Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Ten Books I Almost Didn't Read


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Ten Books I Almost Didn't Read

The topic that most people taking part in the Top Ten Tuesday meme will be posting on is "Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't". The truth is, though, that I finish almost every book I start (reader's guilt!). So ... I altered the topic slightly to fit me: Ten Books I Almost Didn't Read.

(And amazingly every one of these books ended up being either 4- or 5-star reads for me! How crazy is that?!) 


1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins3. Divergent series by Veronica Roth
I have this "issue" where I resist books that EVERYONE is raving over. I kind of assume that there's no way that the book will really be THAT good. However, with all three of these, I decided I wanted to see the movies, which meant that I MUST read the book first. So very glad I did! These were all amazing.

4. A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson
As someone who is not a huge fan of non-fiction books, I resisted this one. However, I'm a huge fan of Sophie Hudson's hilarious blog, so I had to give it a shot. And thank goodness! One of the most hilarious books ... ever!

5. City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell
This book was totally different, and I couldn't decide if it was something that I would enjoy or not. Plus, the cover isn't totally awesome. BUT this book ended up being my favorite book I read that entire year. Good thing I gave something different/new-to-me a chance, huh?

6. Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
I had the hardest time getting into this book and almost set it aside multiple times. BUT I pushed through and then fell in love with the book. Such a beautiful story and one I am so glad I didn't miss out on!

7. The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund
I wasn't sure how this book would turn out. It's based on the life of John Bunyan's wife, but it's totally fictitious. So I just wasn't sure what to expect. I held off for ages, but really enjoyed it when I finally read it!

8. Forget Me Not by Amber Stokes
Amber is a blogger friend, so you would think I would jump at the chance to read her books. Somewhat stupidly, I was nervous about reviewing this book ... because what if I didn't like it? And then that would be awkward. I shouldn't have feared, though, because Amber is super-talented. And her books are so good! Great western romances. (Sorry it took me so long to get on board, Amber!)

9. Unspoken by Dee Henderson
I was a huge fan of Henderson's O'Malley series but was pretty disappointed with Full Disclosure, her first new book after a long sabbatical. I was understandably a little gun-shy to read Unspoken. It was surprisingly good, though!

10. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
I received this book as a gift for my birthday one year. I started it and hated it. I started it twice more and still hated it! Until I moved to Africa with only one book in my suitcase and was desperate for a book. Long story short, I fell in love with Redeeming Love while working night shifts at the orphanage and read it in a week's time. So good ... and SO glad I kept going back to this book!
 
Are there any books that you almost didn't read or perhaps pushed through and really loved? Tell me about them!

6 comments:

  1. Aww! I'm grateful you gave Forget Me Not a chance. ;) And I'm so touched by your words! No worries at all about waiting a while - it's never too late to read a book, right? I totally understand what you're saying, too... If you know the author, it is a little nerve-wracking to think that you might not end up loving their book(s). Again, thank you so much for still giving my books a try! ♥

    ~Amber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm SO glad I did! And I'm glad you understand what I was trying to say. The rest of your books are on my "summer reading list." :) I WILL get to them!

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  2. I did the exact same thing with The Preacher's Bride! It took me forever to read it but I ended up loving it! And it makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed Unspoken more than Full Disclosure! I too was a huge fan of her previous books and then I was so disappointed with FD. My mom got me Unspoken for Christmas but I have been avoiding it in fear that it will be as bad as FD!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally understand your fear about Unspoken. It's definitely a different type of book, but I really enjoyed it.

      Delete
  3. Three cheers for DMK. :)

    Three cheers for FMN. :)

    My mother is reading Undetected now but I've not asked her what she thinks. Glad you like Unspoken - my favorites of hers (haven't read any of her "new" titles) are the O'Malley gang and my mom agrees (who did read all her more recent novels).

    Isn't it fun when a book we have low expectations of winds up being awesome!?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so curious about Undetected. I hope to read it soon. The O'Malley books are still my favorites of Dee's, but I'm learning to enjoy her new style as well.

      And YES, I was surprised when I realized how much I LOVED all of these books that I put off reading for one reason for another.

      Delete

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