Pleasant Surprises: Books That Exceeded Our Expectations
- List of the Month
- August 2022 (see all)
- Description
- Our List of the Month this August is devoted to those pleasant surprises that come into our reading lives—books that exceeded our expectations, and ending up providing far more enjoyment than we thought they would. Each participant may vote on ten titles.
1
11,331 members
691 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 88.26
Added 2022-08-09, 05:14 PM
- 25 Members
- dara85, erinclark, knerd.knitter, raidergirl3, terran, LDVoorberg, MaryKay1822, deldevries, bogopea, Bethlehem_PL_NH, nagasravika.bodapati, ahef1963, rmarcin, saraLucilleIngram, clunardelli, HH_Library, Alexandro69, Tadams862, VioletL, finnleyjames, RMiller30, conhauf, rvd0359, moc2902, dandalf
2
- 17 Members
- timspalding, raidergirl3, perennialreader, Localhostess, nancjones, nagasravika.bodapati, bookmuse56, CKHarwood, larocco, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, ErinBraam, HH_Library, VioletL, ConantheLibrarianJr, dandalf, Craftybilda
- Explanations
- perennialreader: I don't read much in the way of Science Fiction but read a review and thought I would give it a try.bookmuse56: I could not put down this book and it felt so real to me and I kept wondering what I would in the various situations.ConantheLibrarianJr: Great "hard" Science Fiction. The book reminded me that if you are marooned on Mars, humor is your most important survival skill.
3
- 12 Members
- kxn11, magneticvoyager, RBeffa, elkiedee, nancjones, ominogue, bookmuse56, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, VioletL, dandalf
- Explanations
- elkiedee: I had no particular expectations of this book but picked it up because it was shortlisted for an award and it was excellent.bookmuse56: I fell in with the writing, the time period, and the characters - perfect for armchair travelers.
4
18,919 members
886 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 40.89
Added 2022-08-08, 07:07 PM
- 13 Members
- 3togetready, terran, deldevries, RBeffa, bogopea, nagasravika.bodapati, kara.shamy, pacificquest, HH_Library, somca, conhauf, rvd0359, dandalf
5
- 13 Members
- dara85, magneticvoyager, noveltea, Dammie, HeatherMoss, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, Yarnucopia, steller0707, darsaster, pacificquest, VioletL, RMiller30, dandalf
6
- 13 Members
- erinclark, CDVicarage, kxn11, dewasus1, HeatherMoss, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, ManWithAnAgenda, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, HH_Library, Ann_R, RMiller30, dandalf
7
by M. R. Carey
5,376 members
406 reviews
4
Score 37.47
Added 2022-08-09, 02:53 AM
- 13 Members
- timspalding, anglemark, erinclark, magneticvoyager, PitcherBooks, nagasravika.bodapati, kara.shamy, HeatherMoss, CKHarwood, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, moc2902
- Explanations
- anglemark: I don't like zombie stories. Color me surprised at how good this book was!
8
by Betty Smith
16,594 members
443 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 34.57
Added 2022-08-12, 09:41 AM
- 11 Members
- erinclark, kxn11, dewasus1, Cecrow, MaryKay1822, kamgem, pussreboots, Yarnucopia, pacificquest, maewharton, Craftybilda
9
43,339 members
1,752 reviews
4
Score 29.18
Added 2022-08-08, 08:05 PM
- 10 Members
- pgmcc, knerd.knitter, deldevries, perennialreader, JuliaMaria, nagasravika.bodapati, Dammie, HH_Library, finnleyjames, ConantheLibrarianJr,EMS_24 ,Thelamon1
- Explanations
- EMS_24 : It's all about expectations and what you like in a bookperennialreader: Not my kind of book at all, but I took a chance and have read the whole series, even the ones by David Lagercrantz. Just love the Lisbeth Salander character.JuliaMaria: Ich habe die Serie erst gelesen als der Hype vorbei war - und war dann traurig, dass ich sie nicht doch früher schon für mich entdeckt hatte.ConantheLibrarianJr: Powerful. What Solander goes thru is horrific, but she proves she is more than just a heroine. She is a survivor!
10
4,528 members
228 reviews
4
Score 28.31
Added 2022-08-09, 12:09 AM
- 9 Members
- mahsdad, magneticvoyager, LDVoorberg, nancjones, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, saraLucilleIngram, pacificquest, VioletL, conhauf
11
12
25,678 members
436 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 25.13
Added 2022-08-10, 03:58 AM
- 8 Members
- Minthe, CDVicarage, amanda4242, deldevries, nagasravika.bodapati, CKHarwood, pacificquest, ElizaAnderson
13
by Amor Towles
9,258 members
522 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 24.9
Added 2022-08-12, 06:34 PM
- 8 Members
- raidergirl3, CDVicarage, LDVoorberg, CarltonC, nagasravika.bodapati, Yarnucopia, steller0707, HH_Library
- Explanations
- LDVoorberg: A long book set in Russia?! I kept expecting tragedy upon tragedy but I got the enjoyable, daily happenings of a gentleman in a hotel!CarltonC: I didn’t expect that I would find this as unexpected, seemingly short and warm hearted as it is.
14
3,156 members
94 reviews
½ 3.6
Score 24.59
Added 2022-08-08, 06:47 PM
- 8 Members
- RBeffa, Porua, elkiedee, Smits, kara.shamy, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, Xotomix, RMiller30
- Explanations
- Porua: I rarely read books I know nothing of, from authors I know nothing of. Both were true for this book and yet I not only read and enjoyed it, I actually bought a print copy of it.
15
12,894 members
338 reviews
4.1
Score 23.43
Added 2022-08-10, 04:01 AM
- 9 Members
- Minthe, erinclark, CDVicarage, LDVoorberg, bogopea, nagasravika.bodapati, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, pacificquest, Yuki-Onna
16
- 7 Members
- Minthe, magneticvoyager, cherpy, Yarnucopia, steller0707, Patricia.Ralston, conhauf
17
17,263 members
911 reviews
4
Score 22.12
Added 2022-08-10, 09:11 PM
- 8 Members
- erinclark, CDVicarage, noveltea, kara.shamy, rmarcin, pacificquest, RMiller30, dandalf
18
- 7 Members
- knerd.knitter, kleo, dougb56586, Localhostess, kara.shamy, nyowh, dandalf
19
41,358 members
1,051 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 19.34
Added 2022-08-11, 04:05 PM
- 6 Members
- timspalding, sundancer, CKHarwood, larocco, RMiller30, ConantheLibrarianJr
20
- 6 Members
- Minthe, MaryKay1822, amy_g, nagasravika.bodapati, HeatherMoss, saraLucilleIngram
21
- 6 Members
- CarltonC, vwinsloe, kara.shamy, nyowh, Algernon11, dandalf
- Explanations
- CarltonC: Wowed by the imaginative rewriting of the epic from a different perspective and in such readable prose.
22
27,073 members
779 reviews
3.9
Score 17.09
Added 2022-08-09, 05:01 AM
- 7 Members
- CDVicarage, amanda4242, Vegas_Fiber_Arts, ManWithAnAgenda, Boand, steller0707, RMiller30,Thelamon1
- Explanations
- Boand: Original tales of magic, madness and mystery set in the early C19th. Clarke constructs a fantasy world like no other where customs and fey characters collide. Endless fun and brilliant imaginative twists make this a book to cherish.
