(This meme is hosted by Ginger of GReads. Click the image to head over and participate in the Q&A fun!)
Today’s question is: Which books did you have reservations about reading, but ended up loving once you did?
Like many readers, I tend to stay within a certain comfort zone; it’s nice to open a book knowing you’ll like it, and worrisome when you are recommended something that you’re afraid to waste your precious reading time on. Fortunately there are some times when getting out of that circle of safety results in reading something that makes you supremely happy.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Although I saw a copy of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (the first in the series) at a bookshop first, it wasn’t until after I saw the film adaptation a year or so later that I sought out the book series. Something about the cover seemed dull, and I was worried that reading (what was marketed as) a Middle Grade fiction would drive me nuts. Boy, was I wrong!
Ash – I’d been through a spate of poorly-crafted fairy tale adaptations, and Ash was my final attempt at reading something good before giving up the whole genre. Author Malinda Lo crafted a fantastic story that mixed traditional and contemporary elements, and I loved the twist at the end.
The Sugar Queen – This one made me nervous because one review I read said I’d enjoy it if I like “slightly romantic fluffy reads.” Turns out it was anything but fluffy, and much more than slightly romantic. One of my biggest reading surprises of the year.
The Princess Curse – More Middle Grade fiction I thought I’d hate, and really I only stuck it out to find out what the curse was. That discovery, however, was like a launch pad, and the story quickly shot up in my estimation. Hello mythology and a surprisingly intelligent, kind, resourceful main character!
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – This one was way out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The writing was amazing, the history fascinating, and the ending well executed (no matter what anyone else says).
Anyone else read any of these? What did you think?
Oooh, I’ve got the Sugar Queen on my list for the Pay It Sideways Challenge! I read a great review of it that made me want to read it, but it really didn’t sound like my sort of thing! I’m extra looking forward to reading it now!
I’m also thinking of getting a Percy Jackson book, so glad that’s a good one too!
I was nervous about The Sugar Queen too, but it wasn’t as fluffy as I thought it was going to be. I highly recommend it, as well as everything written by Rick Riordan: the Percy Jackson series and its spin-off; the Egyptian series; and the mystery series he wrote during the 80s and 90s (for adults). He’s a great writer.