Pleasant Surprises: Books That Exceeded Our Expectations

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.

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.

elkiedee: This was chosen as a book group read and was an Orange Prize winner. I don't think I'd have picked up this book on the strength of the description - a middle aged man whose life's work is writing the definitive biography of former US President Richard Nixon. This wasn't a very recent read but I very much recommend it.

elkiedee: French A level set text - not the obvious choice for me as a 16 year old girl but I loved it, but in French - I dislike the English translation of this novel.

elkiedee: I sort of expected a very pro American view of the Korean war from this Chinese-American Lisa See. Not at all. Also a very absorbing Good Read.

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.

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.