Top Ten Tuesdays: Is a weekly meme feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers post their Top 10 List for an assigned topic! I will not be participating every week, but I will occasionally take a shot at it! You can always find these lists (past, present and original) on my Riffle Page!
This Week’s Topic:
Top Ten Books I Read that Were Outside my Comfort Zone
Last year, I didn’t read too many books outside my comfort zone. I usually play is safe with my books and now that my focus is on reading smarter, not harder, I tend to stick to books I know that I will enjoy. BUT, I did take some risks last year with a few reads…
Here are the books I read–and enjoyed!–that were outside my comfort zone (in no particular order):
#10 –One Last Song by S K Falls
On the surface, this book really doesn’t stray far from my usual New Adult novels but this book dealt with subject matter that I haven’t touched in a very long time. It was an uncomfortable read at times but was definitely worth it in the end. This book had a very lasting impression on me once I finished.
(Read my standalone review of One Last Song)
#9 – room BY emma donoghue
I mostly read this book because the movie was coming out and a friend highly recommended it. This book was very, very hard to get through. Jack and Ma’s story is heartbreaking and so very realistically narrated that I felt ever range of emotion while reading this story.
(Read my standalone and movie review of Room)
#8 –winter break BY Diane Matlick
This is the only sequel on the list and it surprises even me. I read Summer Tour for a review program earlier in the year and found it to be OK. It really wasn’t my cup of tea but when I was asked if I wanted to read the sequel, Winter Break, I decided to take the chance. It may not be my favourite read of the year, but I definitely enjoyed it more than its predecessor!
(Read my series review of Summer Tour)
#7 –queen of blood BY Jill myles
When it comes to New Adult novels, I tend to stick to my contemporary reads. So when I saw this book on Netgalley and saw that it was a paranormal vampire New Adult romance–I just couldn’t resist! It was a great choice in the end and inspired me to pick up some other paranormal/supernatural New Adult reads this year.
(Read my standalone review of Queen of Blood)
#6 –how to be a woman BY caitlin moran
When I went on my audiobook kick in the fall of 2015, I stumbled across this one and decided to give it a shot. While I might not have appreciated a grown British woman talking about her sexual past as I was grocery shopping; and even though it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped it would be, it was an entertaining read nonetheless!
Review to be published.
#5 –your ex-boyfriend will had this BY blue sullivan
When I was asked to review a copy of a dating advice book, I was a little thrown. But when the author explained it was more of a guide for women to find themselves as individuals rather than grooming themselves for a man, I was really intrigued. This book was a lot of fun and had some great insight for those who are trying to navigate the dating field.
(Read my standalone review of Your Ex-Boyfriend Will Hate This)
#4 –forbidden BY tabitha suzuma
The words “taboo” and “incest” where enough to keep this book on my TBR for YEARS! But I decided to take a chance and finally read this thanks to the rave reviews of my GoodReads friends. Yeah–I should listen to my GoodReads friends more often <3
(Read my standalone review of Forbidden)
#3 – 99 days BY Katie cotugno
While I may LOVE my New Adult contemporaries, YA contemporaries are a whole other ball game! I took a chance on this love triangle filled read and I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed this story! Maybe not enough to read all YA contemporaries ever, but definitely enough to consider picking up a few others this year.
(Read my standlone review of 99 Days)
#2 –the girl on the train BY Paula Hawkins
I normally don’t read Adult Thrillers or Adult Mystery stories but the hype around this book had me wondering what all the fuss was about. Albeit predictable, I found myself easily absorbed in the story and I’m really excited to see what they do with the movie!
(Read my standalone review of The Girl on the Train)
#1 –the duff BY kody keplinger
A few years ago, The Duff would have been a book I immediately gobbled up. But now that I have been out of high school for a couple of years, I was a little worried about picking up this YA High School read. But, this book was great and I immediately gobbled it up so crisis averted!
(Read my movie review of The DUFF)
Honourable Mentions:
- Black Iris by Leah Raeder
- My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
- Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
- Little Peach by Peggy Kern
what books did you read last year that were outside your comfort zone?
Leave a Link to your TTT in the comments below!
OH YES, I want you to read more contemporaries, they are GREAT! I’m happy you liked 99 days! 🙂
haha I plan on reading a few more once school dies down! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I still need to read The Girl on the Train! I read The Girl FROM the Train … but that’s a completely different book LOL. My TTT
The Girl on the Train is a solid book and a great weekend read.
I’ve never even heard of The Girl From the Train–I wonder how many people grab it thinking it is the other haha
LOL yeah – I kept having to preface my reviews/discussion about FROM with “this isn’t the same book as ON” lol. Totally different subject matter haha
I haven’t read any of these, but The DUFF and The Girl on The Train are on my TBR.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/top-ten-tuesday-45/
They are both great in their own ways! Thanks for stopping by!
Forbidden made my list too! That book was one of my favorite reads of last year. & I feel you on the Duff. I read it in three hours while writing a paper for class 😀 I like it better than the movie.
The movie and the book for the Duff were two different stories if you ask me. I enjoyed the movie (I didn’t have high expectations honestly) but I think I prefer the book just a touch more!
Yeah. They were not the same. There were scenes in the book that I really liked. I don’t really remember the movie to be honest LOL.