BooKEnDs: Unexpected Pleasant Surprises are the Best!

I absolutely love it when I come upon a book accidentally… typically found while chit-chatting on social media reading sites… usually titillated by something the author expresses during the chit-chat… ALTHOUGH I'll have zero expectations for their book… yet (I of course) hope is good… WHERE WHAALA… the ABSOLUTE BEST is getting the book and finding a pleasant surprise inside! 

Below is a ToP 10 list of pearls and 'bookends' paraphernalia associated with my favorite reading experiences.

#10 … the Page-turners; books where the story takes off on page one and doesn’t let up! (i.e., This is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidbe…)

#9 … the Questionable; books I questioned why I selected it in the first place, before shelving in my DNF (did not finish) bookcase; to (in some cases) years later, in dire desperation hoping to find something, almost anything at all to read, end up loving one of my DNF shelved books to pieces. (i.e., At Wit’s End by Erma Bombeck… Just Waiting for the Bell by David Wehmeyer)

#8 … the Intimidating; those books where for some austere reason, I knew deep down were going to be good, BUT was intimidated by its size, or the cover, or assumed heaviness of the content… and be ‘oh so wrong!’ (i.e., Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela… Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind)

#7 … the Tear-jerkers; books that had me crying at work (at my desk!), or standing out in the rain, or curled up on my sofa. (i.e., from ashes to africa by Josh and Amy Bottomly… The Highest Peak by Kathy Lee Pair)

#6 … the Unforgettable; books hard to put down, and I mean really hard to put down. (i.e., Life On the Color Line by Gregory Howard Williams… On Call in Hell by by Cdr. Richard Jadick… And So it Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life by Charles J. Shield… My Mistake by Daniel Menaker)

#5 … the Laugh Out Loud (LOL); books that had me falling off chairs, and sofas, and once… standing at an elevator, reading and laughing so loud it hurt. (i.e., Farewell, My Beijing by Chi Newman… Hong Konged by Paul Hanstedt… Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern)

#4 … the Gifted Books; books I would've never bought on my own, that were given to me, and turned out to be really good! Like Hey, who says I have to be the only one with good taste in books? 😉 (i.e., Mayor for Life by Marion Barry… Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau)

#3 … the Needle-in-a-Haystack; books published independently (or self-published), that I come upon accidentally, and take a chance on buying, that turn out to be stellar! Hey! In my book, this is like finding a needle in a haystack! (i.e., The Gifted Ones by Lisa Vaughn… The Second Tour by Terry P. Rizzuti)

#2 … the BIG BOOKS; sometimes it’s not always the page count that counts. Sometimes it’s the weight of the book itself… as in WATCH OUT, DON’T DROP IT, the pages might look light, but the book is heavy! (i.e., Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick… Night by Elie Wiesel) 

#1 … And then there are books like the ONE I just finished reading... In A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN!!! (The View From Breast Pocket Mountain by Karen Hill Anton) --> thoughts HERE.

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