23
2,642 members
171 reviews
4.2
Score 16.18
Added 2022-08-11, 05:22 PM
- 5 Members
- 3togetready, librookian, magneticvoyager, nancjones, Vegas_Fiber_Arts
24
52,995 members
1,300 reviews
4.2
Score 15.29
Added 2022-08-17, 12:38 PM
- 6 Members
- dara85, erinclark, MaryKay1822, HH_Library, DoomLuz, dandalf
25
by Alan Bradley
7,782 members
657 reviews
3.8
Score 14.56
Added 2022-08-09, 04:57 AM
- 6 Members
- raidergirl3, terran, LDVoorberg, PitcherBooks, kara.shamy, Boand,EMS_24
- Explanations
- LDVoorberg: You must listen to the audiobook: the narrator makes the series amazing.Boand: Another recommendation of a whodunnit led me to the first of this quirky series and sealed it as one of my all time favourites. What’s not to love about a pesky teenage girl who beats the grownups at their own games, negotiates troublesome sisters and adores her father while they all mourn her mother and saves Britain from evil masterminds.
26
6,771 members
287 reviews
4.1
Score 14.54
Added 2022-08-10, 11:21 PM
- 5 Members
- merrystar, msemmag, Patricia.Ralston, VioletL, RMiller30
27
- 5 Members
- 3togetready, bookmuse56, rmarcin, saraLucilleIngram, HH_Library
- Explanations
- bookmuse56: Just a wonderful read that I finished in one sitting!
28
19,510 members
1,249 reviews
4.2
Score 13.52
Added 2022-08-18, 04:30 PM
- 5 Members
- raidergirl3, MaryKay1822, Patricia.Ralston, darsaster, HH_Library
29
3,441 members
252 reviews
3.8
Score 12.5
Added 2022-08-13, 04:42 AM
- 4 Members
- igorken, pussreboots, steller0707, DoomLuz
30
- 4 Members
- ominogue, ahef1963, steller0707, finnleyjames
31
- 4 Members
- hipdeep, RBeffa, elkiedee, saraLucilleIngram
- Explanations
- hipdeep: My only other experience of Hemingway was The Old Man And The Sea, which bored me to tears. But these autobiographical vignettes were captivating.
32
- 4 Members
- erinclark, MaryKay1822, Bethlehem_PL_NH, ManWithAnAgenda
33
13,939 members
351 reviews
4.2
Score 11.03
Added 2022-08-11, 05:51 PM
- 4 Members
- cherpy, Bethlehem_PL_NH, gypsysmom, steller0707
34
3,079 members
197 reviews
3.8
Score 10.7
Added 2022-08-13, 12:23 AM
- 4 Members
- kleo, amanda4242, noveltea, kara.shamy
35
50,615 members
452 reviews
½ 4.5
Score 10.31
Added 2022-08-11, 04:05 PM
- 4 Members
- timspalding, kleo, dewasus1, Patricia.Ralston
36
2,794 members
173 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 10.31
Added 2022-08-08, 04:26 PM
- 3 Members
- anglemark, saraLucilleIngram, Tosta
- Explanations
- anglemark: A nice surprise after the boring feelgood The long way to a small, angry planet
37
107,692 members
988 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 10.07
Added 2022-08-11, 04:06 PM
- 4 Members
- timspalding, MaryKay1822, Bethlehem_PL_NH, Patricia.Ralston
38
by Walter Moers
2,957 members
88 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 10.04
Added 2022-08-09, 09:36 AM
- 4 Members
- kleo, PitcherBooks, TechThing, VioletL
39
20,548 members
797 reviews
4.2
Score 9.91
Added 2022-08-16, 06:10 PM
- 4 Members
- erinclark, PitcherBooks, MaryKay1822, RMiller30
40
5,280 members
152 reviews
4.2
Score 9.87
Added 2022-08-09, 03:42 PM
41
5,853 members
338 reviews
3.9
Score 9.85
Added 2022-08-12, 09:35 AM
- 4 Members
- Localhostess, kara.shamy, BornAnalog, steller0707
- Explanations
- BornAnalog: One of the few books that everyone talked up to me, and then it actually delivered. And then some.
