BBAW: Bloggers' Book Recommendations

Day four of BBAW brings us to a discussion of a book discovered through another blogger.

I have two bloggers who I read pretty much daily to thank for my recent obsession with Penelope Lively, two bloggers who mentioned two different Lively books which started me off on a reading binge.

First of all, Dorothy at Of Books and Bicycles reviewed Lively's Booker winning novel, Moon Tiger in October of 2007. Here's part of what she had to say about it:

[Lively] has a quiet, understated way of writing that can work magic on you and leave you moved and wanting more. ... She’s getting at the idea that how we choose to tell our story shapes the story itself. There are no meaningful facts outside a story told by a particular person in a particular way. This holds true for the narrative of history as well; to study history is to study the manifold ways people have told the story of humanity over time.

As a former history student this intrigued me. I had moved this book up on my mental TBR list, thinking I'd get to it soon. Then, in March of this year, I read a quote about libraries excerpted from Lively's book Consequences, on the Canadian blog Pickle Me This. It was so delightful that I thought I needed to read Consequences immediately, if only to find that quote to add to my commonplace book. And I loved it. That started my infatuation; I read Moon Tiger next, then a few more, and then I was just lucky enough that Lively had a book coming out this fall (Family Album, which I've just discussed). And I am lucky that she has quite a backlist as well, so I still have new books to explore.

Thanks to these two intrepid bloggers, I've had months of a wonderful reading streak, with many more chances to indulge my new addiction in future. :)