Books that Exceeded your Expectations

These are books that you were pleasantly surprised by. They could be classics that you really loved, or more recent fiction that just caught you off guard by how good it was.

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.33 avg rating — 5,741,003 ratings score: 150,510, and 1,525 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.37 avg rating — 1,577,723 ratings score: 101,991, and 1,032 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 2,164,801 ratings score: 94,546, and 960 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 4.47 avg rating — 5,954,703 ratings score: 93,142, and 951 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 1,247,890 ratings score: 76,571, and 780 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.46 avg rating — 1,881,253 ratings score: 65,175, and 674 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	To Kill a Mockingbird (To Kill a Mockingbird, #1) by Harper Lee 4.27 avg rating — 3,936,196 ratings score: 64,433, and 668 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.13 avg rating — 2,289,929 ratings score: 56,295, and 583 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 1,446,144 ratings score: 55,882, and 575 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.25 avg rating — 2,580,185 ratings score: 53,656, and 556 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 4.10 avg rating — 1,571,542 ratings score: 51,071, and 529 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 3.87 avg rating — 1,058,871 ratings score: 48,318, and 495 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling 4.62 avg rating — 2,300,157 ratings score: 45,442, and 474 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins 4.29 avg rating — 2,199,557 ratings score: 44,910, and 471 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Twilight (Twilight, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.59 avg rating — 4,433,139 ratings score: 42,953, and 442 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.36 avg rating — 1,007,565 ratings score: 41,841, and 436 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 3.79 avg rating — 1,837,285 ratings score: 40,844, and 424 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Host (The Host, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.84 avg rating — 828,730 ratings score: 39,875, and 412 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.11 avg rating — 1,442,792 ratings score: 37,360, and 390 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling 4.55 avg rating — 2,350,758 ratings score: 32,592, and 347 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 977,981 ratings score: 31,336, and 330 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.90 avg rating — 1,196,332 ratings score: 30,861, and 324 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	1984 by George Orwell 4.17 avg rating — 2,600,361 ratings score: 30,813, and 328 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 4.26 avg rating — 786,291 ratings score: 29,952, and 316 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) by J.K. Rowling 4.55 avg rating — 2,200,801 ratings score: 29,678, and 319 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 251,331 ratings score: 29,066, and 301 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.29 avg rating — 995,344 ratings score: 28,046, and 299 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin 4.45 avg rating — 1,757,975 ratings score: 27,290, and 290 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 4.15 avg rating — 529,738 ratings score: 25,342, and 269 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Shadow of the Wind (El cementerio de los libros olvidados #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 4.26 avg rating — 387,633 ratings score: 24,875, and 258 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 4.05 avg rating — 613,888 ratings score: 24,563, and 259 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 550,822 ratings score: 23,992, and 251 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.26 avg rating — 2,532,999 ratings score: 22,352, and 246 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 1,758,995 ratings score: 22,118, and 234 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 1,035,681 ratings score: 21,826, and 237 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 482,374 ratings score: 21,529, and 229 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 712,197 ratings score: 21,499, and 227 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.91 avg rating — 3,290,780 ratings score: 20,676, and 225 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.96 avg rating — 640,326 ratings score: 19,975, and 212 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 1,099,213 ratings score: 19,939, and 219 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card 4.30 avg rating — 1,007,903 ratings score: 19,345, and 206 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.98 avg rating — 1,417,435 ratings score: 18,851, and 218 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins 4.03 avg rating — 2,070,935 ratings score: 18,688, and 204 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.84 avg rating — 1,174,325 ratings score: 18,653, and 203 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 1,342,808 ratings score: 18,358, and 197 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.16 avg rating — 613,673 ratings score: 17,758, and 188 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2) by Stieg Larsson 4.23 avg rating — 745,097 ratings score: 17,251, and 193 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.19 avg rating — 459,962 ratings score: 16,843, and 183 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 1,706,427 ratings score: 16,449, and 177 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 3.99 avg