Saturday Seven: Books I’m Surprised I Liked

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews

There have been times I’ve read books recommended to me by friends, or ones I picked up free, ones I would never have read otherwise because they’re outside my norm… and lo and behold, I’ve really enjoyed them. Here are my choices:
Drasmyr by Matthew Ryan
Got this one free — and loved it! An odd mix of fantasy and horror, vampires and wizards. Deep, complex, and not a fluffy read at all. This one takes time to savor and enjoy and I did both, thoroughly. You should check to see if it’s still free and get your own copy. Really.
Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber by Jason Werbeloff
This story was weird and warped and fascinating. Who would think I’d root for a guy who was going around killing people? But I did… and I really enjoyed every bit of this book.
Some Women by Emily Liebert
I don’t read Womens Fiction. It’s just never really been my thing. But I got a copy of this book from somewhere (I honestly don’t remember where) and gave it a try. And I smiled and laughed and cried all the way through. Good book!
Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán
Hey, look! More womens fiction! THIS book was amazing. It took such a dark topic (this poor woman … cancer, divorce, holy moly) and turned it on its ear. Yes, there were some dark times, but the character had such a warped sense of humor and dry sarcasm and realistic view of things that I loved her. I believe this is the author’s first book. I have her next two sitting on my TBR shelf waiting for time to read them because I loved this one so much. That’s saying something.
Monsterland by Michael Phillip Cash (re-released recently at Monsterland by Michael Okon)
Sort of young adult horror (I say sort of because it didn’t really “feel” YA, but the main characters were teens), I read this on the recommendation of a friend who really enjoys this author’s books. It’s good! It’s both fun and edge-of-your seat. Despite the premise, it’s something I could see happening and it engaged me all the way through. I actually have a couple more of this author’s books on my TBR waiting…
Citadel of Fire by Matthew Wolf
YA Fantasy! Self-published, so I wouldn’t usually try a new-to-me author, but it was recommended, so I did… and boy am I glad! Great characters, awesome premise, thrilling storyline. Great depth in the plot, and just good storytelling. It was book two, so I went back and grabbed book one to help me understand the stuff I felt I was missing, but even so, a book I really liked.
And lastly… one book I thought I’d love (based on all the hype and reviews) and did NOT:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I can’t give you comprehensive reasons WHY I don’t like it. All I can say is I’ve tried reading it twice now, and both times I didn’t get past the first chapter. I hated it. If I didn’t have respect for books in general, I would have tossed it against the wall, stomped on it and then tossed it into the fire. Seriously. I don’t know why I hated it so deeply, but I did.
So… you see: reviews and opinions are so subjective. Including mine for the books above.
I really enjoy revisiting these books because I’d actually forgotten about some and now I’m off to find more books by these authors (if they aren’t already sitting on my TBR).
What about you? Do you have books you read that you were really surprised you enjoyed?