Book Discussion: Reading Books You Normally Wouldn't

 

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well and reading lots of exciting things. I was conversing with a friend regarding book discussions (in general, not my posts specifically.) She mentioned that she enjoys conversations because it convinces her to read books she wouldn't have read otherwise. I thought that was an exciting idea for a topic, and I won't be finishing a book any time soon, so here we are. (Thanks, Kathie, for the random comment that started this!)

I'm curious to know, what are some books you have been introduced to by discussing them with others? Did you end up reading it, and if so, did you enjoy it? What was the turning point in the discussion that made you decide to read it? 

Book Discussion

Looking back through my list of books I've read, I think the one that most stands out as something I wouldn't have picked for myself would be When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi. I am really not a non-fiction reader. I read to be entertained and get out of my head for a little bit. As a result, I don't really gravitate towards memoirs. How this book came into my life was actually really weird. I don't know if anyone remembers a few years ago on Facebook; posting book gifting chains was a big thing. How it worked was the first person would make the post, and the first person to comment would send them a book. I don't think it was usually disclosed what book would be sent or why in the post. Anyway, a random friend of a friend I didn't know sent me When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi during one of those chains.

There wasn't really a discussion on my part because of how I came to have the book. However, the person who sent it provided an index card with a note explaining that this was her favorite book. The message made it seem really enlightening and like an absolute must-read. The added bonus of being gifted the book made the decision to read it really easy.

I'm happy that I did read When Breath Becomes Air. Even though it was sad, I found it really inspiring. It's definitely not something I would have even considered if I was picking out a book for myself. I really don't even go through the non-fiction sections if I'm in a book store. I did have the blog back when this happened, so if you want to see my full review on it, you can here. I read this back in 2016, so it's hard telling how bad the post is. I don't typically go back and re-edit or reread my own posts (or haven't lately, at least.) 

Tell me in the comments what your book(s) that you picked up because of a discussion and your thoughts! I love seeing the comments, and who knows, maybe we'll all add to our book lists!