Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

What is a book that surprised you? Did it turn out better or worse than you expected? Was there some unusual element? Did you learn something that astonished you?

I learned from reading Shanghai Girls that in the 40’s Los Angeles had more than one Chinatown, including one developed by the same woman who developed Olvera Street. I was especially surprised to learn this because I live in a suburb of LA and did not know about any other Chinatowns.

I'm going to reach a tiny bit back here and go for Minerva by Marion Chesney. I'd never read a romance novel before this one in late 2016 (I think?), and had formed a lot of biased opinions about them as a result. It isn't even one of my favourite books let alone romance books, but it definitely awakened something within me. I loved the character dynamics, I loved the tropes, and I truly admired the amount of skill that it takes to make a relatively low stakes story compelling. Now I enjoy a diet of mainly romance, and find my reading life a lot happier for it!

One of my big surprises was Where the Crawdads Sing, which I read back in 2020. I had no idea what to expect when I opened it, but I ended up loving it. The sense of place was so strong for me.

Thanks for the comments, they are all reminding me of surprises I had!

Denise reminds me that I recently read Clark and Division where I was surprised to learn that many Japanese were allowed after a couple of years to leave the internment camps in the west as long as they stayed away from the coasts, so there was a whole community in Chicago.

Siobhan reminds me that the first modern romance I read was Perfect Partners, because I heard it was funny. It led me to read a lot more modern and historical romances, which I had looked down on as stupid stories of men abducting or saving women. I found out most romances have strong heroines who are perfectly capable of saving themselves, and sometimes saving the hero too!

I was surprised to find how much I liked several nonfiction books such as The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, since I had no interest in rowing. But it's a terrific story.

I guess for me some books have surprised me in that they have taught me I can enjoy non-fiction. I will tell anyone who asks I don't like non-fiction....fiction all the way for me. But then I read
When Breath Becomes Air and The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
- both non-fiction and I really enjoyed them. So whilst the majority of my books are still fiction by far, I can read a type of non-fiction and don't cringe so much now anytime there is mention of a non-fiction book being a prompt.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction or sci-fi, so when I read one that I feel like really makes a big chance in the way I view the world, I find it a surprise.

First, that I finished it. Second, that I liked it. Third, that I recommended it to someone else.

Non-Fic was Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America

Sci-Fi were The Martian & The Humans

Yes, I would never have picked The Martian because I "wasn't interested in space". Not only did I love it, but ever since, I have paid more attention to news about space exploration!

Robin P wrote: "Yes, I would never have picked The Martian because I "wasn't interested in space". Not only did I love it, but ever since, I have paid more attention to news about space exploration!"


Yeah, right? I'm currently reading Light from Other Stars which I'm enjoying very much!

I discovered a fascinating fact while reading Shanghai Girls: back in the 1940s, Los Angeles boasted multiple Chinatowns, and one of them was established by the very same woman responsible for creating Olvera Street. This revelation was particularly astonishing to me, considering I reside in a Los Angeles suburb and was previously unaware of the existence of multiple Chinatowns in the city.

The book that surprised me was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ... one of my book club members recommended it for the club read and I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to it. (I ALWAYS read the book for book club). And I loved it!

Raven of the Inner Palace (Light Novel) Vol. 3

The end of that book had a plot twist I wasn't expecting at all. It made me gasp and say (out loud), "No Way!"

That's one of the only times I've ever done that.