42
4,891 members
63 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 9.74
Added 2022-08-10, 09:27 PM
- 3 Members
- aprille, ahef1963, maewharton
43
5,559 members
362 reviews
4.1
Score 9.71
Added 2022-08-11, 06:21 PM
- 3 Members
- Her_Royal_Orangeness, msemmag, barefootsong
44
by C. S. Lewis
17,554 members
153 reviews
4.1
Score 9.5
Added 2022-08-23, 11:32 AM
- 3 Members
- hipdeep, SF_fan_mae, msemmag
- Explanations
45
46
5,742 members
265 reviews
4
Score 9.14
Added 2022-08-10, 04:03 AM
- 3 Members
- Minthe, TheDivineOomba, CKHarwood
47
- 3 Members
- Micheller7, raidergirl3, CDVicarage
48
by Thomas King
1,157 members
28 reviews
4
Score 8.98
Added 2022-08-11, 05:53 PM
49
- 3 Members
- Moomin_Mama, knerd.knitter, CDVicarage
50
- 3 Members
- Localhostess, Boand, conhauf
- Explanations
- Boand: As a Londoner born and bred the Thames is part of my heritage and consciousness. Ackroyd weaves a wonderful historical journey covering millennia as well as miles as he follows the river from source to sea. It’s a really fascinating and captivating book which was a joy to read. For those who are interested there is also an accompanying TV series with highlights from the book and wonderful camera work.
51
52
3,492 members
196 reviews
3.9
Score 8.46
Added 2022-08-08, 08:16 PM
- 3 Members
- perennialreader, bogopea, kara.shamy
- Explanations
- perennialreader: I did not like Eat, Pray, Love but someone recommended this one and I actually like it.
53
- 3 Members
- CDVicarage, Cecrow, dougb56586
54
4,069 members
226 reviews
4.2
Score 8.38
Added 2022-08-11, 04:20 PM
55
- 3 Members
- erinclark, tina1969, Bethlehem_PL_NH
56
39,629 members
1,273 reviews
4.1
Score 8.05
Added 2022-08-14, 10:27 AM
57
988 members
70 reviews
4.2
Score 8
Added 2022-08-10, 09:08 PM
58
- 3 Members
- 3togetready, terran, kxn11
59
- 3 Members
- Localhostess, Dilara86, msemmag
60
203 members
47 reviews
½ 3.6
Score 7.36
Added 2022-08-08, 09:02 PM
61
7,799 members
298 reviews
4.2
Score 7.26
Added 2022-08-11, 08:24 PM
- 3 Members
- steller0707, nyowh, VioletL
62
- 3 Members
- Boand, steller0707, conhauf
- Explanations
- Boand: A book that has a split dual timeline and an irresistible story of star crossed lovers. Byatt’s writing intrigues and compels across different centuries and compares how social mores shape our lives bringing joy, heartache and sorrow.
63
64
19,160 members
403 reviews
4.1
Score 7.04
Added 2022-08-11, 05:39 PM
- 2 Members
- Bethlehem_PL_NH, gypsysmom
65
- 2 Members
- nancjones, AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: I had no fixed ideas going into this book, and certainly did not expect it to be one of the best middle-grade novels I have ever read!
66
22 members
2 reviews
½ 4.7
Score 6.68
Added 2022-08-08, 04:09 PM
- 2 Members
- AbigailAdams26, alderwand
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: I expected to enjoy the artwork here, being an admirer of the illustrator (Frances Tyrrell), but I was surprised to find the story itself so beautifully-written and immensely poignant.
67
26,373 members
502 reviews
4.2
Score 6.56
Added 2022-08-30, 10:38 AM
- 2 Members
- Patricia.Ralston, elahrairah
- Explanations
- elahrairah: My girlfriend said I should read this. It didn't look like the sort of book I would even consider but I did and it was brilliant. It made me realise that there was whole swathes of literature that I was missing out on because of my preconceived notions of what markets were being aimed for by covers, and that I had subconsciously coded whole swathes of literature as aimed at female audiences and ignored it. This was a bit of a shock, because I thought that I was an indiscriminate reader. It is always painful to learn things about yourself that you don't want to be true. I hope that I no longer ignore books that are marketed in a feminine way, and I make an effort to remember this whenever I am considering buying or reading a book. The novel is incredible, by the way.
