I saw Destiny over @ Howling Libraries do this post earlier this week, and I thought it was brilliant! So, I’m stealing it! If you aren’t following Destiny yet, what are you doing with your life?? She’s amazing, go do that immediately, then come back here. I’ll wait…

I’m going to follow Destiny’s lead and pick 5 books that I rated low (1-2 stars), but that have high average ratings on Goodreads, and then pick 5 books that I rated high (4-5 stars), but that have low average ratings!

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Popular Books I Rated Low:

1: The Summer of New Beginnings by Bette Lee Crosby

My Rating: 2 Stars

Avg. Rating: 4.52 Stars

I really don’t know why this book is rated so high! It was a bit of a mess, and I sincerely wanted to DNF it. I only did because I got is as an ARC from NetGalley. You can read my review of it here.

2: Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks

My Rating: 1 Star

Avg. Rating: 4.35 Stars

I absolutely could not stand this book. It felt like a giant rant. A giant rant that was quite unpleasant to read. Like when you are in a room with someone who is yelling/raging and you feel super uncomfortable because you hate confrontation but you can’t leave without making everything super awkward. Yup, that was this book for me.

3: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My Rating: 2 Stars

Avg. Rating: 4.25 Stars

The beginning of this book is soooooo sloooowww. And the rest of it is not that much better for me. I enjoyed the first LOTR book so much more than this one. I just didn’t find Bilbo’s story all that compelling…

4: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

My Rating: 2 Stars

Avg. Rating: 4.25 Stars

I think that I am just not a fan of Terry Pratchett’s writing style. I’ve read other Gaiman books that I really liked, but I did not care for this. It was a struggle bus to get through it, and I didn’t really find it all that funny either.

5: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

My Rating: 1 Star

Avg. Rating: 4.15 Stars

I had to read this for a class in college. I couldn’t stand this book. I found it boring. I had to literally force myself to finish it, because I had to for the class I was in. It probably didn’t help that the teacher of that class made this book even more boring to me than it already was.

 

Unpopular Books I Rated High:

1: The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

My Rating: 4 Stars

Avg. Rating: 3.07 Stars

I’m really not sure why this has such a low average rating. I mean, it had a few flaws, which is why I rated it four stars. But, overall, I enjoyed how each character’s story line followed the storyline of the Austen novel they chose. I thought that was so creative.

2: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

My Rating: 4 Stars

Avg. Rating: 3.28 Stars

I thought this book was funny and creative! You get sucked back into Regency England with your 21st century brain still firing in your head. How is this not more popular?!

3: How To Be A Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy

My Rating: 5 Stars

Avg. Rating: 3.21 Stars

What is funny about this book is that it was recently re-released, replacing Hilton with Kardashian. I thought this had some really great self-help points to it. Perhaps it was the state of mind I was in when I initially read it, but I really enjoyed it.

4: The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

My Rating: 5 Stars

Avg. Rating: 3.45 Stars

I have talked about the low average rating of this book before. I really don’t understand why it is rated so low. It was meticulously researched (speaking as a Titanic obsessive person), and the plot was intriguing. You also learn a lot about a historical figure, Lady Duff Gordan, that I knew practically nothing about before. What’s not to love, I say!!

5: Austenland by Shannon Hale

My Rating: 5 Stars

Avg. Rating: 3.54 Stars

I realize that this list is extremely Austen-centric. I love a good book based off of Austen and her cult following, ok?!! Sue me!! (*Please don’t sue me, I was kidding 😉 *) This one is extremely confusing to me. I thought this book was fantastic. They even made a movie based on it. What’s wrong with everyone?! *don’t come for me in the comments*

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What books do you like/dislike that are controversial? Do you have opinions about the books I have listed above? Let me know down in the comments! 

 

Love and happy reading,