Today's question for BBAW is, "Can you believe it's already day 4 of BBAW?" Nooooooo, I can't. Time goes by so fast! *sniff* Oh, and also they want to know what the first book was that I read just because a book blogger recommended it to me.
Well, this is kind of complicated answer (not really, but as usual I'm going to make it that way). The first book I ever read because a blogger recommended it was Odd Thomas. It was recommended by the lovely and beautiful Amethyst, who is also my adopted mom. She's not really a book blogger (yet--mwahahaha), and I'm not entirely sure why or how she recommended it to me, but I read it and I loved it!
The second book I read because a blogger recommended it was In Sheep's Clothing by Susan May Warren. It's one of Ruth's favorite books. Now, Ruth is a book blogger--but she wasn't at the time she recommended it to me. I did really enjoy the book and the yummy Vicktor, and the fabulous Russian setting.
With both of these books, I was definitely stepping outside my comfort zone. I tend to avoid both Christian fiction and horror novels--but because of Amethyst's and Ruth's recommendations, I tried both and really enjoyed them!
If you want to get all technical about it, the first book I read because a book blogger recommended it was Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan. It was recommended by MJMBecky at One Literature Nut on Twitter! Again, I wasn't too sure about this book, since I'd never read a Jane Austen adaptation before, and I wasn't certain I wanted to read about Darcy and Lizzie gettin' it on. But it turned out to be an absolutely lovely and romantic book that I really enjoyed.
Aha, but none of those books were ones I actually bought. Because of my depressing financial situation, I got them all from the library. The only book I've bought based on a book blogger's recommendation is The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker
--mainly because of Katiebab's killer review of it on Babbling About Books, and More. Then Smexy Books said the hero was like Alan Rickman and, well, I really HAD to buy it after that. I mean, Alan Rickman's a pretty big selling point. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.And now for the philosophical portion of my day....
The main thing I've found with book recommendations is that it really seems to cement friendships between people when you read a book recommended by a blogger, especially when said book is something you would never consider picking up if he or she hadn't mentioned it. I think this is because when you read a book based solely on a recommendation, you're not only taking a chance on the book, but on the person who rec'd it as well--on whether she (or he) has good taste, and has paid enough attention to the kinds of books you like, to make a good recommendation. So far, I've been rewarded on both fronts and have met both wonderful people and wonderful books by taking a chance and stepping outside my comfort zone.
Have you ever read a book you normally wouldn't just because a friend recommended it?
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