Tuesday, October 2, 2018

My BOOkish Blog Hop: "What was a book you didn't expect to like, but did?"


Books are funny things. There's the old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover", but how many of us do exactly that? Or maybe it's not the cover--maybe we just hear a bit of the premise, and immediately we catch ourselves thinking "Oh no, I don't think I'm going to like this book." Even fervent readers like those of us at M.B.B.H. are not immune to such things! Just check out these answers!


Leslie Conzatti


Being such an avid reader, but not so well versed in picking out my own books for a long time meant that my exposure to really diverse books was limited at the beginning, and I tended to shy away from the books that looked to be shallow, girly, chick-lit types… which is sort of what I assumed for both Ruby Red and Cinder. At first sight, they looked to be along the lines of The Selection, which I very much did not enjoy, and for Ruby Red especially, when all that the blurb talks about is how “girl with unwanted destiny initially hates but then finds herself falling for hot guy with similar fate--Such adventure! Very kiss… Oh wow!” (I’m paraphrasing, of course!) I just assumed it would be another “Will-They-Won’t-They Junior!” but I decided to give it a chance--
Oh man, am I glad I did! Turns out the whole “teenage romance” thing was appropriately secondary to the true mystery that was the main thrust of the plot, and I could giggle at the shenanigans and smile every time certain secondary characters came onto the scene… Same with Cinder, I really hoped that it wasn’t another Selection (since both Cinder and The Selection profess to be inspired by the Cinderella story--a trope many teen girl novels love to reproduce again and again, with little to no gravity to it, just bubbly, airheaded characters and flouncy, poofy dresses and floating on rainbows and dancing hearts…) and was pleased beyond all reason to find out it wasn’t, and in fact the whole Lunar Chronicles series is full of hands-down the BEST fairy-tale re-tellings I have ever encountered!



Jo Linsdell www.JoLinsdell.com


I recently got sent a copy of Letters from Alice by Petrina Banfield from Harper Collins Publishers for review and whilst I did think I’d like it, I didn’t think it would blow me away the way it did. Seriously, this book was awesome!

About the book:

Two women. One secret. Will they be able to keep it under wraps?
It is a stormy evening in 1920s London. When newly qualified almoner, Alice, stepped into the home of Charlotte, a terrified teenager who has just given birth out of wedlock, she did not expect to make a pact that would change her life forever. Thrown into secrecy after an unexpected turn, Alice is determined to keep bewildered Charlotte and her newborn baby safe. But when a threatening note appears, she realises that Charlotte may need more protection than she first thought. But from who?
Based on extensive research into the archive material held at the London Metropolitan Archives, and enriched with lively social history and excerpts from newspaper articles, LETTERS FROM ALICE is a gripping and deeply moving tale, which brings the colourful world of 1920s London to life. Full of grit, mystery and hope, it will have readers enthralled from the very first page.

The author did a huge amount of research for this book and it shows. A great historical read that took me to 1920’s London. I loved the characters and how all the various storylines crossed over and came together. A real work of art. I highly recommend it.



Tania - The Bookworm Mummy  Tania-richardson.com

Earlier this year I got the change to read an ARC of Ash Princess, by Laura Sebastian, and I expected it to be riddled with a ton of YA fantasy tropes that would annoy me, written solely as a Throne of Glass et al type of thing. And to be honest, for the first few chapters, those opinions held. I found the main character to be annoying and dull, but am I glad I carried on reading! Of course Theo is meant to be appear dull and uninteresting - that is the part she’s been playing for years to keep herself alive. When the plot kicks in, and she has no choice but to start taking action, I realized I’d been taking in by her act too. Theo is a far more interesting character than Sebastian at first leads you to believe, and the plot plays out less predictably than you’d expect. And also, I’m a sucker for a little bit of forbidden, royal romance here and there! I’m glad I stuck with it, and I would totally recommend it to all YA Fantasy fans on the fence, like me!

What about you? Is there a book you didn't expect to like... but you ended up loving it? Share the title with us in the comments! And don't forget to return to the >Introductory Post< to see what other questions are coming this month! 

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