Best Recommendations You've Gotten Recently?

[Michael]

In the most recent episode of the podcast Ann and I talk about a few great recommendations we've received.

What book are you thrilled someone told you about?
Who do you trust most for book recommendations?
What sort of recommendation makes you immediately pick up a book?

[Stephen]

Edgar Sawtelle
You guys, my wife, my neighbor
tough to say - I think it's the same as movies: if there's a confluence of positive associations around a book (word of mouth, topic, previous experience with the author, etc) I'll read it. Very rarely will I take one recommendation and buy a book blindly.

[[deleted user]]

A colleague at work told me about the book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It's a children/young adult book, but it is such a well-told story that it is wonderful for all ages. It stayed with me for quite a while after I finished the last page.

[[deleted user]]

Michael, I just listened to the podcast where you highly recommended The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I couldn't agree with you more. I read it a few months ago in an afternoon, and absolutely loved it and was so disappointed to see the last page. I wasn't sure about the letter format at first, but I think that made me enjoy the characters all the more. Delightful is the perfect word to describe this book.

[Michael]

Great to hear Suzanne. GUERNSEY was definitely a word of mouth success. And, for any holdouts who didn't want to buy a hardcover, the paperback comes out in May, so we can all start recommending it again!

[Dottie]

Personal recommendations are the best. I have some friends who are serious readers and I always listen to them. When I used to work at a bookstore I had problems with customers who would come in with recommendations - I think I bought more books than they did. I also subscribe to two magazines (one in print and one on-line) that collect reviews and give you a balanced look at what several reviewers are saying and I am seldom disappointed in a book I choose this way. But I have to admit a failing - I am a sucker for a clever title. When I saw The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately not all the "clever title" choices turn out as well as that one did.

Dottie M.

[Barbara]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but I wanted to ask about a book that Michael recommended that is coming out in March. It was a memoir done by a man whose parents were deaf. Could you remind me again of the title and author?

[Michael]

Hands of my Father by Myron Uhlberg and it now comes out in early February! I'll be raving about it on a podcast soon!

[Barbara]

Thanks, Michael! I wanted to make a note of it for myself and recommend it to someone else.

[Dottie]

I have to agree with Dottie M. that personal recommendations are the best but then I'd add a caveat. Personal these days isn't necessarily a person I've actually met. My long time -- over a decade now -- online book group Constant Reader has been individually and collectively responsible for a lot of fine reading over the past many years.

And, going for the clever title? Oh -- not really a failing -- just a fun, by chance option for finding some fun reading, Dottie. I tend to relate to titles which include certain key words which ring a bell in my maze of "connections" -- colors, things related to the senses, and other rather quirky bits of trivia.

As for a particular book -- recently? I'll be back with that. ETA: In the past year, the best book recommendation I think came from a total stranger/member of GR who recommended the Brazilian author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis -- counselor Ayres Memorial was one of my favorite books but I grew to enjoy the author's writing style increasingly through the three volumes I've read thus far. Another high ranking one came from the booklist of one of my GR groups -- Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea. By the way, Ann, did you ever finish that? If not, I really think you should read it this year ;)

I find that when a person (IRL or online) is a great fan of many of the same authors who are on my personal favs list that I can trust their recommendations of an author -- even if the descriptions of that author's works seems at odds with my usual reading material. This is how I became a permanent fan of both A.S. Byatt and Alice Hoffman, in fact.

[Ann]

Dottie,
No, I haven't finished Ella Minnow Pea yet. At this point, I think I'll just start over from scratch. This year for sure!

[Carla]

When my sister in law, who is not a big reader, raved about water for elephants, I grabbed it. I was not disappointed. I don't have access to current reads, as it takes the state library time to record them, so I am behind the rest of you as far as time wise goes. I was listening to a past pod cast and Michael was talking about tethered, I had just finished it that very day. Outstanding book. I get recommendations from other blind reading groups. One really good one was the same sweet girls by Cassandra King. I have several sighted friends that belong to book clubs, so my t b r list is added to by them.
Carla