Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Picked Up on a Whim

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Books I Picked UP on a Whim.  This was harder than I expected because I don't usually pick up books on a whim.  I normally have a plan that I'm reading by so it's very rare that I'll pick up a book on a whim and just sit down and read it.  But as you will see the library is my greatest downfall when it comes to picking up a book on a whim!

1.  The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen - Sarah Addison Allen had been on my TBR for ages but the book I really intended to read was Garden Spells.  It was last summer and I was obsessed with all things peach and this book just about jumped off the shelf at me!

2.  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - This was one of my favorite books as a kid but I remembered virtually nothing about it.  I was between audio books - I had just finished one and was waiting to get the next one and going through my library's digital site trying to find something to listen to and stumbled on this one.  I'm so glad I did!  It was such a great listen and so different from what I expected.

3.  Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts - While I did plan on reading this book I had no intention of picking it up when I did.  For starters Roberts series books ha been very hit or miss for me and then I hate waiting!  With a trilogy or series that only has a certain number of books I like to have them all before I start reading so if I love it or really want to know what happens next I don't have to wait!  This is another that basically vaulted it's way into my bag when I saw it at the library.

4.  Sanctuary Island by Lily Everett - This one is another library book.  I think I had heard of this author before I picked up this book but only in a I recognize the name way.  I was meandering about the shelves and this book was kind of on its own.  I loved the cover and the feel of the book and took it home.  Luckily, I ended up really enjoying it!

5.  The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah - Another library book (seeing a pattern?) and a book I had no intention of reading.  This was Hannah's attempt at a Poirot mystery and while I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan I was a little leery about another author attempting to recreate Christie's most famous detective.

6.  The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs - This was the first book I ever read on a Kindle and I got it simply because I vaguely remembered reading a historical by Wiggs years before and mildly enjoying it.  I LOVED this one!

7.  The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster - Another random library find and one I was less than thrilled with.  I so loved the concept of living a year trying out Martha Stewart's tips and tricks but this one just fell a little flat for me.  I think it was one of those cases where it just wasn't what I wanted and really doesn't have that much to do with the quality of the book itself.

8.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - This wasn't actually even my library book it was my daughter's! She had left it sitting on the table and I thought it looked interesting and picked it up.  I think I spent the next day or two trying to figure out what was going to happen next!

9.  French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano - This was in the cookbook section and I was curious about it.  Somehow I hadn't heard of it when it came out so I had no idea what it was going to be about (other than the obvious!).

10. Baghdad Without a Map by Tony Horwitz - I actually didn't get this one from the library shelves!  Though I might as well have because I found it in the shelves at my Grandmother's house which might as well be a library.  I really didn't have a huge interest in reading this one but I liked the cover so I picked it up.  I LOVED it and immediately went out and tried to find everything else Horwitz has written - they're all great too though I didn't love Confederates in the Attic.

What books have you picked up on a whim?  Do you pick up books on a whim often or are you more of a planner?

20 comments:

  1. Sometimes the books I pick up on a whim are those I end up enjoying the most. Overall, I have a few books in mind to read each month, then fill in with whims.

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  2. The first one that comes to mind, for me, is Is Anybody Out There?. I was at my great aunts house in England almost 10 years ago and needed something to read. Saw this, started reading and stayed up wayyyyy to late finishing it. So worth it though. Love that book and also found a favourite author.
    I'm a planned reader and whim reader. Just depends what I'm feeling.

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  3. I always seem to pick books on a whim and they invariably turn out very well! Other than the Peach Keeper all the rest are new to me.

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  4. You picked up some awesome books on a whim. I need to hurry up and read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, especially with the movie due out. I have been meaning to read it for so long but keep putting it off. I'm worried it won't live up to the hype, but fingers crossed it does. Great list :) You can check out my post here.

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  5. I love finding books on a whim, which doesn't happen a lot anymore due to blogging but when you find one, and it's good, that's a nice surprise. Some of the earliest books I reviewed were whim buys, I think, as I was still picking books that more or less looked good to me at the bookstore. Before I knew what a TBR was lol. :)

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  6. I love the cover of that first one!I used to read a lot of Jen Lancaster but her books got worse over time for m .

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  7. Some good books, Katherine. I've been meaning to read The Peach Keeper for quite awhile. Maybe this summer. I love the cover of Sanctuary Island.

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  8. I think most of the books I pick up are on a whim...lol.

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  9. I was going to try to take part in today's top 10, but my list would have been made up of one or two books. I thought about broadening my definition of whim, but then I ran out of time. :-( I enjoyed reading your list, Katherine. You have several there I would like to read. A Wrinkle in Time is the only one I have read.

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  10. I am so glad you re"read" Wrinkle. I am trying to figure out if I have read this book the most times, or To Kill a Mockingbird, or Sorcerer's Stone. I love that you picked up The Peach Keeper because you were all about peaches at the time. What you said about your grandmother's house is exactly why I am keeping my books and buying more. I want that to be me! I want my grandchildren to look for books to borrow at my house :)

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  11. I really want to try out the Peach Keeper. I haven't read anything by the author, but I have been recommended her. A Wrinkle in Time is wonderful, I'd love to listen to it as an audiobook. Great list!

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  12. A Wrinkle In Time is love. I'm both really interested in and scared to see how the movie adaptation goes!

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  13. There have been a few Nora Roberts books that were kind of "meh," but for the most part I like what she writes. I've never read A Wrinkle in Time (don't stone me), but I loved Troubling a Star (and the Austin family).

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  14. I've tried to read A Wrinkle in Time, but I couldn't get into it. Hopefully one day I'll give it another try. I hear it's pretty good.

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  15. I enjoyed The Peach Keeper, which was my first from this author.

    I have The Apple Orchard on Pippa, but haven't yet read it. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  16. When I worked at a bookstore the Peach Keeper totally taunted me with it's pretty pretty cover.

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  17. The cover of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children totally drew me in too. :)

    Check out my TTT.

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  18. A book picked on a whim is fantastic when it pays off.

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  19. What a great and eclectic selection of books! I loved The Apple Orchard, had mixed feelings about The Monogram Murders, adore A Wrinkle in Time, and liked Stars of Fortune. Several of the others are on my to-read list.

    I used to be very much a "whim" reader, both with new-to-me books and re-reads. Since I started blogging, I've had to put aside some of that spontaneity, and I miss it.

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  20. I can hardly remember a time when I picked books up on a whim. Definitely before Goodreads and blogging since now, when I go to the bookstore, I'm definitely looking for books that I already know I'm interested in.

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