Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

There are plenty of books that are written from the hero's perspective. But sometimes that can get a little dull. So let's spice it up a little and look at things from the villain's point of view.

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Suggestions:
Villain Protagonist
Bustle: 7 Books from the Villain's Perspective
Paper Fury: 10 Books Secretly by the Villain's Perspective
Huffington Post: 6 Books that Tell the Villain's Side of the Story
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Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

This is the perfect excuse for me to read Six of Crows. Yay!

Edit..... Wait , I lied. My list is telling me that I chose American Psycho for this prompt. I think the other one is on my Pop Sugar list for 2018? I know its in there somewhere. Either way I'm reading it.

This is a tough topic! For some of them, like Gone Girl, you don't realize you're reading the antagonist's point of view until you're into the book. (Because, spoilers?)

So this is my preliminary list. I will probably be choosing from these:
Six of Crows
The Mists of Avalon
A Clockwork Orange
Blackhearts
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies

Either of these would work
Vicious
Black Heart

I'm going to be reading Alias Hook
Has anyone else read this one?

You

'You' is such a fantastic book and the perfect fit for this prompt! I'm hoping to fit the sequel in somewhere for 2018.

I might give Joe Hill a try again and read NOS4A2 for this prompt. Alternatively, Vicious or Heartless.

Since I haven't seen it recommended here, I'd definitely recommend Forest of a Thousand Lanterns to anyone still looking for a book to fill this slot; it's probably my favorite take on the Evil Queen's origin story ever. (And it was one of my favorite reads of 2017.)

I'm deciding between

The Talented Mr. Ripley and
The Snow Queen's Shadow

I've wanted to read Patricia Highsmith for a while, but I loved the previous book in Jim C Hine's Princess series,
I might do Strangers on a Train for authors debut (Highsmith) and Snow Queen's Shadow for this.

Definitely Six of Crows for me!

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

I've already read it but I highly recommend You by Caroline Kepnes. it would be perfect for this and it's un-put-downable!

I'm interested in several different books, but luckily Popsugar has a similar prompt so I can choose 2! I'm thinking Hook's Tale: Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself and Vicious?

I really liked Wicked and Heartless both, for those thinking about those reads.

Definitely check out The Good Samaritan. This book has one of the craziest lead character I've ever read.

Emily wrote: "This is a tough topic! For some of them, like Gone Girl, you don't realize you're reading the antagonist's point of view until you're into the book. (Because, spoilers?)

Yes, this is how I felt about it. There are a number of mysteries/thrillers like that, I know about one Agatha Christie that got her lots of trouble that way - back then, it was not considered "proper" crimewriting to handle the issue that way...

StefanieFreigericht wrote: "Emily wrote: "This is a tough topic! For some of them, like Gone Girl, you don't realize you're reading the antagonist's point of view until you're into the book. (Because, spoilers..."

But there are some stories where you follow a lead character along killing others "because"...because he/she can, it solved issues, the victims where bad, they developped a liking...
Patrick Süßkind Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders
would do... and it is NOT a spoiler to know he is a murderer

Same for Ingrid Noll Hell Hath No Fury Der Hahn ist tot (same book, weird translation: The original German title means "The cock is dead" as in the song, which exists in German language, too).

Macbeth would do....

any Orphan X - Evan Smoak kills only bad guys to help the troubled, but nonetheless, he is a killer (so you would have a LOT of like troubled heroes/ambiguous ones, probably not so overtly "villain only" from just any point of view, but decidedly acting against "Thou shalt not kill"

Mel wrote: "I might give Joe Hill a try again and read NOS4A2 for this prompt. Alternatively, Vicious or Heartless.

Since I haven't seen it recommended here, I'..."

I just finished Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, although I'm not using it for my Villain POV book. I am still buzzing from it. It was just so well done.

Hmmm I can only think of one book I've read that would fit for this prompt and it's a major spoiler to reveal that it's in the villain's POV as it's revealed in the last chapter.

Thought I would give this a try

Sally Green -

I, Ripper

By:Stephen Hunter
A re-read for me, some people like it ,and others hate it, me I love it, it's told in voices of : reporter, victim and the villain which is Jack The Ripper himself.

For this topic I read The Last to See Me by M. Dressler. I had originally planned to slot it for another week (a ghost story) but as I read it I realized it worked for this category.

The story is about a hunter who is trying to clean a ghost from the town she haunts and is told from the viewpoint of the ghost. An antagonist is "a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something" and since the ghost is obviously opposed to being cleaned...well, it fits this category.

