BBAW Day 4 Reader Recommendations

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It's Day 4 of the BBAW. Today's topic is : Readers

Okay, it's like 3 am and I think I fell asleep typing twice already. I realized if you close your eyes at 3 am, you're likely not to open them again for quite some time. So I'm going to be as brief as I know how which still isn't saying much cause I like to talk...mostly ramble, but you get what I'm saying.


So to the topic at hand, Book bloggers blog because we love reading. Has book blogging changed the way I read? Have I discovered books I never would have apart from book blogging? And have I made new connections with other readers because of book blogging?
Well, when I first started blogging I had never heard of the dystopian sub-genre. l didn't have a clue what it meant. So I would have to say the dystopian novel has been my biggest reading discovery since I started blogging. I have several on my shelf now and hope to read more in the future. 


A follower and author (Hank Henley) recommended I read Hunger Games (read my review here) by Suzanne Collins. I read it and loved it. That spunky little Katniss had me wrapped around her finger for a few days. And Peeta, don't get me started on my adorable Peeta. I think he is so unappreciated by Katniss. Now Catching Fire, the sequel to the Hunger Games, didn't impress me. It was recommended as well. Didn't much care for it. But I have a mountainous TBR pile so I have to push on. Next on the agenda is Mockingjay. I have it sitting on my shelf of course screaming to be read but Catching Fire (read my review here) hasn't made me to eager to start reading it.

Another book recommendation was Divergent by Veronica Roth, another dystopian. I bought it immediately. Could've been because there was so much hype surrounding it. I have yet to read it but it is on my TBR list. I also purchased Enclave by Ann Aguirre. It's probably having an intimate discussion with Divergent swearing and cussing me out for ignoring them both. But I wave hi every so often trying to appease my little neglected dystopian adventures.

I don't venture off the beaten path too often. I'm sorta set in my ways and prefer genres I'm comfortable with. But I did buy Shadowfever by Karen Moning. I saw the cover on another blog and thought that looks awesome. I'm a judge a book by its cover kinda girl and I get easily hypnotized by unique pretty things. So I went to the bookstore and wow, that cover is gorgeous. Seeing it on the computer screen doesn't do it justice. So of course I had to buy it. Hadn't read it yet either. :-/ But it looks pretty darn good sitting on my shelf, I think Shadowfever, Divergent and Enclave are planning a bookshelf escape.

As you can see there is a trend forming here. I often will buy a book based on recommendation. However, reading it is a different story. I have every intention on doing so but my favorites (mainstream fiction) always take precedent. 

A few other that were recommended were The Husband by Dean Koontz. I can't remember who recommended it to me but I remember asking for thriller recommendations and someone said you have to read The Husband. I'm glad I did. It's a great book. I did read it, but I was too busy to write a review. I'm sure some of you can relate. After my immense satisfaction with The Husband I then decided I was on a roll, so I asked someone to recommend another thriller. A recommendation was suggested to read The Sixth Man by David Baldacci. In my Men on Films voice from In Living Color....hated it! Okay, it wasn't terribly bad but it didn't hold up to The Husband. After that I took a break from thrillers. I suppose that's the downside of being a book addict with a slight case of ADHD, I can only tolerate so many book disappointments. 

The last recommendation I'll go over came from one of my favorite authors of all time, Bernice L. McFadden. She suggested, Go the F**k to Sleep.  It's a bedtime story for parents. Talk about dream book. I first indulged this title by audio book while it was free. Woohoo! I love just about anything free. Then they pulled it. :-( But I enjoyed it so much I decided to buy the actual book. It's a great, funny and witty book. So authentic and true for parents who have a hard time getting their kids to bed. I highly recommend it if you have a sense of humor.

So overall I can say yes, I have made connections through recommendations, I just can't remember them all at 3 am. If I had not read Hunger Games, I would not have been introduced to the dystopian genre. And I likely would not have discovered all the great blogs out there that review and read dystopian novels.

Well, that's all I have for recommendations. I was trying to think of some more, but I fell asleep again. So I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. But before you go, enjoy my favorite Men on Books clip from In Living Color.

Blessings!