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The English Teacher Reflects: Books That Exceeded His Expectations

Whenever I start a book, be it fiction or non-fiction, literary or popular, heavy or light, I go in with certain expectations. Occasionally I'm disappointed, but most of the time I pretty much get what I figured I would. Sometimes, however, I am surprised(and pleased) when the book I'm reading turns out to be much more than I had expected, often in ways I never even considered. Often I will then seek out other works by the same author(s). [Case in point - Emily St. John Mandel. After having been blown away by "Station Eleven ", I sought out her other books. I have been surprised and moved by all of them.] Here are 125 books , all of which have far exceeded expectations. Some have left me pleasantly surprised while others have left me gob-smacked. I would (and in many cases already have) reread them again. And again. And…
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made by James Loranger
avg. score: 9 of 125 (7%)
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The Alienist (Caleb Carr)
The Alienist
1
Caleb Carr
All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
2
Remarque
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
3
Neil Gaiman
An Iliad (Lisa Peterson & Denis O'Hare)
An Iliad
4
Lisa Peterson & Denis O'Hare
Ancient Images (Ramsey Campbell)
Ancient Images
5
Ramsey Campbell
Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge (Antony Beevor)
Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge
6
Antony Beevor
Astounding (Alec Nevala-Lee)
Astounding
7
Alec Nevala-Lee
Audrey's Door
Audrey's Door
8
The Beardless Warriors (Richard Matheson)
The Beardless Warriors
9
Richard Matheson
Beowulf (Crossley-Holland)
Beowulf
10
Crossley-Holland
Beowulf (Mitchell, Translation)
Beowulf
11
Mitchell, Translation
The Book of Joe (Jonathan Tropper)
The Book of Joe
12
Jonathan Tropper
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)
Breakfast of Champions
13
Kurt Vonnegut
Büchner: Complete Collected Works (Büchner/Schmidt)
Büchner: Complete Collected Works
14
Büchner/Schmidt
Burnt Offerings (Robert Marasco)
Burnt Offerings
15
Robert Marasco
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
16
Miller
Carrion Comfort (Simmons)
Carrion Comfort
17
Simmons
Children of the Night
Children of the Night
18
A Clockwork Orange (Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
19
Burgess
The Comedians (Greene)
The Comedians
20
Greene
Corrupting Dr. Nice (John Kessel)
Corrupting Dr. Nice
21
John Kessel
The Crook Factory (Simmons)
The Crook Factory
22
Simmons
The Dance of Genghis Cohn (Gary)
The Dance of Genghis Cohn
23
Gary
The Dark Country (Dennis Etchison)
The Dark Country
24
Dennis Etchison
Dark Matter (Blake Crouch)
Dark Matter
25
Blake Crouch
The Day of the Jackal (Frederick Forsyth)
The Day of the Jackal
26
Frederick Forsyth
The Dead Zone (Stephen King)
The Dead Zone
27
Stephen King
A Distant Mirror (Barbara Tuchman)
A Distant Mirror
28
Barbara Tuchman
The Doctor Is Sick (Anthony Burgess)
The Doctor Is Sick
29
Anthony Burgess
Drood (Simmons)
Drood
30
Simmons
Dubliners (Joyce)
Dubliners
31
Joyce
Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)
Dying Inside
32
Robert Silverberg
The Egyptian (Mika Waltari)
The Egyptian
33
Mika Waltari
Eye of the Needle (Ken Follett)
Eye of the Needle
34
Ken Follett
The First Circle (Solzhenitsyn)
The First Circle
35
Solzhenitsyn
Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War (Mark Harris)
Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War
36
Mark Harris
Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)
Foucault's Pendulum
37
Umberto Eco
Founding Brothers (Joseph Ellis)
Founding Brothers
38
Joseph Ellis
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes (Loren D. Estleman)
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes
39
Loren D. Estleman
Gates of Fire (Steven Pressfield)
Gates of Fire
40
Steven Pressfield
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