Today's topic from The Broke and the Bookish is "Ten Books I've Read Because of Another Blogger." I have gotten so many wonderful recommendations from other bloggers, even before I started a book-dedicated blog. Here are ten I've loved, with the titles linked to my reviews of them:
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery -- I read several rave reviews of this over the course of a year or two, and finally got it from the library. And promptly cursed my reticence to read it, because wow... it's now one of my absolute favorite books, and I plan to re-read it this winter.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster -- another one that lots and lots of people told me I should read, so I finally tried it, not expecting to love it, and then I couldn't put it down. It makes me laugh and laugh, and I dearly love to laugh over a good book.
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay -- Reay's books have been alllllll over the corner of the blogosphere I inhabit, and with good cause. She smooshes classic plots, a love of books, and modern problems together to make beautiful stories.
Greenwillow by B. J. Chute -- my friend Heidi gave me a copy of this because she knew I would love it. She was right! It is utterly charming, and another book that made me chuckle.
I, Claudia by Charity Bishop -- funny story: One day, I suddenly realized that the Charity who wrote the book I, Claudia that I kept reading reviews of, the Charity who edited that Femnista magazine I liked to read, and the Charity who ran my favorite MBTI typing site were all the same person. The day I realized that was the day I applied to become a writer for Femnista. But I didn't actually manage to read this book until a couple months ago -- in fact, my mom had read it before I did! Crazy, huh?
Middlemarch by George Eliot -- I read this because I participated in a watch-along of the BBC movie version hosted by Birdie, loved the film, made my best friend watch the film, she loved it too, and we decided to read the book together. It's one of the deepest and most profound works of fiction I've ever read.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -- oodles of blogging friends kept insisting I needed to watch the BBC miniseries and read the book. But until my best friend watched it and basically ordered me to see it, I just never quite got around to it. And I fell so much in love, I gave copies of the miniseries away for Christmas and then read the book. Delicious.
Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson -- one of the best bits of western Christian fiction I've ever read, and I never would have known it existed if I hadn't read about it on a blog!
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd -- Kara raved and raved and raved about this book, so when I spotted it at the library, I gave it a try. Both my son and I loved it so much we had to buy our own copy, which is pretty well-worn by now.
Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- book blogger Dale reviewed a story from this that sounded so funny, I had to go get the book and read it myself. So happy I did! In fact, I discovered that, for the most part, I like Fitzgerald's short stories better than his novels.
What books have you read because of a review on a blog or GoodReads? Please share!
Your list has contributed to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Kelly! Hope you also enjoy some of these :-)
DeleteNorth and South, The Blue Castle, and Daddy-Long-Legs are all books that I love. I read Middlemarch when I was a teenager and don't remember much about it. I really need to give it another try.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I think you will be blown away by the majesty of Middlemarch. Read it again! It very much feels like a book you would love, based on what I know of your book tastes.
DeleteI read "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Salt to the Sea," and "Christy" because of blogging friends' recommendations. I didn't actually care too much for "Christy" (religious differences, I think), but I absolutely LOVED the other two.
ReplyDelete"Salt to the Sea" needs to be a movie soooooooooooooooooooo badly . . . I have no idea why it's not yet . . .
Jessica, I haven't read "Salt to the Sea." What's it about?
DeleteOh, sorry, I missed this! So, "Salt to the Sea" is about some refugees--teenagers--in East Prussia in early 1945, who are trying to make it to the coast before they get overrun by the fast-advancing Russian soldiers.
DeleteIt's really, really sad and kind of brutal, but SO GOOD.
Jessica, does it have kind of a Book Thief vibe? I did enjoy that book, though I didn't love it.
DeleteHmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Not sure, exactly--I mean, it does take place in WW2 in Europe, but the writing style is very, very different from "The Book Thief" . . . much simpler and more direct. And there are four main characters, instead of just one. At the same time, though, it really is about wartime tragedies, so I guess it is kinda like "The Book Thief"?
DeleteTo me, the book it really reminded me of was "So Far From the Bamboo Grove"--don't know if you've read that one, but it's another refugee story from WW2.
Whether funny or depressing, Fitzgerald is still one of my favorite authors. And now I can't wait to read Middlemarch.