rating — 516,035 ratings score: 16,311, and 176 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.67 avg rating — 1,966,057 ratings score: 16,255, and 184 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 2,600,869 ratings score: 16,053, and 176 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 356,288 ratings score: 15,331, and 162 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.89 avg rating — 590,076 ratings score: 15,047, and 161 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3.78 avg rating — 227,284 ratings score: 15,032, and 161 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss (Goodreads Author) 4.55 avg rating — 597,710 ratings score: 14,301, and 153 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.06 avg rating — 661,165 ratings score: 14,129, and 151 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) by Kristin Cashore 4.09 avg rating — 346,487 ratings score: 13,496, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 1,443,153 ratings score: 13,148, and 142 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 4.24 avg rating — 678,809 ratings score: 13,004, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 402,319 ratings score: 12,913, and 140 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Atonement by Ian McEwan 3.89 avg rating — 403,890 ratings score: 12,901, and 142 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 1,533,834 ratings score: 12,530, and 141 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 504,504 ratings score: 12,505, and 135 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.86 avg rating — 1,729,793 ratings score: 12,402, and 142 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	His Dark Materials (His Dark Materials #1-3) by Philip Pullman 4.26 avg rating — 120,230 ratings score: 12,083, and 131 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.98 avg rating — 1,263,631 ratings score: 11,908, and 136 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Elephant Tree by R.D. Ronald 3.69 avg rating — 19,287 ratings score: 11,780, and 134 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Princess Bride by William Goldman 4.26 avg rating — 710,608 ratings score: 11,718, and 132 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 176,482 ratings score: 11,265, and 124 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Animal Farm by George Orwell 3.92 avg rating — 2,351,875 ratings score: 10,916, and 123 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 3,040,105 ratings score: 10,831, and 121 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Bel Canto by Ann Patchett 3.93 avg rating — 222,578 ratings score: 10,732, and 118 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 2,432,098 ratings score: 10,675, and 122 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Shack by William Paul Young 3.76 avg rating — 485,519 ratings score: 10,619, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 4.07 avg rating — 866,350 ratings score: 10,374, and 121 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3.81 avg rating — 1,079,276 ratings score: 10,255, and 119 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 3.95 avg rating — 323,227 ratings score: 10,150, and 113 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 4.25 avg rating — 639,144 ratings score: 9,966, and 112 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 4.26 avg rating — 278,168 ratings score: 9,483, and 102 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 3.99 avg rating — 532,472 ratings score: 9,416, and 110 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	The Pact by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 254,475 ratings score: 9,042, and 100 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 3.90 avg rating — 362,778 ratings score: 9,015, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.68 avg rating — 329,926 ratings score: 9,014, and 98 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 3.81 avg rating — 402,442 ratings score: 8,926, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 310,041 ratings score: 8,878, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.86 avg rating — 278,400 ratings score: 8,825, and 98 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 276,648 ratings score: 8,764, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 194,544 ratings score: 8,531, and 92 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Stranger by Albert Camus 3.97 avg rating — 593,502 ratings score: 8,431, and 94 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Zombie Room by R.D. Ronald 3.76 avg rating — 21,695 ratings score: 8,326, and 95 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1) by Gregory Maguire 3.53 avg rating — 547,557 ratings score: 8,137, and 92 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 442,521 ratings score: 8,108, and 92 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy 4.24 avg rating — 181,181 ratings score: 8,039, and 93 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.01 avg rating — 501,440 ratings score: 8,036, and 91 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 4.19 avg rating — 566,620 ratings score: 7,928, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 3.82 avg rating — 207,323 ratings score: 7,851, and 89 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) by Frank McCourt 4.10 avg rating — 486,459 ratings score: 7,754, and 91 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 578,980 ratings score: 7,329, and 84 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Heart of Aleppo: A Story of the Syrian Civil War by Ammar Habib (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 1,011 ratings score: 7,287, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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5,902 books · 8,681 voters · list created July 29th, 2008 by Rob (votes) .

