Tuesday, September 5, 2017

TTT - Books That Surprised Me

This top 10 weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and can be found HERE.  Each week they focus on lists which cover various topics related to books and reading. 

This week's topic focuses on books which I ended up liking more than I thought.  Perhaps it was because of a slow start or a subject matter that I wasn't sure of but either way, here's my top five!








I really considered DNF'ing this one up until about 100 pages or maybe a little more. However, I stuck with it and it ended up being a 4 paw read.  Plus, I really never get tired of looking at the cover.


Now hear me out.  If you follow my blog, you know I love Prince so I would automatically love this book.  But I really thought Mayte would end up trashing Prince and that she wrote the book just to capitalize on his death.  I was thrilled to be wrong and this book is a beautiful look at the creator of "The Beautiful Ones."


I received this book for review and to be honest, I still see hair when I look at the cover (and not a shredded tape).  However, I'm glad I stuck with it because it ended up being a really good read centering around a mix tape - I remember those days fondly!


I probably would have never given this book a second glance but I grabbed it from First to Read and felt I should give it a go and not waste my hard-earned points.  I really ended up liking this book and am glad I did chose to grab it.


I put off reading this book forever and almost didn't pick it up.  Man, to think I would have missed out.  I LOVED this 5 paw read and am counting the days until the release of its sequel.

So, have you read any of these?  I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with this week!

38 comments:

  1. At first glance I don't think I would have picked up any of them...lol. It's fun finding a gem when you're not sure it will be.

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    1. I think you would enjoy Akata Witch. It kind of gives me Harry Potter vibes without being a rip off of Harry Potter.

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  2. Dear Daughter has my attention! Very very cool list, Barb!

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    1. Yes, you should give it a chance. I really think you would enjoy it. I had fun with this list and could have probably did all 10 but had some time constraints!

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  3. I love when sticking with books that you aren't sure about pays off!!

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  4. I love this feature of yours because I always add great books to my TBR! Like Akata Witch! That one is going on it for sure! :)

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    1. Read it....NOW! And when you're finished, what happened to Certain Dark Things? It definitely fits into your current darker theme.

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  5. I still love the cover of You Were Here, and one day I hope to read it. Also I love that your list is only "five."

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    1. I remembered how much you loved the cover when I was posting this.

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  6. It's always good to find books you like more than expected!

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  7. I struggled so much with the violence in Akata Witch that I never finished it. I wonder if I should try it again?!

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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    1. Violence in books doesn't bother me too much. It's the news that scares me nowadays.

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  8. I haven't read any of these, but two are on my TBR pile: The Big Rewind and Akata Witch. I am so glad you ended up liking them!

    Have a great day!

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  9. Wow, all new to me books to explore!!

    Here's a link to my TTT post this week:
    https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/09/top-ten-tuesday-ten-books-that-were.html

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    1. Seems bookworms are always finding more books to explore huh?

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  10. I love books that surprise me and you have some interesting ones.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  11. I haven't read any of these but I am kind of mad at my self for not picking Akata Witch when it was on First to Read.

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    1. To think I almost skipped reading it. And the next one comes out next month!

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  12. I was a little confused looking at the cover of The Big Rewind because like you, I was not seeing shredded tape! The description of it sounds awesome though, I'm wondering now what a story based around a mix tape would look like! Pretty interesting, I'm sure.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. I remember the days of mix tapes. Still recall one I made for my husband when we were dating of alternative music. Those were the days.

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  13. Oh yay, I am so glad that you ended up liking them after all! Akata Witch looks SO good, one that I really want to read at some point. Oh, and I agree with The Big Rewind- it isn't a very clear picture! Great list :)

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    1. Yes, pick up Akata Witch. And the sequel comes out next month too!

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  14. I'd love to read the one about Prince! And that all of these ended up being worth the push to finish them, that's why I can't DNF a book.

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    1. It was a great read and I think I devoured it in 2 days. Finally, someone who "gets" why I have trouble DNF'ing. I seriously would have missed out on some great books. The struggle is real!

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  15. You Were Here does have a nice cover. And I'm glad the Prince book turned out good.

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    1. Yes and I got a new Prince preorder yesterday - more Prince in my life - yyyeeessss!

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  16. Glad they ended up working out. I haven't read any of them.

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  17. I also struggled with Dear Daughter, but MY GOD, that payout was worth it! For a while the author had a second book showing on Goodreads as coming soon, but it's been taken down - a shame, because I loved her writing style.

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    1. I know, I was so glad I actually gave it a chance.

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  18. Thanks for the reminder of Akata Witch. I remember your lovely review, but I forgot to put it on my list!

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    1. Yes, definitely read it. I can't wait for the next one.

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  19. I think I've only seen that last one. Yay for some surprises!

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