Top Ten Tuesday- More or Less

The Broke and the Bookish asks us this week about books we thought we'd like more or less than we did. Here's a few of each:

Thought They'd Have Been Better:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: Fine, I guess my expectations weren't too high for this book to begin with, but I didn't love it. It was way too reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye and just too angsty for me. Start the hating in five... four... three.. two... aaaaand one!

The Antagonist by Lynn Coady: I had high hopes for this novel about a man who is writing his own story through emails. The narrator had been a college hockey star and was trying to fight through the guilt he felt killing someone when he was in high school. It could have been worse... but it could have been better. 

Anything by Chuck Palahniuk after Haunted (and that's generous): What happened to this cutting-edge author? What happened to the guy that was able to rely equally on shock value and talent? He has a new book coming out later this year and I sincerely hope that he has returned to his old self. 

Great House by Nicole Krauss: I had had really good feeling about this novel based (unfairly) on the fact that I knew her previous book had been well-received... and because she was Jonathan Safran Foer's wife. I found the different narrative threads poorly connected and the story as a whole often boring. 

Into the Wild by John Krakauer: Let me start this by saying that this isn't a bad book at all- the problem was that I read Into Thin Air first. I was absolutely in love with the Everest story and expected Into the Wild to be just as good. It is not. 

Thought They'd Have Been Worse:

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple: I thought that perhaps this book about a woman who disappears from her family right before they're about to take a trip to Antartica would perhaps be a little gimmicky or corny. It turns out that it was quirky, fun, and well-written.

Fathermucker by Greg Olear: I was worried that this book about a stay-at-home dad would be generic or maybe too reliant on crass humor, but it was instead a smart, witty read on what it's like to stay home all day with two young children (one of which has autism) while your spouse is away.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes: I thought this book about a caregiver who ends up developing a relationship with a quadrapelegic was going to be overly sentimental and borderline chic lit. It was actually well-written, smart, and sensitive without being corny. 

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: I bought this novel on a whim and didn't have high expectations at the time- I didn't know a lot about it and was, honestly, a bit off-put by the cover. Little did I know it would be one of the best books I read in 2012. 

Arcadia by Lauren Groff: Again, I just didn't have high hopes going into this novel- I knew that her previous book had gotten mixed reviews and that the premise of a hippie commune would either be a hit or miss. Luckily it ended up being a really great book, both in terms of writing and plot.