Friday, January 9, 2015

Bookish Thoughts: Looking for the Unexpected



I regularly travel by plane and by car. When I take a long car trip I plan out my reading options very carefully.  While some people only read one book at a time I am often reading three books at once.  Don't ask why, it's complicated. 

What I look forward to when I fly is an opportunity to go through airport bookstores and find a new book.  Sounds crazy but it's true.  I generally pick up at least one book that looks interesting and it's usually something I would not normally read. This past trip I was so disappointed by the selection in both my departure and destination cities that I didn't buy anything.  Unbroken was EVERYWHERE, books written by television news personalities and the usual top ten NY times paperbacks but nothing beyond this very standard fare.  Of course I immediately returned to the waiting area and complained to my family.  My daughter simply looked at me and said, "Mom it doesn't matter just get a new book on your kindle." 

Don't get me wrong, I love the ease of my kindle, the daily deals, the recommendations, the ability to know what other readers thought, but I also know some of my favorite books were those I stumbled across knowing very little about the author, the book, or the genre. I now wonder if my children will ever know the simple joy of walking into a bookstore and discovering something unexpected.  One of my resolutions for 2015 is finding a way to support independent bookstores who I hope will continue to offer an opportunity for the unexpected.  What's the most unexpected book you have come across in the last few months?

Posted By: Sheri

4 comments:

  1. Definitely The Book of Ivy. I didn't read the synopsis or any reviews, I just saw it on a few best of 2014 lists and I immediately wanted it, so I bought it without knowing anything. And I'm so glad I did, I absolutely fell in love with it and it ended up being on my top reads of 2014 :)

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  2. I'm totally with you on that one. I often find my unexpected gems by strolling into a library or bookstore. Kindles/E-Readers are convenient but nothing like going into a bookstore or a library. Great post!

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  3. So I am not an adventurous reader. I read what I know I will like, for the most part. Even the books that I pick up that are outside the norm (say, middle grade) are usually books that fit my reading tastes. Is is sad that I can't think of one unexpected book EVER let alone in the past few months? I should probably be more adventurous but I risk liking the books I read a lot less for the change of finding that one amazing discovery and I'm not sure I want to do that...

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  4. I'm like that too. Reading multiple books at once allows for you to switch to another if you get bored easily or also are not in the mood for one particular thing right when you wake up, but clearly want to finish the other book you've been reading etc. Anyway, complicated yes, but awesome still.

    "What I look forward to when I fly is an opportunity to go through airport bookstores and find a new book. " -- I must admit, I've never actually done this before. I've seen a bunch of authors tweet each other pictures of the other's books from airport stores, but I've never bought one. Nice to get duty-free stuff, and they look always look so tempting but...

    "I generally pick up at least one book that looks interesting and it's usually something I would not normally read." -- That is a REALLY cool habit to have.

    "Unbroken was EVERYWHERE, books written by television news personalities and the usual top ten NY times paperbacks but nothing beyond this very standard fare." -- sometimes I wonder whether we're headed into an age where only the authors who've miraculously gotten to be bestsellers are the ones most visible?

    "I also know some of my favorite books were those I stumbled across knowing very little about the author, the book, or the genre." -- too true. I love experimentation. It's kind of contrary to having a book blog because then we're exposed to a lot of synopses and few things ever remain unknown, but I've been trying to avoid looking too hard into 2015 titles for that reason.

    "I now wonder if my children will ever know the simple joy of walking into a bookstore and discovering something unexpected." -- You can teach them!

    Most unexpected book... Sea Monsters on Medieval Maps. I saw it as a recommended gift in the Strand and it looked intriguing, so despite my usual gift over WHY-ANOTHER-BOOK, I got it. Before this last trip with the disappointing airports, what was your most unexpected book?

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