Hello Livingston Public Library!
Have you ever been reluctant to pick up a book, whether that be because the cover didn’t quite appeal to you or the plot description didn’t seem like something you’d enjoy? I recently had this happen to me with Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. I’m not a big fan of historical fiction, so this book ended up sitting in my to-read pile for way longer than it should have. However, when I did finally pick it up to read I fell in love. I became so immersed in the storyline and the lives of the characters that I could not put it down. Seriously. I surprised myself.
So today I’d like to ask you to think about a book that you were reluctant to pick up but ended up enjoying. Perhaps you’ll think twice about letting books sit in your to-read pile for an extended period of time in the future. Comment below with what these titles have been.
Here are some selections that various Livingston Library staff members had put off reading but ended up enjoying once they did.
Katie, Head of Adult Services & Acquisitions: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. I didn’t love Woman in Cabin 10 but I’m glad I tried this one because I really enjoyed it!
Joe, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian: A friend raved to me about Richard Yates’ Revolutionary Road around the time that the movie adaptation with Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio came out. While I respect his taste a lot, I was reluctant to read the book because I’d heard it was a tremendously sad story about a troubled marriage, and those kinds of stories are usually super-hard for me to endure. Then a few years later, for some reason I finally decided to read it, and… I discovered that it was far more devastating than I’d imagined. BUT: I also discovered that it was one of the most exquisitely-written novels I’ve ever read, both in terms of its story and its prose. And to this day it might still be the best book I’ll never want to read again.
Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian: I thought I wouldn’t enjoy The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because of its heavy science content. But the book has woven science with the human element very nicely, and important questions of ethics and morality in medicine and science are discussed in a very readable way.
-Jessica, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian