Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Top Ten Books That Surprised Me
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: January 18th, 2024
Review Coming Soon
Why It Surprised Me: I wasn’t expecting this to be as funny as it was – it’s a very British type of humour, too, which I personally found delightful, and I loved the overall vibe of the MC. Probably helped by the excellent narration from Nathan Foad in the audiobook.
The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners by Seumas Milne
Genre: Non-Fiction – History – Politics
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: December 1st, 1994
Review
Why It Surprised Me: I’m not ignorant to politics and the right’s attempts to squash the left, but I think what struck me about this is how they reuse the same playbook – and people fall for it? This book is really enlightening in the way the miners’ unions were targeted and certain figureheads were branded as enemies by the state – it’s not one I’m going to forget, that’s for sure.
Jacked Up by Latrexa Nova
Genre: Dark Romance – Paranormal – Horror
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: November 24th, 2023
Review
Why It Surprised Me: I really didn’t expect to love this sentient object romance about a possessed Jack-in-the-box quite as much as I did, but when I say I could barely put it down, I mean it. There was so much here that took me by surprise, not just in the content but in the way it all came together. It was a wild ride, and I loved every second.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: August 23rd, 2022
Review
Why It Surprised Me: You will have seen me mention this quite a few times on the blog now, and for good reason – it really surprised me how warm this book was, and how sweet the message beneath it, about kindness and community and empathy. A brilliantly wonderful book with a huge heart.
Becoming Human by Holly Gray
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: September 21st, 2020
Review
Why It Surprised Me: Similarly to The Very Secret Society, I’ve mentioned this here quite a few times now, and it’s because, like that book, it was so warm and with such a kind message at its core, it really left a lasting impact.
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: May 31st, 2022
Review
Why It Surprised Me: The ending. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
Genre: Historical Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: January 1st, 1935
Review
Why It Surprised Me: I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, and I didn’t expect it to hold up as well as it has!
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: July 8th, 2014
Review
Why It Surprised Me: This is the only negative one on the list – for all I’d heard of this book before reading it, I honestly thought I was about to discover a new favourite. Unfortunately, my experience of reading this was more like when I read Twilight – I really, really didn’t like it. A surprising disappointment.
The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
Genre: Historical
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: May 2nd, 2019
Review
Why It Surprised Me: When I read this, I didn’t really read a whole lot of Historical fiction, and I think this book really gave me the nudge I needed to explore the genre more. It’s very gothic and completely engrossing, and Macneal is an excellent writer.
The Awakening & The Struggle by L.J. Smith
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Age: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: January 1st, 1991
Why It Surprised Me: This is technically two books but I read them as one, so I’m including them as one – these surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to enjoy them as much as I did. They’re not the best written books in the world, but they’re incredibly fun, and I was also surprised by how much groundwork was here that would make its way into the TV show. It’s a series I definitely keep meaning to go back to, at least for the books written by Smith.
As always, I’d love to hear what kind of books surprised you the most – in both good and bad ways!
Unwrapping Words 