"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, May 23, 2016

TTT: I feel differently about these books now


Today's Top Ten Tuesday deals with my changing opinion about books over time. 

1. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James...I initially gave the book a 3 rating. I am such a huge Jane Austen fan and I didn't think the book lived up to the her standards.  I have since seen the movie and I liked it a lot. I have reassembled my thinking on the book based on the movie.

2. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin...We read this book for book club. I was so put off because the author didn't use traditional punctuation such as quotation marks. I rated the book a 3 at the time. Everyone else in the club really liked the book and we had a fabulous discussion. By the end of the club, I had already upgraded my rating.

3. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh...this was also a book club selection and I was so irritated by the main character I gave the book a 3 rating. Since that time the book is often on my mind especially when I am in the mood for flowers.

4. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown...I can't believe I initially gave this book only a rating of 4. After the reread and meeting the author, it is certainly a 5+.

5. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrey by Gabrielle Zevin...I loved this book, gave it a 5 star rating. Months later I could barely remember the plot. I think 5 star books shouldn't be so easily forgettable.

6. Glory O'Brien's History of the World by A.S. King...see the above comment. Same for this book.

7.  The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings...This classic novel has simmered very well. I rated it initially at a four but it deserves higher than that. All my memories of the book are positive.

8. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes...I like this book fine but actually not as much as I initially thought.


11 comments:

  1. I always wonder if I'd like Me Before You as much if I reread it! :-) Great list. :-)

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  2. I haven't yet seen the TV production but I couldn't even get through Death Comes to Pemberley! I like P.D. James but thought she really struggled bring Austen's characters to life. I have heard that the mini-series is great though and I love the idea behind the book.

    Good point, that 5 star books really should be memorable. I think sometimes books hit you at just the right time and work perfectly. I give those books 5 stars with the understanding that it may not be reflection of the book's quality but on my it was the right book at the right time. Finally, I really enjoy when discussion makes me see a book in a new light!

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  3. I have seen The Storied Life of AJ Fikry around for a while, but never picked it up. I agree with you though that 5 stars should be memorable. I like how you used the arrows. :)

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  4. Maybe we should go back and re-rate our books a year, two years, ten years later.

    http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/05/funny-how-time-changes-things_24.html

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  5. You've highlighted the reasons why it's so wonderful to reread books - we bring different experiences to each reread it can be like reading a completely new story!

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  6. I still want to see the adaptation of Death Comes to Pemberly, but I actually dnf'd the book.

    Thanks for visiting my blog earlier.

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  7. The only title I'm familiar with is Me Before You though I haven't read it I've been going back and forth when I see the movie trailer.

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  8. I have not read Death Comes to Pemberley, even though I'm a huge Austen fan, because I have heard such mixed reviews. I think I can definitely take the time to watch the film, though!

    I sometimes also read books that I really like at the time, but cannot remember that well later--one of the benefits of reviewing books is that it instantly refreshes the memory!

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  9. I'd really like to read Me Before You because the movie looks beautiful. But first I have to actually take the time to READ it! :)

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  10. I need to see Death Comes to Pemberley, as it's been on my list of things to watch.;)
    I haven't read The Yearling yet.. I need to add it to my TBR list!

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  11. Ooh, I loved your idea with the up/down arrows! I probably should've done something like that, but this week's TTT theme was hard for me to begin with. Me Before You has been on my radar for a while, even before the movie trailer and stuff. I've been on the fence about reading it. I'm sure it's good, but I just don't know if I have the emotional capacity to deal with a punch to the gut, lol.

    Brittany @ Space Between the Spines

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