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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Books I Feel Differently About After Time Has Passed

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is 10 Books I Feel Differntly About After Time Has Passed.  I think since I'm mostly an escapist reader I rarely think back on what I have read and when I do it's mostly on the experience of reading it and not the book itself.  I did get 7 books (or 6 and an author) and most of those are a change of perspective as I've gotten older and not a change in the book itself.

1.  Peril at End House by Agatha Christie - This is one of Christie's most readable books.  It's glamorous and just full of "bright young things" and all the parties and atmosphere of the late 1920s.  I always thought of it as one of my favorites and was surprised when Agatha Christie said she didn't even remember writing it in her autobiography.  Reading it again not to long ago and paying attention to the mystery more than the atmosphere I can see why she didn't remember.  It's a decent mystery but definitely not her best and relies on some serious coincidences.

2.  Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery - When I first got the whole Anne of Green Gables series I thought Anne of Windy Poplars was just about unreadable.  I wanted so much more Anne and Gilbert and instead all I got were letters and stories.  I was shocked when I finally made myself read it again as an adult and discovered I absolutely loved it.  The stories are delightful and it's just a wonderful read.  I think it might be one of my favorites in the entire Anne series!

3.  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - I was a little surprised when I started this one to find that it was way more self-help than I expected.  I think I was expecting more of a memoir type book but while she does talk about her own experiences it definitely leans towards more instructional.  Since I don't read much of that genre it took me awhile to get used to it and it didn't help that I didn't exactly warm to Rubin herself as I was reading it.  However, I feel like I learned so much from that book in terms of how to change my surroundings and my mood that I reference it frequently and recommend it regularly!

4.  Pretty much every book by Heather Graham - Let me start off by saying that I love Heather Graham's books - so much in fact that I chose her as my author in Anna from Herding Cats and Burning Soup's Read All the Books Challenge.  But while I always enjoy reading them after I finish I start realizing that there are a few things (sometimes minor, sometimes major) that just don't make sense.

5.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I read and loved this book in high school.  I loved the whole world Fitzgerald brought to life and ended up reading several other books by him.  It was one of the first audio books I listened too a year or so ago and while I remember that it wasn't happy I was surprised by just how unhappy it was!

6.  The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher - For years this was my absolute favorite book.  I went through the binding on 2 copies and was well into the 3rd copy when I discovered a few authors and got caught up in other books I wanted to read.  When I reread it recently I was surprised with how my attitude had changed.  As a teenager I thought the Richard character was so romantic and wonderful but as an adult it was hard to get past the tragedy for him and for her.

7.  Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens - This was the first romance book I ever read and I loved it.  I'm pretty sure I read it in one sitting and was swept up into the whole genre and for months read nothing else.  A year or two ago I decided to go back and reread my early romances and this of course was on that list.  Wow is it dated.  Instead of loving the characters and the romance I thought Devil needed a stern talking too about taking the whole alpha thing to far and Honoria needed a bit more spine and a bit less prickliness.

So those are my books that I've changed my mind on as time has gone on.  Do you have any that just aren't the same or ended up sticking with you longer than expected?



15 comments:

  1. I read The Shell Seekers because of you and the only thing I remember is the cover.

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  2. I loved The Shell Seekers for years, but am afraid to reread it now. What if it isn't as wonderful as I remember...

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  3. Those old school romances are can really get dated. Do you ever listen to the Avon on the Air podcasts? I really recommend them. There are some where they discuss some older romances, and it's really interesting to hear what they have to say.

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  4. I think the change in perspective definitely happens, I've reread a few books I LOVED as a kid or teen and they just don't hold up anymore. I should have expected that but it still surprised me a bit. But then some do hold up and I appreciate them more... so yeah it's funny how that happens.

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  5. There are definitely books I feel differently about over time. Sometimes I'll look through my GR list and see books I've rated 4 for example, when now it feels like a 2. The only one of your I've read is The Great Gatsby, and that was only a couple years ago.

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  6. I really really need to reread the Anne Series... I am so bad at rereading! I want to see what I think now that I am older because it has been so long since I read them!

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  7. I don't really reread things as I have to many unread books so I don't really have any books that I feel differently about now than when I read them. You shock me with your Heather Graham thing and I guess I love them so much I don't realize there are things that don't make sense....lol. I just finished book 8 that has one of my favorite Krewe guys in it and can't wait to get to the next one. (I picked her for my read all of the books challenge from Anna too!)

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  8. I always feel a bit sad when I reread old favorites and find them lacking. Sad.

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  9. This week's Top Five Friday is going to be difficult for me because books I have reread are all books I still love. I do have one that confused the heck out of me at age 30, and I didn't finish, but when I reread it at 47 it was a piece of cake. I guess that goes to show our minds continue to become more sophisticated in thought even after middle age. I have one genre that I no longer think the same about after newer books have been much better, and that is it. I have to come up with three more. Maybe I will borrow your idea of an author. I have wanted to reread the Anne books, too. I bought what was called an ebook collection which is supposed to have everything connected to Anne, so I hope the Windy Poplars book is in there because I have not read that one. :)

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  10. I've had a couple but usually they stick pretty close to where I had them originally. I had one recently that I originally read and loved but then listened to on audio and was meh over it but I kind of think that was more the fault of the audio.

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  11. Oh, I still love The Shell Seekers but my favorite by Pilcher is Coming Home.

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  12. This was a tough week for me. I just couldn't think of any books. When I like a book, I like it, if I don't like it, I forget about it. I guess part of the difficulty is that I don't really go back and re-read too many either. Great job on your list!

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  13. I wouldn't mind listening to the audio of The Great Gatsby.

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  14. I remember reading The Shell Seekers but can't remember much about it, so obviously it didn't have much impact. I love Ken Follett's story telling and have reread several of his books - never, ever disappointed.

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  15. That's interesting about Heather Graham's books. Sounds like she writes books that are able to pull you in enough that you don't notice the flaws as you go along. Which isn't a bad thing even if later you find you have problems with them, I guess.

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