68
- 2 Members
- cbl_tn, Patricia.Ralston
69
by Ruth Ozeki
4,490 members
253 reviews
4.1
Score 6.4
Added 2022-08-09, 07:48 AM
70
- 2 Members
- Her_Royal_Orangeness, msemmag
71
2,935 members
63 reviews
½ 3.4
Score 6.38
Added 2022-08-11, 11:27 AM
- 2 Members
- souloftherose, Patricia.Ralston
72
- 2 Members
- terriks, Patricia.Ralston
73
- 2 Members
- elkiedee, ManWithAnAgenda
- Explanations
- elkiedee: Read by mistake from the library when I was 14 and I think I thought it was something different, but I really loved this.
74
by George Eliot
8,760 members
119 reviews
3.8
Score 6.19
Added 2022-08-09, 12:24 PM
- 2 Members
- JalenV, ManWithAnAgenda
- Explanations
- JalenV: I picked it because it was a classic, but the characters and their stories were much more interesting than I expected. BTW The Wheat and the Tares chapter is old name for the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds.
75
- 2 Members
- Michael.Rimmer, alderwand
76
77
- 2 Members
- dewasus1, barefootsong
78
96 members
2 reviews
4
Score 6.04
Added 2022-08-12, 09:34 AM
- 2 Members
- BornAnalog, alderwand
- Explanations
- BornAnalog: Read this argument for an ethics-driven technology sector. . .and then contemplate how far that is from our current reality.
79
- 2 Members
- Micheller7, Ann_R
80
- 2 Members
- JuliaMaria, nyowh
- Explanations
- JuliaMaria: Geschichten mit Tieren als Hauptprotakonisten interessieren mich normalerweise weniger, deshalb war ich positiv über die philosophische Tiefe des Romans überrascht.
81
- 2 Members
- aprille, Patricia.Ralston
82
1,082 members
3 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 5.5
Added 2022-08-11, 11:26 AM
- 2 Members
- cpg, Yarnucopia
- Explanations
- cpg: Surprisingly successful devotional work.
83
5,576 members
194 reviews
4.1
Score 5.5
Added 2022-08-11, 08:58 PM
- 2 Members
- raidergirl3, barefootsong
84
by Hiro Arikawa
1,525 members
94 reviews
4.1
Score 5.5
Added 2022-08-20, 09:54 AM
85
87
- 2 Members
- noveltea, BornAnalog
88
by Elton John
1,255 members
42 reviews
4.2
Score 5.35
Added 2022-08-11, 08:23 PM
89
72,548 members
1,176 reviews
3.8
Score 5.29
Added 2022-08-22, 07:17 PM
90
- 2 Members
- CDVicarage, darsaster
91
- 2 Members
- knerd.knitter, barefootsong
92
by Jon Krakauer
14,128 members
317 reviews
4.2
Score 5.23
Added 2022-08-10, 09:29 PM
- 2 Members
- MaryKay1822, ahef1963
93
- 2 Members
- terran, Bethlehem_PL_NH
94
2,002 members
110 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 5.23
Added 2022-08-19, 03:31 PM
- 2 Members
- perennialreader, Her_Royal_Orangeness
95
1,271 members
21 reviews
½ 3.6
Score 5.23
Added 2022-08-09, 09:38 AM
96
- 2 Members
- TechThing, ManWithAnAgenda
97
98
- 2 Members
- Micheller7, sturlington
- Explanations
- sturlington: I thought this was a book about Shakespeare, but it was so much more than that--such a moving depiction of motherhood and grief.
99
by Zane Grey
1,808 members
62 reviews
½ 3.4
Score 5.02
Added 2022-08-18, 08:44 AM
- 2 Members
- aprille, perennialreader
100
- 2 Members
- cbl_tn, perennialreader