Tags: exceeded-expectations, fiction, non-fiction

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Comments Showing 1-34 of 34 (34 new)

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message 1: by Ale and Vicki (new)

Dec 07, 2010 06:54PM

Why Twilight? That was a let down..

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message 2: by X (new)

Dec 08, 2010 09:50PM

The Hunger Games. I thought it looked dumb when I read the description, but once I started the book I couldn't put it down...

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message 3: by Alenka (new)

Jul 02, 2011 11:19PM

Aurora wrote: "The Hunger Games. I thought it looked dumb when I read the description, but once I started the book I couldn't put it down..."

Same here.

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message 4: by Breanne (new)

Jul 20, 2011 12:45PM

The Tiger series definitely fit in this list :)

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message 5: by Ðɑηηɑ (new)

Aug 05, 2011 02:01AM

I have to admit, not many books exceeded my expectations. In fact, I was very dissapointed of a great amount of the books considered to be "amazing", such as The Time Traveler's Wife, The Shadow of the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, Twilight and Eat, Pray, Love - all of them really really bad, in my opinion ><

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message 6: by Valerie (new)

Mar 01, 2012 04:50AM

Ale and Vicki wrote: "Why Twilight? That was a let down.."

Despair not! That simply means expectations were piss poor to begin with. :)

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message 7: by Jen (new)

May 14, 2012 09:31AM

Ale and Vicki wrote: "Why Twilight? That was a let down.."

This was the first book I read since high school, and it just drew me in and reminded me how much I love and miss reading. For that reason it will always be one of my favorites.

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message 8: by Grace (new)

Jun 07, 2012 09:08PM

I must admit I do love a good romance and Twilight is certainly one, the thing I do like however is not the vampire or werewolf aspect but the differences I discover on each reading. The movies tie in very well with the written word and I personally have never been disappointed by either. The supernatural just makes the story different but the ability to make a FF of the characters shows how the general writing public adores the presentation of those personalities.

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message 9: by [deleted user] (new)

Nov 07, 2012 01:54PM

Great list! Awesome books!

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message 10: by Booklovinglady (last edited Mar 30, 2013 05:59AM) (new)

Mar 30, 2013 05:42AM

Several titles in this list made me wonder whether some voters also voted on books that lived up to their expectations, instead of just voting for books that exceeded their expectations...

And yes, I only voted for books that exceeded my expectations, not the ones that lived up to it :-) Some authors I expect exceptional books from, like Jane Austen, George Eliot, Margarat Atwood, Thomas Hardy, and so on, and I've have never been disappointed so far. But their books do not exceed my expectations, as I already expected a lot of them before I started.

@Hercina
You are not the only one with doubts about this list :-)

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message 11: by Grace (new)

Jul 15, 2014 02:08PM

Alenka wrote: "Aurora wrote: "The Hunger Games. I thought it looked dumb when I read the description, but once I started the book I couldn't put it down..."

Same here."

I'd have to say I was the opposite. I heard so many great things about the Hunger Games and then I was really disappointed by the development of the plot and the characters. I feel like the story had a great concept but that the characters ruined it for me.

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message 12: by Ashley (new)

Jan 21, 2015 09:45AM

hi everybody

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message 13: by Cherryl (new)

Jun 08, 2015 09:25AM

I don't understand why this page shows that I've read 0 books on this list when I've read quite a few. I've voted on the books I've read.

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message 14: by Booklovinglady (last edited Jun 08, 2015 09:56AM) (new)

Jun 08, 2015 09:54AM

Cherryl wrote: "I don't understand why this page shows that I've read 0 books on this list when I've read quite a few. I've voted on the books I've read."

Did all the books you voted for show up as 'read' in this Listopia?

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message 15: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jun 08, 2015 12:36PM

Were the ones you read in the top 100 of the list? I don't think it reports numbers for lower down.

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message 16: by Booklovinglady (last edited Aug 15, 2015 06:15AM) (new)

Aug 15, 2015 06:14AM

With some modern authors, like Tim Winton or Richard Flanagan, I've come to expect an excellent read, based upon previous experiences :-) I truly hope I won't be let down (haven't been so far) :-)

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message 17: by Selina (new)

May 07, 2018 05:53AM

Ale and Vicki wrote: "Why Twilight? That was a let down.."

SHUCKING YES

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message 18: by Donna (last edited May 11, 2018 03:59PM) (new)

May 11, 2018 03:30PM

It works! It works! The system found and removed 1 duplicate.

This is an interesting concept for a list. I found myself trying to decide how to order my votes--by how much I liked the book, or by how surprised I was? (I went with the surprise factor.) Then I began looking for common threads. I noticed that a relatively small number of my choices were books I'd purchased for myself. I guess I am a conservative shopper. I was more likely to be surprised and delighted by books I was required to read when I was in school, and by review copies I received for free. Fiction surprised me more often than nonfiction.

Great idea, Rob.

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message 19: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

May 11, 2018 03:56PM

Yay!

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message 20: by ~☆~Autumn♥♥ (last edited Jun 01, 2018 06:19PM) (new)

Jun 01, 2018 06:17PM

Grace wrote: "I must admit I do love a good romance and Twilight is certainly one, the thing I do like however is not the vampire or werewolf aspect but the differences I discover on each reading. The movies tie..."

