Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Top Ten Books That Lived Up To The Hype

 

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Artsy reader Girl. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted. Everyone is welcome to join. Link back so everyone can check out other bloggers' lists. It's a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers.

This week is top ten books that lived up to the hype.     



A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

My favorite book of A Song of Ice and Fire.  

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

This one definitely lived up to all the hype, although Catching Fire is my favorite of the series. And I finally read these recently thanks to Shannon at It Starts At Midnight!

Big Little Lies

I heard a lot of hype about this book and when I finally read it I was blown away- definitely lived up! 

City of the Lost (Casey Duncan, #1)

Same here- see above  

Dangerous Girls

Ditto. 

Fangirl

This is the only Rainbow Rowell book I've read, oddly, but it totally lived up to the hype. 

Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)

My favorite of the series hands down. 

One of Us is Lying

If anything this more than lived up to the hype- I was expecting a fairly pedestrian YA mystery and got very compelling characters. 

Radio Silence

I'd heard some great things about this one but it surprised me how great it was! 

The Shark Club

I saw a little pre- release buzz for this one, not a lot, but I was blown away by it and how it juggled several different balls without dropping them. 

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories

While not every story in this anthology worked for me, I still look back fondly on several of the stories- and would love to see more like this!

61 comments:

  1. I agree with a lot you have up there. I didn't think of Dangerous Girls but that totally lived up to the hype for me too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh nice! I loved Gemina and City of the Lost! Great picks!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm glad to see A Dance with Dragons on your list since that will be the next GRRM book I tackle. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't wait to see what you think of it!

      Delete
  4. I will read ANYTHING Liane Moriarty writes. Big Little Lies was my gateway LM book, and I have zero regrets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here. I read two of her books right after, based on that one.

      Delete
  5. Yes to GRRM and The Hunger Games! I had to put both authors on my list too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your Shark Club is like my Little Heaven - except for opposite reasons! I gotta see if my library has that book. I keep forgetting until I visit here, then I'm reminded all over again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha at this point if I DIDN'T include it on a list something would seem wrong :)

      Delete
  7. Love Illuminae and Gemina - still need to read the third one. I'm so with you on Dangerous Girls. Totally worth the hype! I still need to read Radio Silence and One of Us is Lying.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked Radio Silence. And Gemina- so fun!!!

      Delete
  8. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was such a lovely read! It kind of reminded me of everything I like about sci fi...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here, it became one of my favorite SF books overnight!

      Delete
  9. Big Little Lies was so good! It sucked me right in. And Fangirl has been on my TBR forever.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love that I have read and loved most of them. I always love your lists.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I absolutely love the Hunger Games series and of course GoT! Such a great list. Fangirl was so good too. I need to reread it. It has been a long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I might have to reread Fangirl too, it's been a few years now. And yes Hunger Games- so glad I finally read them!

      Delete
  12. The A Song of Ice and Fire books are great! I've no idea how he keeps track of so many characters and their personalities. I really hope we get another book (sometime) soon.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've been meaning to read the 'Summer Nights' anthology, but keep forgetting it in the hype of all the new releases every month. Maybe someday I finally will. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took me a while to get to it, but I enjoyed it (mostly)- like all anthologies, not every story worked, but there were several good ones.

      Delete
    2. I had favorites and those I DNF-ed in the Christmas anthology too. But the good ones made up for those. :)

      ...thanks for visiting Finding Wonderland, Greg.

      Delete
  14. yay! I did read some of them in fact too

    ReplyDelete
  15. I didn't really care for Illuminae (didn't help that I read it on a Kindle) but maybe I should try Gemina one of these days. In print though. Especially if you say it's the best in the series. There are just so many other books though!

    I liked The Hunger Games well enough to read it in Spanish as well as English. I hope they release the next book in The Song of Ice and Fire soon...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Illuminae wasn't super awesome for me either. Gemina I thought was MUCH better.

      And yes we need the next book!!!

      Delete
  16. The Hunger Games is a great pick. It definitely lived up to the hype... and then some. It’s like one the OG dystopians. Ha. Unpopular opinion time: I enjoyed Fangirl okay but I didn’t love it. Most of the time I was annoyed with Cath.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. I finally read THG and was not disappointed.

      You're not the only one- I know a lot of people weren't exactly blown away by Fangirl.

      Delete
  17. The Hunger Games was so great. It definitely lived up to all the hype.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I must of missed One of Us is Lying but it looks great. Will have to check it out. Loved the first Hunger Games book

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was good! Definitely worth a read...

      Delete
  19. I've been meaning to pick up One of Us is Lying, so seeing your thoughts here makes me even more excited to do that. I definitely agree on Gemina, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like it! I thought Gemina was fabulous.

      Delete
  20. I think I'm going to read Dangerous Girls next and I really can't wait, I've heard so many good things about it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh I hope you like it, I like seeing people's reactions afterward!

      Delete
  21. I missed out on One of Us Is Lying, but maybe I'll give it another go come October. Glad to see it on your list!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oooh good call on Dangerous Girls! I had such a hard time coming up with 10 but now that I am seeing lists... I could have ha. LOVE that THG made your list- it was on my list that I started before quitting, too- as the OG YA hyped series! And definitely The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! And Illuminae made my list too- I really should have finished it I guess hah. Great choices!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I just added Radio Silence to my TBR list. I’ve heard really good things about it in the past few weeks. ASoIaF and Hunger Games made my list, too.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm intrigued by City of the Lost. Kelly Armstrong is hit or miss for me though. Decisions decisions. Haha

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've read a few of these and I totally agree with The Hunger Games! City of the Lost was good too!

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Illuminae Files definitely lived up to the hype...the full trilogy did for me. I also really enjoyed ADWD even with all the fears that it wouldn't live up to the anticipation. I thought it was better than A Feast for Crows, at least!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    ReplyDelete
  27. The Shark Club. How original is that title! Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I still can't bring myself to read the A Song of Fire and Ice series... especially since the series isn't over yet!

    I have yet to read Gemina but Illuminae was awesome! I also read that before all the hype so I didn't add that to my list :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh yes! Dangerous Girls is so worth the hype!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I had The Hunger Games spoiled for me early on so I never got to reading it and only watched the first movie. Maybe I should go back considering how highly everyone speaks of it :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Big Little Lies isn't my go to type of book, but I was absolutely hooked! Great picks, Greg.

    Check out my TTT and please vote in my Make Me Read It Readathon poll

    ReplyDelete
  32. I was so surprised Big Little Lies. I had just heard so much raving about it that I just couldn't believe it'd live up to it. I was surprised by The Hunger Games as well. I didn't really want to read it but ended up really enjoying it. I want to read Radio Silence and The Shark Club. Both sound intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  33. big little lies I loved I was surprised how much I loved it! I also enjoyed fangirl, one of us is lying and dangerous girls. great list.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Well, I haven't personally read any Game of Thrones book but I am huge TV show fan. I think the books got all the hype because of the TV series. I am glad that it lived up to your expectations :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Yes to The Long Way. I can't wait for us to start book 3 :D

    ReplyDelete
  36. I agree with all of the ones I've read. Of course, Hunger Games is a definite favorite!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
  37. The Long Way certainly did live up to to the hype! I loved The Hunger Games, but liked each successive book less. I remember that I was interested in Radio Silence, but now I don't remember why. Ha ha. I'll have to look at it again. :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Great list! I really need to read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! Have a wonderful week!

    ReplyDelete