaps my translation wasn’t as good as others, because it was very difficult to read. For example, the narrator thought in quotations, so when he’d “confess” inside of his head, I’d read it as if he spoke aloud and I had to go back and reread. And the characters had a bunch of nicknames, so I had a hard time differentiating between who was who and who was just referred to by a different name.
3. Pretties (Uglies #2) by Scott Westerfeld
I loved Uglies and I actually loved the story in Pretties. But because the main character became a brain dead “pretty” and was also the narrator, much of the narration was spoken in the “pretty” slang and I got so aggravated by seeing the word bubbly, I STILL cringe when I think about it.
4. Specials (Uglies #3) by Scott Westerfeld
Specials was even more disappointing than Pretties because I thought that after Tally was no longer a pretty, her narration would be far more tolerable. I was wrong. The narration changed from pretty talk to specials talk, which basically replaced the word bubbly with icy and everything was all sinister instead of shiny and awesome. While I still appreciate the plot and even the way the author got the language so right, it drove me nuts and I almost couldn’t finish. I’ve never loved a story and hated reading it so much in my life.
5. The Children of Men by P.D. James
Children of Men is one my favorite movies. So when I saw this book, I jumped up and down with delight. I loved the story so much and I couldn’t wait to read it. But the book was different. The plot was basically the same, but the book was slower, more thoughtful, but less action packed. I still enjoyed the book, but I admit I was pretty disappointed.
Books I Thought I’d Like Less Than I Did: 1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
I read the book because I knew the movie was coming out and I knew I’d probably see it. I was slightly curious and I expected something mediocre if I’m being honest. I gave it 5 stars. I was blown away by how incredible and intelligent the story and the writing was.
2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies and it’s so hilarious and the acting is so good, I thought there was no way the book could capture the humor the same way. But it did! The book was hilarious and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the parts that are in between the story better in the book than in the movie, too. So there was an added element to it.
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
I’m not going to lie, I thought this story would be stupid. The movie previews had me laughing a bit, which is the only reason I agreed to see the movie with a friend. I figured I’d pick up the book just because of the Book to Movie Challenge I signed up for. I loved the story, which surprised me!
4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
A friend of mine raved about the book and I only decided to read it because I could get a copy from the library. I was still reluctant, but then my friend’s sister mentioned how much she hated the book because the story was too real and violent and the hero doesn’t always save the heroine before bad things happen. Never has a review made me want to pick up a book I didn’t want to read and devour it like that one did! I loved the book!
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I didn’t expect to hate this book or anything, but it wasn’t high on my to read list. I didn’t even see the movie even though people were raving about it. Eventually, I found a cheap copy and I needed something to read. I had no idea I would connect with the characters so much and find so much to relate to. It was a touching and beautiful story that I loved. I didn’t expect to love it at all!
