List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

The English Teacher Reflects: Books That Exceeded His Expectations - Page 3

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…
Read More
687 users · 3,910 views
 
made by James Loranger
avg. score: 9 of 125 (7%)
required scores: 1, 3, 6, 9, 13 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 3 of 4
Noir (Christopher Moore)
Noir
81
Christopher Moore
None So Blind (Joe Haldeman)
None So Blind
82
Joe Haldeman
The Old Ballgame (Deford)
The Old Ballgame
83
Deford
One Last Thing Before I Go (Tropper)
One Last Thing Before I Go
84
Tropper
Parzifal (Eschenbach)
Parzifal
85
Eschenbach
Pattern Recognition (William Gibson)
Pattern Recognition
86
William Gibson
The Persian Expedition (Xenophon)
The Persian Expedition
87
Xenophon
The Postman (David Brin)
The Postman
88
David Brin
The Power and the Glory (Greene)
The Power and the Glory
89
Greene
The Prodigal Spy (Kanon)
The Prodigal Spy
90
Kanon
The Quiet American (Greene)
The Quiet American
91
Greene
Ragtime (E.L. Doctorow)
Ragtime
92
E.L. Doctorow
Redshirts (John Scalzi)
Redshirts
93
John Scalzi
Sacre Bleu (Christopher Moore)
Sacre Bleu
94
Christopher Moore
The Searchers (Lemay)
The Searchers
95
Lemay
Sea of Tranquility (Emily St.John Mandel)
Sea of Tranquility
96
Emily St.John Mandel
Seven Days in May (Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey)
Seven Days in May
97
Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey
Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula (Estelman)
Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula
98
Estelman
Shoeless Joe (W.P. Kinsella)
Shoeless Joe
99
W.P. Kinsella
Siddhartha (Hesse)
Siddhartha
100
Hesse
The Silent Girl (Tess Gerritsen)
The Silent Girl
101
Tess Gerritsen
The Singer's Gun (Emily St. John Mandel)
The Singer's Gun
102
Emily St. John Mandel
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Anonymous)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
103
Anonymous
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut Jr.)
Slaughterhouse-Five
104
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Song of Kali (Simmons)
Song of Kali
105
Simmons
Space Odyssey (Michael Benson)
Space Odyssey
106
Michael Benson
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (John Le Carré)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
107
John Le Carré
Stand on Zanzibar (John Brunner)
Stand on Zanzibar
108
John Brunner
Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel)
Station Eleven
109
Emily St John Mandel
Summer of '49 (David Halberstam)
Summer of '49
110
David Halberstam
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
111
Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Down Motel (Simone St. James)
The Sun Down Motel
112
Simone St. James
Sweat (Lynn Nottage)
Sweat
113
Lynn Nottage
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
114
Charles Dickens
This Immortal (Roger Zelazny)
This Immortal
115
Roger Zelazny
Three Novels (Beckett)
Three Novels
116
Beckett
The Train Was on Time (Bõll)
The Train Was on Time
117
Bõll
The Trial (Franz Kafka)
The Trial
118
Franz Kafka
The Trojan War: A New History (Barry Strauss)
The Trojan War: A New History
119
Barry Strauss
Watchmen (Alan Moore)
Watchmen
120
Alan Moore
Page 3 of 4
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'The English Teacher Reflects: Books That Exceeded His Expectations'
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Books He Never Read (But Probably Should Have)
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Books He Never Read (But Probably Should Have)
19,380
100
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Random Books Worth Reading - Fiction
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Random Books Worth Reading - Fiction
19,136
100
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Books About the Outsider and the Alienated
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Books About the Outsider and the Alienated
1,270
100
The English Teacher Reflects: A Random List of 100 Books Read and Fondly Remembered
The English Teacher Reflects: A Random List of 100 Books Read and Fondly Remembered
637
100
The English Teacher Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
The English Teacher Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
608
100
The Retired English Teacher Reflects: YA Books That Aren't Just for Young Adults
The Retired English Teacher Reflects: YA Books That Aren't Just for Young Adults
563
90
The English Teacher Reflects: Favorite Books on History
The English Teacher Reflects: Favorite Books on History
139
100
The English Teacher Reflects: More Lesser Known Classics That People Should Read
The English Teacher Reflects: More Lesser Known Classics That People Should Read
10,362
110
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Short Novels and Novellas
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Short Novels and Novellas
665
75
The English Teacher Reflects: One Read, One to Read - Fiction
The English Teacher Reflects: One Read, One to Read - Fiction
578
100
The English Teacher Reflects: Genre Favorites Worth Re-Reading
The English Teacher Reflects: Genre Favorites Worth Re-Reading
554
50
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Random Mysteries and Crime Novels Worth Reading and Rereading
The English Teacher Reflects: 100 Random Mysteries and Crime Novels Worth Reading and Rereading
549
100
The English Teacher Reflects: 5-Star Ratings on Goodreads
The English Teacher Reflects: 5-Star Ratings on Goodreads
539
328
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Horror Reads
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Horror Reads
444
100
The Retired English Teacher Reflects: Literary Science Fiction
The Retired English Teacher Reflects: Literary Science Fiction
403
90
The English Teacher Reflects: Thrillers
The English Teacher Reflects: Thrillers
255
103
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Science Fiction by Women
The English Teacher Reflects: Great Science Fiction by Women
223
21
The English Teacher Reflects: A SF Miscellany
The English Teacher Reflects: A SF Miscellany
189
82
The English Teacher Reflects: Graphic Fiction
The English Teacher Reflects: Graphic Fiction
160
43
The English Teacher Reflects: Best Horror Short Story Collections
The English Teacher Reflects: Best Horror Short Story Collections
63
117
Books That Exceeded Expectations
Books That Exceeded Expectations
15,881
70
P's List of Books That Exceeded Expectations
P's List of Books That Exceeded Expectations
7,782
100
Goodreads 2019 Update: Books That Exceeded Your Expectations (Now Twice as Long!)
Goodreads 2019 Update: Books That Exceeded Your Expectations (Now Twice as Long!)
1,743
140
51 Books That Exceeded Expectations
51 Books That Exceeded Expectations
1,155
51
Exceeded Expectations: 100 Books That Were Better Than Todd Thought They Were Going to Be
Exceeded Expectations: 100 Books That Were Better Than Todd Thought They Were Going to Be
767
100
100 Books That Exceeded Expectations
100 Books That Exceeded Expectations
457
100
Books That Exceeded Schlocko's Expectations
Books That Exceeded Schlocko's Expectations
402
100
Books That Exceeded Jimmy's Expectations
Books That Exceeded Jimmy's Expectations
221
25
The English Teacher Lists Books That Have Been Ruined for Readers by English Teachers
The English Teacher Lists Books That Have Been Ruined for Readers by English Teachers
3,587
52
Markd9528's "Exceeded Expectations" List
Markd9528's "Exceeded Expectations" List
409
104
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN