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?