Hype or Like Friday: December 2nd

Hype or Like Friday is a meme created by Larkin, Britt and Jill . Check out the Goodreads group to know more about it and stay up to date with the weekly discussions and book of the month.

Book of the month: A Thousand Pieces of You

December 2nd 2016 : Pleasant Surprise – What books did you read in 2016 that you weren’t expecting much from but ending up completely loving? 

Some books talk to you before you’ve even opened them. The cover attracts you, the blurb intrigues you, the length scares you. But some books stay silent. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to read them. You just don’t expect much from them. You are neither eager or reluctant to pick them. It’s a blank. You might have chosen them because of the hype, thanks to a friend’s recommendation, or due to the successful marketing plan the story benefited from. It does not matter. You don’t have expectations, or they’re too low to be noticeable, like my interest for what shade of pink looks better on a wedding cake.

Then, out of nowhere, you’re wrapped up in a story. You care about characters. You refuse to go to bed until you reach the end. That’s love, my dear. Unexpected love. It knocks you off your feet and sends you into rehab to fight a book hangover you never saw coming. I am starting to believe it is the best kind of love. With anticipated reads, you start the book with the relationship level already high, you’re kind of cheating. But with surprises like the ones I am about to talk about, it’s fireworks and surprise dates with roses and champagne.

#1 Queen of Shadows

I had no intention on reading the Throne of Glass series. I remember stumbling across the cover on different blogs and thinking “No way.” I never fell in love with those covers. It was also categorized as fantasy and my last trip to Fantasy land had been Harry Potter. Go try to compare to that! Last but not least, a strong young assassin recruited to be the King’s champion?

Still, when Jill suggested I read it when I asked for recommendations, I thought “why not?”. This was strongly influenced by Liam’s brilliant and hilarious Throne of Glass read-along (find the fantastic Liam on @ Hey Ashers! ) So I dived into Throne of Glass and discovered a flawed story with an interesting bigger picture and an array of characters from which you could find someone to root for. Sort of. Okay, someone you would enjoy reading about a little more than the others. It took the series four book before it slapped me in the face. It hurt because the book is quite lengthy, at least in my opinion.

When I decided to buddy-read Queen of Shadows, I was not expecting anything. I was just curious about what would happen and if Lady Celaena would finally start being a badass. Yes, I snarked when I read it. Yes, I complained about some senses being overused (I don’t want to keep reading about people’s smell.)

But I soon forgot those niggles to face battles, great characters developments, and a story that finally made sense. I forgave the author for killing a character I liked (the only one I had actually really liked …) and for destroying the ship I was rooting for. I actually had fun. Lots of fun. It is hard for me to admit I loved Queen of Shadows.

#2 The Maze Runner

Some titles get mentioned only as a reference for a bad book. I had only heard one blogger say they had actually liked The Maze Runner. All others seemed to agree on how this book could easily be forgotten. When so many opinions are similar, I grow suspicious. The blurb sounded good enough, the green of the cover was not appealing but hey, kiwis look ugly but they taste good. Curiosity made me pick The Maze Runner with low expectations.

Why all the hate, mate???

What did The Maze Runner do to deserve this reputation? The first book in the series had me rushing late to work because I just couldn’t stop reading. I loved it all. The maze, the idea behind it, the community and its different characters. Taken separately from the others, this book was a real discovery. I was in love.

I wish the author hadn’t destroyed everything with the second and third book. I heard The Fever Code was good so I’ll give it a try and hope to see my love reignited.

#3 Rebecca

If you’ve been around, you know classics are not my best friends. I’d never take them out to the park or eat a waffle with them.

I am a bit ashamed to say Rebecca ended up in my TBR because I liked the name. Okay, it was not the only reason for me to decide to read it. I had heard it was a different kind of classics. The one you can really enjoy. I was skeptical. Very skeptical. For me, the only use for a classic was to put you to sleep or knock you off with intricate never-ending sentences filled with weird metaphors and images your brain can’t process.

When I did not yawn after the first chapter, I thought there was hope. I thought maybe I’d found the only old book that would keep me awake. I thought miracles were uncommon but might happen. Then I don’t remember anything because I was too engrossed in the story to even take a minute to realize I was actually tremendously enjoying a classic. I loved Rebecca. The mystery, the gothic atmosphere, the writing. I understood Rebecca. I loved Rebbeca. I saw a miracle happen right before my eyes.

This is the story how i found love in places I was not expecting it to be. It fell on me like snow on my car the day before an exam.

Did you fall in love with a book for which you had no or low expectations this year? Has a story ever surprised you with waves of unexpected love? Has 2016 brought you a pleasant surprise?