Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books That Were Totally Deceiving...
...those covers or titles that don't fit the books, a book that was totally different than its summary, or those books you thought were going to be fluff that turned out to be more serious etc etc...
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.
Okay so most of these are going to be Austenesque books because I'm often surprised by the craft that goes into them...
1. Definitely Not Mr. Darcy, by Karen Doornebos
This was the most surprising book of 2011 for me. I couldn't believe how good it was considering it was a romance novel in the modern-woman-loves-Austen vein.
2. The Toy Collector, by James Gunn
Cute cover, but not as funny as I'd expected it to me. Less fun, more damaged psyche.
3. Willoughby's Return, by Jane Odiwe
It was neither dry nor tawdry...one of those perfect Austen follow-ups that you don't expect.
4. Children of Paranoia, by Trevor Shane
If I hadn't received this as an ARC, I would not have read it. The cover doesn't appeal and the blurb on the back does not appeal, but dammit it's a good book.
5. Silver Girl, by Elin Hilderbrand
I was expecting somewhat tawdry romance, but it was actually a pretty solid narrative.
6. Pemberley Ranch, by Jack Caldwell
An adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that took other Austen books into account as well. Well-written, funny, and also really-well done as a work of historical fiction.
7. Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, by Maile Meloy
Short stories that never quite take off. The cover looks cool, but what's inside was mostly boring.
8. Changó's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes, by William Kennedy
I think the cover is beautiful but, after having read the novel, I don't get the cover.
9. Fezariu's Epiphany, by David Brown
I feel like the cover makes the book look like it's gonna be way better than it actually is.
10. Kama Sutra, attributed to Vatsyayana
This seems silly, but it's not. The cover is representative of what the actual Kama Sutra is not, it's representative of the commercialization of the Kama Sutra, but the inside of this edition is all basically ways to trick someone into having sex with you.
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Great list. I'm going to have to check out a few of the Austen follow-ups you've listed, especially Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed both 'Definitely not Mr. Darcy' and 'Willoughby's Return' - both were very well written!
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