recommended books

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I read because of recommendations

Published on by Esther @ Chapter Adventures

Another week, another Top Ten Tuesday, a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The topic today is books I read because of recommendations. I’ve included recommendations from very different people in my list, because if I only added the ones that bloggers have made me read, I would never finish! Let’s check them out!

1. THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER

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Who made me read it? Estefani @Fiction Jungle

I joined the book community right at the release of The Raven King, with everyone going wild for it on their blogs and social media accounts. Thanks to Estefani’s recommendation, I picked it up. I totally trust her opinion and I’m really glad I listened to her because I loved the series.

2. UNDER THE SKIN BY MICHEL FABER

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Who made me read it? A girl from Goodreads.

She loved this book and recommended it to me, as we used to talk a lot and knew more or less each other’s reading styles. It was a complex book that’s better if you go into it without knowing too much. I’ve never quite figured out how I feel about it, but I’m glad I read it. It’s a unique and unsettling read for sure.

3. LEGEND BY MARIE LU

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Who made me read it? A friend from university.

We read a lot of dystopian novels during our university years, so a friend claimed I would fall in love with this book. I was hesitant and told her I didn’t think so, but I decided to give it a chance for her. I didn’t love the first book, but the overall series was so enjoyable and I remember devouring it in a few days. Sadly, as years have passed, I’ve come to realize how many tropes that I hate the trilogy had. I don’t think I would like it the same way anymore.

4. THE GOLDEN COMPASS BY PHILIP PULLMAN

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Who made me read this? One of my favorite university professors.

I asked a professor to recommend me books for my summer reading and she told me that I should give His Dark Materials a go. I remember being completely engrossed by the trilogy and discussing it with her from a feminist perspective over e-mails. I couldn’t sound nerdier, I know.

5. DRAGON RIDER BY CORNELIA FUNKE

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Who made me read this? An online friend from childhood.

Way back in the day, when social media didn’t exist, I used to visit a website to make online friends through MSN Messenger (I feel so old right now). I contacted a girl from Chile and we became friends, talking about books and music. I remember asking her which books she had read in English and Dragon Rider was her recommendation. It became the first book I ever read in that language, with a dictionary by my side. I finished it grasping most of what was going on and learning a lot of new vocabulary.

I’m always afraid of disliking a recommended book. Have you liked every book people have recommended to you?

40 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Books I read because of recommendations”

  2. We joined the book community at the same time! I’ve only read The Raven Boys so far and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would, but I’m looking forward to reading the next books to see how I feel; I really want to be involved in the hype!

    Legend was another one I read because of the book community and I was really disappointed, I just felt like I’d read it before and didn’t end up reading beyond the first book.

    I’ve added Under the Skin to my TBR recently because of Jen Campbell and her booktube channel, I’m really looking forward to reading that one!

    Zoe @ Readabilitea

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    1. Such a coincidence! 🙂 If you didn’t like Raven Boys, I’m not sure you’re going to like the rest. But that’s okay, we can’t all love all the hyped books 😛 I can see how Legend disappointed you, it’s definitely not a unique story now that I’ve read more.
      I love Jen Campbell!! I can believe I forgot to add all the books I’ve read because of her. A Guide to Being Born by Ramona Ausubel, The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark, How to be Both by Ali Smith, No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay, and so many others. I want to read the Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber because of her constant praise, too. She’s awesome and I usually enjoy her recommendations.

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  3. I read the Raven Cycle also purely because of recommendations. I’m not sure if I would have picked it up otherwise, but I’m so glad I did because it turned out to be one of my favorites!
    Most of the time I will love recommendations, but tastes will always be different so not all recommendations will be liked, and that’s okay. Though it’s always a bit scary to tell someone who recommended one of their favorites to you that you actually didn’t enjoy the book… 😉

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    1. From the blurb alone, I never would have picked The Raven Cycle, but I’m glad I did because it was so different than I expected.
      Haha, I know. I never know how to put it. It’s always like… “You know? It was okay, but it wasn’t exactly for me.”. I feel guilty, which is silly 😛

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  5. I was recommend Legend as well, and like you, I wouldn’t be the same person. Legend was a beautiful book and will always be one of my favorite books of all time!

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  7. I definitely read The Raven Boys because of the hype within the book blogging community as well. I was always a little leery of the series but when the book world exploded when The Raven King came out I had to see what the hype was about it and I have only read the first two books but I am in love!
    Great list this week Esther! 🙂

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  8. So I haven’t read any of those, but I can say that bookish community (and especailly one girl from Goodreads) have recommended The Raven Boys to me so many times, that when I finally read it, I’ll be able to say that I read it purely bc of other people’s recommendations!

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  11. Ahh I’m so glad you loved The Raven Boys! I will recommend that book FROM ALL THE MOUNTAINTOPS (!!) too if I can. :’) And I have the Golden Compass on my list too actually. #twinning And omg noooo I do not like all the books recommended to me and it’s SO AWKWARD. Sometimes I avoid books I’ve been recommended because I don’t want to dislike them and then offend my friend, bahaha. XD
    Here’s my TTT!

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  12. I also had a few people recommend The Raven Boys to me. I tried to read it 4 times and I’m still only at 27% on my kindle. I don’t know why but I haven’t been able to get into that book. I was hoping it would be a rave for me, but it’s looking more like a rant unless the ending is really good.

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  14. I feel you on the Legend Trilogy. I’m so into it until I’d read the reviews from my fave reviewers realising that everything I don’t like was in there (in the book) but I like how Marie Lu wrote it because I was very captivated by her writings to the point I wasn’t seeing what’s wrong with it. 🙂

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      1. Yeah haha! I was like enchanted by her writing. That’s why I’m planning to re-read again those books I’d gave 5 arrows. 🙂

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  15. I do sometimes feel bad when I get recommended a book and don’t enjoy it as much. But for the most part, it really is just personal taste! I actually wasn’t a big fan of Pullman’s Golden Compass series, even when it was recommended to me when the movie came out, but I revisited the author’s work a few years back and I ADORED his Ruby in the Smoke books.

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    1. Oh, that’s a shame 😦 What I love the most about Pullman’s series is how complex it actually is. I had no idea whilst reading it that it was the author’s response to Narnia, and after I read that and realized the themes at the core of the novels, everything fell into place and I just felt awed by how he managed it. Also, I thought they were pretty fun books 😛 But I’m glad to hear you liked his other books, I haven’t read anything else by him! I really want to 🙂

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  16. LOL, you’re not old. Technology is just advancing soooo fast (:
    I still remember how I used to be on ICQ when I was a little girl. It was like *the thing* back then. I talked to people I know and random strangers all the time there ‘^^

    The only book I read here is Legend by Marie Lu. I remember flying through it and absolutely loving it, but you’re right about saying we wouldn’t like it the same way if we read it today.
    I think I read a few chapters of The Golden Compass once upon a time. If I remember correctly, It was in the library (:

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  18. I love that Dragonrider was your first English novel; I also first read Funke when I was young and she’s still one of my favourite authors 🙂

    I also have a fear of disliking a recommended book. I think it’s only really happened once (I read the first book in a series that a guy I had just started dating recommended to me, and I didn’t like it :P). Usually most people are familiar with what I like and don’t like. A lot of the time the book is already on my TBR, thankfully!

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    1. I’ve never read any other Funke books, but hopefully one day I will. It was a nice book, from what I can remember! Ohh, that’s so bad, it must have been a bit awkward not liking the book then 😛 That’s nice. In my family they just assume I like reading everything and so they don’t realize there are books out there that aren’t my style and keep recommending to me the weirdest things haha.

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