ReplyDeleteDale, I know -- Fitzgerald may have better style than substance, but his writing is exquisite and I simply love how he puts words together.
DeleteMiddlemarch is amazing!
I read a lot of books because of the blog world. Long gone are the days where I just dared to pluck books off shelves; I have a long TBR list of classics plus blog mentions.
ReplyDeleteI read Blue Castle, A Snicker of Magic, and Dear Mr. Knightly after blog reviews. Blue Castle stunned me. I passed it to my sisters and they loved it too.
I read Middlemarch but not because of the blog world I don't think. I took a while to get into it, but when I did I enjoyed it. I don't care for Eliot's shorter stories Amos Barton or Silas Marner. But I enjoyed Daniel Deronda and Adam Bede. The writing style is intense. I've yet to read Mill on the Floss which seems to be one of the better known novels.
Going away to add a few of these to my eternal TBR list.
Livia, haha! I still wander the library stacks sometimes and grab a book at whim. Sometimes a good idea, sometimes not.
DeleteI read Silas Marner long ago and wasn't agog over it, but now that I've experienced Middlemarch, I want to read more of Eliot's stuff, and re-read SM. I haven't read Mill on the Floss either, but lots of people have recommended it to me.
My TBR list is dispiritingly long.
Honest: I'm not familiar with any of the books on your list except Middlemarch, and that's only because I taught Adam Bede once upon a time. I'm going to have to check some of these out. :-) Here's my TTT if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, Eli! I will check out your list :-)
DeleteWell, I am now intrigued by Reay's books - that combo of elements sounds really lovely! And I like reading Austen-adjacent literature. I like how this TTT about recommendations is totally expanding my overall list of recommended books on my TBR:).
ReplyDeleteStephanie, her books are very cool. I liked Dear Mr. Knightley best of the 3 that are out (or is her 4th out now? I've lost track suddenly), but the other two were very enjoyable too -- DMK just spoke more to me personally. It's not exactly about Emma, more about Daddy-Long-Legs in a way, but also has GOBS of references to Austen and other classics. Reay says in this interview that it's as much an homage to C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters as anything.
DeleteAnd yeah, I had that happen with this TTT too -- more books added to my load!
Katherine's books are in a class all their own. SO much beauty she packs into their pages. The Blue Castle is one I simply MUST read with all haste. :)
ReplyDeleteI've started one of Charity's books but haven't finished it. Oh, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because of those review books. Someday I'll return to her fantastical world. :)
Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland, Rachel - and glad you joined this week's Top Ten Tuesday! :)
Rissi, yes, you must Must MUST read Blue Castle.
DeleteAnd that's one reason I'm not particularly into reviewing ARCs. I don't have enough time to read all the books on my TBR list as it is!
Oh, and thanks for nudging me to get back into TTT :-) I definitely do enjoy it!
DeleteI just finished reading The Blue Castle to Elisabeth and she loved it. (By the way, my copy has the exact same cover as the one you chose for this blog post.) It's such a great book. Mom's still annoyed with me, though, because she kept bugging me to read it and I only did after you reviewed it here. ;)
ReplyDelete~Eva
Eva, good for you and Elisabeth! I'm going to reread it when I finish The Blythes are Quoted. Sooooooo looking forward to it.
DeleteYou know, I had the same thing with North and South. I had so many people telling me I had to see the miniseries and read the book, but it wasn't until DKoren said, "Will you watch this with me?" that I finally did. Sometimes we just need that one final, extra push!
I can say absolutely positively that I read The Lord of the Rings thanks to you and Jamie. :) The Blue Castle was recommended to me SOOOO many times! Can't believe it took this long to finally get it read. So good though! And Daddy Long Legs, and Katherine Reay's books? Yes and yes!! Plus North and South, and Sixteen Brides? Oh yes! I'm currently reading Katherine's next book, releasing this coming Tuesday, and can confidently say it's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm so happy my raving over A Snicker of Magic worked! That pleases me so, so much. :)
Kara, I love that we can all influence each other to read good things like this!
DeleteI've put a hold on the new Katherine Reay book at the library -- can't wait to get it!