Top Ten Tuesdays: Books I Grew To Love

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.

This week is all about the books that grew on us. Some books are a hit from the first chapter but others take their time in building up that attachment. I think those books that get off to a slow starts are the ones that end up staying with us because when we finish it’s easier to appreciate the time it took to lay the foundations that made the books so incredible in the end. Here are the books I grew to love.

1. Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson: This series is a beast. Fact. The sheer size of the books are daunting and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to invest myself in them. It’s one of those series that took a good 3/4 months to complete. In the end it was worth every minute but getting through those first few chapters was always a struggle.

2. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski: Hear me out on this. I LOVE this book but I am not typically a fan of overly angsty books. It was torturous reading about Kestrel and Arin’s separation and seeing them hurt each other to protect one another. However, this is also my favourite in the series because I truly had so much respect for Kestrel. She is put through the wringer in this series, emotionally and physically, but her resilience and dedication to those she loves is admirable.

3. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: It’s the footnotes that threw me off with this book. I wouldn’t dare skip them either in case I missed some crucial information relevant to the story. However, reading them did feel like a chore sometimes and they’d often distract me from the actual happenings in the chapter. So much so that I had to re-read some chapters just to remind myself what was happening. Once the footnotes lessened I found myself loving this book a lot more.

4. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie: I don’t actually remember having that eureka moment when I completely fell in love with this book. I think this was one that I came to appreciate a lot more after I finished it and everything had sunk in. It’s a beauty of a book.

5. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick: I had predicted the plot twist to this book long before I read it and it’s not one I’m keen on. So at the beginning of the book I was wary because I knew this twist was coming. However, as always Huntley Fitzpatrick handled the twist with care and made it very realistic and fitting to the characters.

6. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: Confession, I only read this book for the hype. I’ve always heard that Neil Gaiman is like a master of fantasy and I wanted to see if there was any truth to it. To start, I was dubious, but once I got use to his writing and just enjoyed the book for what it was I understood why he has such a highly regarded fantasy author.

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: This book is perfect for a rainy day. It’s very atmospheric and it takes its time to build up the pieces in the puzzle before putting them all together for an incredible finale.

8. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak: It’s actually the ending that I had more of a gripe with but when I started this book I didn’t really know what it’s purpose was. The concept was interesting but I didn’t understand the ultimate goal of it. The message is clear in the book and it really hit home for me but it took time to really appreciate it.

9. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson: I didn’t understand the hype surrounding this book at first. I didn’t really like Sloane and much preferred seeing Emily come out of her shell and build up her own friendship group. Plus Frank Porter ❤

10. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay: Another majorly hyped book that took me by surprise. The concept of this book isn’t something new but its execution was phenomenal. We hit a stumble somewhere in the middle but in the end you can see how everything the character goes through contributes to their development. To this day it’s still a favourite.

Those are the books I grew to love.
Which book grew on you?

24 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesdays: Books I Grew To Love”

    1. I had no idea he narrated the audiobook. That’s awesome. He definitely gets brownie points for the dedication haha. They definitely are bizarre, but once you familiarise yourself with his work he’s a hit. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I know what you mean about THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO. That plot twist is not my fave thing to have in books either. BUT Huntley Fitzpatrick did it right– which is usually not the case with that particular topic. Also, I MUST read The Sea of Tranquility. It sounds like such a “ME” book. Great list 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I feel like most of the time the plot twist is just used as a way to create conflict but I loved how Huntley used it as a way to explore Tim’s character. The Sea of Tranquility is definitely a must read from me. It’s been a good 4 years since I read it but it still gets to me.

      Like

  4. This is a great list, Lois! I have To Boy Most Likely to on my TBR and I’m very intrigued about this twist you’re talking about, ,ahah. Can’t wait to read it 🙂 I’m glad you ended up loving Since You’ve Been Gone, it’s such a good book but I agree – Sloane wasn’t my favorite at first, either. Frank made it all better though 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I guessed the twist before I read it but thankfully Huntley does a great job at not using it solely as a means of creating tension and instead utilizes it as a way to explore Tim’s character.
      Frank ❤ That guy can sweep me off my feet any day. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I think that’s the biggest hit or miss factor with the Night Circus. The writing style is something people will love or hate, which is understandable. I’ve not read Code Name Verity but it’s been on my tbr list for years now.

      Like

  11. So glad you ended up enjoying Neverwhere- I enjoyed it so much and love Gaiman. That’s good to know about Nevernight and Half A King cos I plan to read them 😀 I loved how Night Circus built and built (and gosh that atmosphere was so good). I agree so much about I am the Messenger- I liked the way it started out, but my interest fizzled out. And I get what you mean about Since We’ve Been Gone. Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’d definitely push through those two books, especially Nevernight. It takes a good 100 pages to really get into the book but it’s so worth it in the end. I always say that the Night Circus is the perfect book to read on a rainy day cause it’s so atmospheric.

      Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment