5 books I wouldn't normally choose but loved anyway
This post may be cheating slightly as three of these books I was forced to read for my modules at Uni. But that doesn't mean to say, I didn't love them. In fact they were brilliant, proving how you can't always judge a book by its cover, no matter how much you want to. Because hey- in publishing, books get more sales when they have more attractive covers. Irony, huh?
#1: The Kite Runner
Now this is a pretty popular book, it even has its own movie, but this is a classic example of a book I wouldn't pick for myself to read.
Why? For one thing, I'm not big on classicy-type novels or reading about foreign cultures. And that's not me being stereotypical but based upon previous experience where I have found myself to be quite outcast from the books narrative. The same could be argued, technically, for this book, but, I don't know whether it's my age or whether my tastes have changed, I did find this a lot easier to read. The book at points had me gripped, filled with emotion. (And yes, I'll admit it. I even cried). It's definitely something I expected to hate but now can't stop raving about. If you're a skeptic (like me) I highly recommend you give this a read and see whether your opinion changes slightly.
#2: Purple Hibiscus
Despite my previous success with the kite-runner, I still had some forthcoming's when it came to having to read this book. First of all, the blurb didn't entice me. AT ALL. And second, the cover made it look like it was some Virgin Mary reincarnated type- which isn't my cup of tea. But I bared my teeth and prepared to fight my way through this book.
But to my surprise, I really enjoyed it and finished it within a few days. I think it's such an important book regarding religion, rebellion and domestic abuse that I almost can't believe I didn't want to read this in the first place. Yes, it still has a lot of Virgin Mary religious stuff inputted all the way throughout but not in the sense of trying to force Christianity or any religion on you. It is genuinely an interesting and heart wrenching read and you should go buy it right now!
#3: Once Upon A Time in the East (no relation to blog name)
Haha, whoops. Another foreign writer. Perhaps by now I may have changed my tune? No. Whilst I didn't go into this book with any scepticism, I still had some worries that it wouldn't live up to the previous two books, especially since this book was actually for another module I was studying.
I'll admit. This wasn't my favourite book out of the three, but it is still an amazing book. It's the true life story of author and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo who lost her Chinese citizenship for just trying to find creative freedom. It's a beautiful book that will batter your heart (fair warning) but it provides an amazing insight into what life in China is really like. Plus it's got all the amazing qualities of a great story.
#4: Confessions of a shopoholic
Ok, so this one is a bit different. I've read this series several times, probably from a much younger age than should of been appropriate for the books. But from a young age, I've always been an advanced and mature reader, I started reading my mums books once I ran out of my own soon after I turned 10.
So this was one of those I picked up in my boredom. I never imagined I would like a book like this, for some reason I believed it would be boring. I mean, I was barely interested in fashion and I couldn't imagine finding how someone who was obsessed with fashion and buying stuff would be entertaining. But the personality behind the story is what captured me. I read the series as fast as I could get my hands on them. I wanted to know about the love story, the drama. I wanted to find the happy ending that I craved and still do. Part of me is still a young girl dreaming of her happy ending.
#5: Girl Online
Now this is a controversial one. Zoe Sugg's (better known as Zoella) book is considered a marvel to both teens and young adults but also a betrayal to the community of writers as it has been shown that Zoella didn't write the whole book but had a ghost writer helping her.
In my opinion, it doesn't matter. Good writing is good writing and good branding is just business. However, there are hundreds of examples of Zoella working towards the book as the whole novel are based around her ideas and initial writing. Ignoring all that, I wasn't sure I would actually like this book. There were many mixed reviews that put me off wanting to read it. Mainly as it was just written off as another teen romance novel. However, when I actually read the book, I found I actually enjoyed it. The story focuses more to me on: mental health, toxic friendships/bullying and finding yourself.
So there it is. Five books I judged too quickly and ended up loving. Got any suggestions? Drop a comment below
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