For What It's Worth


Tuesday, November 14, 2017

tell me something tuesday


Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

I’ve tried to branch out a bit with my reading this year. TBH – I like what I like - and when I veer from that it doesn’t usually end well but I did find a few reads that were out of my comfort zone that I enjoyed in 2017.

Question: What were your favorite surprise reads of the year?

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In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine – In Memoriam was only 46 pages long but is a story that has stayed with me. It’s about a man dying of brain cancer and is trippy, non linear (something I usually hate) and surprisingly funny. I wasn’t expecting something so emotionally intense from a novella. My review

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Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 No Normal by G.Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Jacob Wyatt – I have found graphic novels to be difficult to navigate and follow in the past but Ms. Marvel was a joy to read. Great story, characters and illustrations. I’ve since downloaded vol. 2 and it’s spurred me to try a few other GN’s. My review

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Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig – I don’t read – or enjoy- many thrillers/mysteries but I loved this one! Flynn was a such a relatable MC and his coming of age story combined with a touch of romance and mystery was the perfect balance for me. My review

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All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells was sci-fi that I could understand and have fun with. Murderous robots with feelings and snarky dialogue, nefarious plots and betrayals FTW. Goodreads

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Agents Irish and Whiskey trilogy by Layla Reyne – Another genre – thriller/suspense – that I don’t usually enjoy but this series had me hooked and I binge read the whole thing in a few days. My series review

What 2017 reads took you by surprise?

37 comments:

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    1. Me too! I have White Rabbit and can't wait to read it.

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  2. Last Seen Leaving & Ms. Marvel sound so good. I'm glad you enjoyed them! Surprise books can be so hit or miss, but it nice when they...surprise you ;)

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    1. If you have Amazon Prime - Ms. Marvel is available in Prime reading - vol's #1&2

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  3. I must say of all the books featured here it is Last Seen Leaving that really appeals to me. I love the cover so was pleased when you said it had been one of your surprising reads.

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    1. I've really been wanting to read more thrillers/mysteries but it's not a genre that holds my attention very often. I think being YA and partly a coming of age story helped.

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  4. Oh, I love Layla Reyne's series. I'm also a big fan of Last Seen Leaving; I can't wait for the author's second book. I'm glad branching out a bit this year turned up some good reads!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I have White Rabbit and can't wait to read it!

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  5. I'm really looking forward to reading Ms Marvel soon, I struggle with graphic novels and comics too Karen, but seeing how much you enjoyed it, sounds as though I'll love it too. Are you going to continue on with the comic series?

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    1. I dl'd Vol #2 so we'll see. Vol #1 was more of introduction - Vol #2 is the Big Bad and I'm hoping it's just as fun as the first while building on the intro.

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  6. All Systems Red might be something that I could potentially enjoy. Robots, notwithstanding.

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  7. I like some thrillers/mysteries but they have to be really good for me to want to pick them up. Glad Last Seen Leaving was a good one for you this year.

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    1. I either get bored by all the interviews to solve the crime or I figure it out too fast lol

      I think I enjoyed LSL because it had the thriller element but was also about Flynn's coming of age.

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  8. Ms Marval is definitely on my list! Last Seen Leaving was pretty good but I had higher expectations me thinks.

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    1. I had zero expectations. In fact, I thought I would hate it so... lol

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  9. Kudos to you for trying to branch out a bit, I keep saying I'm going to but haven't just yet. I finally bought a few not in my comfort zone that sound good and have them in my review queue. Fingers crossed it goes well lol

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    1. Yeah, I try to branch out but honestly it doesn't work out well very often. Happy to have a few surprises that did work.

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  10. Yeah for branching out, I am always happy when it works. I haven’t read any on your list except Last Seen Leaving which I enjoyed. I too liked the conflicted MC.

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    1. It rarely works but I'm happy when I'm surprised and it does.

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  11. That's a great list of books. I haven't read any of those.

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  12. Okay, trying my comment again. I loved Last Seen Leaving! That's all I wanted to say!
    Jen Ryland Reviews

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  13. Thank you for sharing your favorites, Karen. I’m a mood reader but lately I’ve read mostly romance. I’m planning on reading paranormal/urban fantasy books and other genres. Need to check out your list. 😁❤️

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    1. Me too and branching out rarely works for me but I keep trying. There are always a few surprises.

      I haven't read PNR,UF in soooo long. I used to love it.

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  14. In Memoriam is in my TBR and I'm glad that even though it was a very short read you enjoyed it Karen. I think there's a two or three in my list but Pulling Home by Mary Campisi is what comes in my mind first though, hehe, maybe because I just posted my review ;)

    xx
    Vanessa @ Blushing Geek

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    1. It's really weird. I'm not even sure if other people will like it but I did.

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  15. Ohhh the Wells Robot one! I am curious about that one...but robots are scary!

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  16. All are still ones I haven't read, but neat that they each had something special to give you a good surprise. I've been attempting more thrillers this year, too, so I'll have to make a note of those.

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  17. I'm not normally a graphic novel person but I love the cover for Ms. Marvel. I will have to see if my library has a copy in.

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  18. These look great! I loved All systems Red and Last Seen Leaving looks like a good one. Single Malt has me intrigued!

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  19. I like the Ms. Marvel one, I'll have to check it out soon. I have a few books on my kindle that are non-romance that I want to get to over the holidays. I have Steven Tyler's autobiography, Caitlyn Jenner's biography, The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam, and one of Carol Burnett's books. I really need to get to them, it's bugging me. Also, I could have sworn I was signed up for your newsletter but since I keep missing your posts I guess not. Lol. Fixed that mistake.

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  20. Ms. Marvel caught my attention. I have heard great things about it. The others are new to me.

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