TTT: Books I Am Glad I Read

Top Ten Tuesday: The question of the day is 'what are some books titles you've read that you hated but are glad you read?' I couldn't think of a single book that I hated so much that I would finish it and then be glad I read it. So I am twisting the prompt to be:

Books ( or series) I am glad I read, though at first I was daunted by them.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Read my review. The whole thing is about how I overcame my fear of this book, the most famous example of magical realism ever written. Now it is one of my favorites.

The Inheritance Cycle series (Eragon) by Christopher Paolini

Each of the books in the series gets longer and longer: Eragon-503 p.; Eldest-704 p.; Brisingr- 748 p; Inheritance- 849 pgs.  The books are full of unpronounceable names and locations. There is a cast of characters as long as my arm. And yet, I loved every moment spent in Alagaësia with the dragons and their riders.

A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Conner

These are by far the most memorable short stories I have ever read. I often think of them in strange or odd moments. I don't usually read short stories

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I was (still am, a bit) very intimidated by Dickens. his books are so long and are so famous. The longer I delayed reading anything my the author, the more intimidated I felt. I finally read GE and pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

I went to the launch party for this book but I didn't read it until a year later. Why? I felt so daunted by its length. 827 pages.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I am an Austen fan and an Austen reader but so some reason I kept putting off reading this, her least popular book. When I finally did read it I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. In fact I thought it was very well done.

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Years ago I was asked by an administrator to read Bless Me, Ultima because there was a controversy about the book. Before I got around to it, she read it and told me I didn't have to. From that point forward I was both drawn toward and yet fearful of the book. When I finally read it, I was blown away.  It is another magical realism tale. Not to be missed.

 The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

When this book was selected as a book club read, I was skeptical that I would like it. It is long. It is nonfiction. It is about crew racing. I ended up simply loving it. I even reread it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

I don't know why, but I really dragged my feet about reading this book after two students recommended it to me. When I finally did, I couldn't believe how good it was.

The Old Kingdom/Abhorsen series by Garth Nix

Sabriel, Lireal, Abhorsen, Clariel, and Goldenhand make up the Old Kingdom series which has become one of my favorite fantasy series ever. A librarian suggested I read it when I first started my job but it took years for me to finally get started and then I couldn't stop. I just read Goldenhand in January of this year to complete the series. Love it!