Thanks Grace as it made me happy to read what you wrote. I read so many bad reviews of Twilight on goodreads that I almost didn't read it. I was amazed how much I liked so I don't trust goodreads reviews anymore.

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message 21: by Donna (new)

Jun 01, 2018 09:41PM

*sound of plane engine dying; crash, explosion, flames*

The duplicate link is broken.

The list is broken; long live the list.

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message 22: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jun 02, 2018 09:25PM

Well, with creeping on 5000 books, I'm kind of not surprised. Alas.

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message 23: by Donna (new)

Jun 02, 2018 10:51PM

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "Well, with creeping on 5000 books, I'm kind of not surprised. Alas."

Yeah, I guess it's a category that is doomed to outgrow itself, since it can never be edited down. Hadn't thought of it.

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message 24: by Greg (new)

Jun 13, 2018 12:48PM

I read Hunger Games #1 cause it's been, or still is, at the top of a number of lists, including best novel ever. So I read it. It wasn't absolutely awful, like goodreads Best of the Year "Go Set a Watchman" a few years ago, or last year's weird (and for me, completely confusing and pointless) 'Lincoln in the Bardo." But it was better than I expected and I gave it two stars: it was okay. But if I hadn't already seen the exact same story on film (Battle Royale, Japan, same story, same end with two victors) I would have liked it better. I've been studying some Egyptian Heiroglyphics and even some ancient Sumerian texts, and oddly, this very same story shows up in about every civilization and is at least 6,000 years old.

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message 25: by ~☆~Autumn♥♥ (new)

Jun 13, 2018 12:55PM

Greg wrote: "I read Hunger Games #1 cause it's been, or still is, at the top of a number of lists, including best novel ever. So I read it. It wasn't absolutely awful, like goodreads Best of the Year "Go Set a ..."

I agree with you. I don't understand its popularity. I read it so I could do all the quiz questions.

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message 26: by Booklovinglady (new)

Oct 09, 2018 02:03AM

vijay govind wrote: "Maze of Deceit"

Don't use this section to promote your own book!

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message 27: by Vijay Narayan Govind (new)

Oct 09, 2018 10:30PM

My sincere apologies - I'm a new user on Goodreads and was not aware that I should not talk about my own work. Will try to participate more creatively in general discussions hereafter.

Apologies & regards

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message 28: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Oct 10, 2018 08:08AM

There are places for it; but this isn't one of them. It may be OK in groups; check if they have an author's section.

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message 29: by Booklovinglady (new)

Oct 10, 2018 09:12AM

vijay govind wrote: "My sincere apologies - I'm a new user on Goodreads and was not aware that I should not talk about my own work. Will try to participate more creatively in general discussions hereafter.

Apologies ..."

Delete your previous comment if you're sincerely sorry...

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message 30: by Vijay Narayan Govind (new)

Oct 10, 2018 10:42PM

Not sure how a previous comment is to be deleted - may I request the admin to kindly do it if possible on my behalf. Else - request that it may be kindly ignored as my inadvertence.

Thanks and best regards

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message 31: by Booklovinglady (new)

Oct 11, 2018 06:00AM

Vijay Narayan Govind wrote: "Not sure how a previous comment is to be deleted - may I request the admin to kindly do it if possible on my behalf. Else - request that it may be kindly ignored as my inadvertence.

Thanks and be..."

The person who placed a comment is also able to delete it by clicking 'delete' at the bottom of the comment...

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message 32: by ~☆~Autumn♥♥ (new)

Mar 02, 2019 09:44PM

Breanne wrote: "The Tiger series definitely fit in this list :)"

Definitely NOT!

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message 33: by AshleyS (last edited May 01, 2019 09:14AM) (new)

May 01, 2019 09:13AM

Every list on this site gets taken over by the Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Twilight. I wish there were lists created by experts that other people couldn't add to and screw up (he said, adding The Lord of the Rings)

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message 34: by Booklovinglady (new)

May 01, 2019 11:09AM

AshleyS wrote: "Every list on this site gets taken over by the Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Twilight. I wish there were lists created by experts that other people couldn't add to and screw up (he said, adding Th..."

Try lists of most horrible books, books one doesn't like, and so on. They won't appear as the first few there 😃

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