I highly recommend The Last to See Me, either for this category or another. It was nearly a 5 Star read for me. It was well written and so melancholic. Not at all the creepy gore fest one might expect from a ghost story.

I am deciding between You or Half Bad Both listed in posts for this week.

I'm 50 pages in and this is one of the most unique and dark books I have ever read. I absolutely love it!!

I chose Perfume: The Story of a Murderer for this prompt. It is unsettling, dark, bizarre, ridiculous at times but fits this prompt so well. If I remember, I only gave this book 3 stars but it has stayed with me since reading it. May need to upgrade the number of stars!

Helen wrote: "I chose Perfume: The Story of a Murderer for this prompt. It is unsettling, dark, bizarre, ridiculous at times but fits this prompt so well. If I remember, I only gave this book 3 stars but it has ..."

Same me - and I never read this before nor saw the movie (well it was on TV lately and I stopped watching on purpose and got the book instead). So far, I love it, it is "on the surface" such an easy read but so much underneath once you start looking!

Dionne wrote: "Definitely check out The Good Samaritan. This book has one of the craziest lead character I've ever read."

oh I chose this a s my kindle first so I have it. Good idea if I can't get into American Psycho.

Man, The Good Samaritan character would have to be pretty crazy to top American Psycho's Patrick Bateman. When I saw this topic A. P. was the first book to come to mind but I read it last year, dang it! I ended up reading The Killer Inside Me and The Prague Cemetery in January for this theme. Both were good, but The Killer Inside Me was a much easier book to read.

I think I'm going with Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, since I've been wanting to read something of his and I already own this.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

I have just finished Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky for this prompt and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy a read this was.

I am keen to read more by Dostoevsky!

I see some of you have chosen Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind and have rated it quite well so I may use this as a side read as have it on my bookshelf!

What I read about You intrigued me so I decided to give it a go. It was a disturbing rather than enjoyable read.

I read Crooked Kingdom that is full of good villains :D

The problem with reading something with the antagonist point of view is that you sometimes learn to like the bad guy, but you cannot expect always a happy ending for a villain, right?

So I just finished The Last Mrs. Parrish and I'm considering using it for this prompt. Has anyone read it and can confirm that it could be used?

It's similar to Gone Girl, in that (view spoiler)[we get a woman manipulating the heck out of some people (hide spoiler)] (that's a spoiler about Gone Girl, not about The Last Mrs. Parrish, because she admits it on the first page), but the ending of Parrish makes me wonder if it would count as her being the antagonist.

Trying hard not to be spoilery. If you read this, please let me know what you think!

I'm reading Six of Crows for this prompt. It was hard to get into at first but I'm definitely more invested in the story now. The different characters are interesting in the book.

Do you think Scythe would work for this?

I read A Clash of Kings. Nearly everyone in this book is both a villain and a victim.

That would be my inner voice...

Hey all, does You by Caroline Kepnes fit this prompt? I really want to read it , but I'm not sure its written by the villains POV?

I think other folks are reading You, Tracy, so it seems like a good pick.

Yes, it is definitely a villain POV.

Hi would The Perfect Nanny fit into this prompt?

I read Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen for this category. It's always interesting to see other points of view of stories you already know.

I read it a few years ago, but plan to re-read The Goblin Corps... while not the best written book, the premise makes up for it if you're the right kind of nerd.

In LOTR and most epic fantasy, the good guys create a dream team of one man, one elf, one dwarf, etc. Goblin Corps creates the dream team, but for the bad guys. One orc, one gobin, etc., have to beat the good guys and save the undead evil wizard.
Made me laugh, though wish it was longer and went more in depth.

What are you reading for this category? And I Darken by Kiersten White

I read The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison by Warren Fellows, who was convicted of heroin trafficking to Australia in 1978. This is his memoir - not my usual fare but had to read it to support a year 12 student who is studying it in English

I read I, Iago, because I love the character in Othello. While it was a fun read (and a bit different for me as I don't often read historical fiction), I didn't find Iago to be anywhere near as villainous or enigmatic as in Othello.

- What are you reading for this category?

The Vital Abyss by James S A Corey

This is a novella in the Expanse series that is told from the perspective of Cortazar, a scientist who has literally had his ability to empathize burned out of his brain.

I think I'll read Circe for this category.

I am reading The Mars Room for this one. I am not sure how villainous the main character is; my understanding is she has killed someone but might have been a good reason...I don't really want to know more so going to go with it.

What are you reading for this category?
I have read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
A set of really unlikable characters, but a good read.

I'm just starting The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Looking forward to it as I liked a couple books he's written.