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| Source: goodreads.com |
Almost all of my favorite blogs have reviewed The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and loved it. I have to say it was just straight out enjoyable. A.J.'s life and business are sinking, for good reason, but he is too depressed to care. Until a series of fateful events take place and A.J. is given a second chance at family, friendship, love, and life. The story takes us through the latter years of A.J.'s life and definitely glosses over/through a few happenings, but it didn't bother me much because the characters and story are just too enjoyable. The events discussed are the most important for the story's focus too, so you can't complain about unnecessary detail. And of course, as the title suggests, the book is rife with book and author references. Oh, and the abundance of bookish quotes, such as: "People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to one question, What is your favorite book?" What book lover can resist that? That in itself should make book lovers want to read it. So I join the ranks of those recommending The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for pure enjoyment.
Now back to Cloud Atlas. Anyone have a book about books they'd recommend?
I think I'm the only person who hasn't read this book!
ReplyDeleteMy three favorite books about books are: Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman, Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz, and How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen.
I haven't read Ex Libris, but will look into it! I've read the other two and loved them! Thanks!
DeleteI haven't read this book yet either Carrie! But reviews like this make me want to read it immediately. Favourite books about books? The Book Thief and The Shadow of the Wind.
ReplyDeleteAh, The Shadow of the Wind...will add it. I like books about books..
DeleteI just got this one from the library! Excited to read it!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what you think. It was just a good read...made me smile.
DeleteYAY! Glad you enjoyed this one, too! :D
ReplyDeleteI had all these wonderful other bloggers reviewing it ;) so I had to get it on hold at the library eventually!
DeleteI am even MORE excited to read this now!!!
ReplyDeleteRead it when you need something that is just simple and enjoyable.
DeleteYou were absolutely right, Jennine, thank you for pointing me in the right direction! :)
DeleteYay! Welcome!
DeleteI love that quote! I can't wait to read this one myself - as soon as I get my hands on a copy.
ReplyDeleteYou would think the title is in abundance now, but even this far out from its publication, I had to wait on a library hold. There were quite a few great quotes, which I saved for some Sunday Sentence posts.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed this one Jennine! It really is the perfect break for Cloud Atlas (which was good but ohmygoodness a lot of work!). I've heard great things about An Uncommon Reader--fiction about Queen Elizabeth discovering a love for reading--but I haven't read it yet.
ReplyDeleteCloud Atlas has a rough start for sure. I'm about the third story in, just seeing some connections. Waiting for it to hit because I know it's going to get deeper than this.
DeleteThanks for the title idea. Sounds cool.
I just today finished 'The Rise and Fall of Great Powers' which kind of has a bookish reading backdrop. It's not great - but it's not awful. Probably a solid three for me. Glad you enjoyed AJ. :)
ReplyDeleteThrees are good recommendations...someone posted that somewhere. Twitter probably. But it's true. That book catches my attention with all the books on the cover.
DeleteI loved the bookish quotes too! I also liked how A.J. related to other people through books, like the cop with the crime novels :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish I could think fast like that. I seem to be picking up a knack with it for my students though.
DeleteI was late (well, "late" in book blogger land) to the bandwagon on this one too...but I absolutely loved it! I loved the bookish quotes and all AJ's opinions about books. I even did a separate post with my favorite quotes from the book because there were far too many to include in the review!
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent idea! I had at least four or five and cut that down! Probably could've written a whole post on the book references as well!
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