[Review/Reflection/Suggestion]: "How to Buy a Love of Reading"

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

Publisher: Plume (July 27, 2010)

Genre: Fiction

A playful, witty, and remarkably accomplished debut novel about how reading can save your life

Asked to name her favorite book, sixteen-year-old Carley Wells answers, "never met one I liked." Her parents are horrified and decide to commission a book to be written just for her. They will be the Medicis of Long Island and buy their daughter The Love of Reading. At first, Carley's sole interest in the project is to distract Hunter, the young bibliophile she adores. But as Hunter's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Carley begins to understand the importance of stories-and how they are powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her.

Tanya Egan Gibson's debut novel is an irresistible work of metafiction that dazzlingly embeds a book within the book, and boasts an unforgettably fresh narrator whose journey towards embracing literature will make you fall in love with reading all over again.

Where to Buy*:

Amazon | Kindle | BN | NOOK

More Info:

Author's Site | Excerpt (See website, no direct link!)

Reviewer's Note:
As I am sure my regular followers know, I rarely read outside of the romance genre. When I do, it's for fantasy books (typically with a slight romantic theme in them) or YA fantasy. I am not huge on "regular" fiction novels, and very rarely do I bother reading any. With so many other books that I am dying to read out there, why waste my time with books that I *might* be interested in?

I came across this particular book while helping to clean out my great-grandmother's room. It's not an old book, however. It was one that she picked up during a "Bargain Sale" a few years back, but she never did read it. I saw the title and cover and instantly knew I had to read it, if for no other reason than to find out what, exactly, the book was about.

And let me tell you, even after reading it...well, it's hard to explain. It's one of those books that are best enjoyed if you actually experience it, not if someone tells you about it. So I won't even attempt to do a summary in this "review".

I wouldn't even really call this a review, or at least not like my usual reviews. Instead, it's more of a reflection on the book; my thoughts, boiled down to their simplest (and perhaps slightly confusing) point. For the most part, this is simply a shout-out to you about this book, a suggestion to all those who call themselves readers, all those who enjoy to read something different, something out of their normal comfort zones, to pick up this novel and prepare for a journey unlike any that you've experienced before.

I hope you enjoy my..."review". :)


My Review:

If you ever wish to read a “different kind” of book, pick up this one.

If you ever want to read a book that teaches you lessons about human behavior and English (literature). ..

If you ever want to escape into a world that seems both surprisingly familiar and at yet as alien as another planet...

If you ever want to pick up a book that makes you want to throw it against the wall, hug it to your chest, and reread it again---all at once....

If you ever want to read a tale that will make you cry, make you scream, make you smile and hope, all in one chapter....

If you ever want to read about characters that seem so real, so believable, yet are also flawed enough that you wish to shake them until they change...

If you ever want to read a book that tells a story in a story in a story....

If you ever wish to read a book that makes you question what's real and what's not...

If you ever want to curl up with a book and get lost in it for hours, to both learn from it and take pleasure in it, to pull it apart and enjoy it despite any flaws....

….This is the book you should read—How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson.

Believe me when I say that you will not regret it. It may seem odd at first, it may continue to be “odd” at times, but by the end you will be an emotional wreck: crying, smiling, yelling. But armed with a new appreciation for reading...as well as so much more!

4 STARS!


Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


 
*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!