This is a new experience for me, choosing the book I wanted to read to start off the year. I usually have several books going, at any given time, and generally what I end up finishing first in the new year is a book I started in December. But, this time, I actually pondered how I'd begin my reading year in advance, both because I knew I was going to finish almost everything I had in progress (except for a book of letters written during the Great Depression, which may take me another year because I can only cope with it a little at a time) and because of posts by Sheila at Book Journey and Carrie at Care's Online Book Club. When it became obvious that I was going to finish Sherlock Chronicles in 2015 (I literally finished it 10 minutes before midnight), I knew I could finally choose a book to begin my year. So, my first book of the year was carefully selected: Tales of Accidental Genius by Simon Van Booy.
I chose Tales of Accidental Genius for two reasons:
1. It has been sitting by my bedside since it arrived, awaiting the right moment, and
2. Simon Van Booy is one of my favorite authors. His books are always uplifting in some way, and what better way to start a new year than with a book that you know will warm your heart and lift your spirits?
Sure enough, I loved Tales of Accidental Genius. No surprise there. When I closed the book, Saturday night, I had a smile on my face.
The stories are classic Simon: quirky, original, truthful, full of beauty and life. I'm always in awe of his writing.
I always, always read Simon's books at least twice. The first time through, I just read for joy without marking anything at all. The second time, I let myself flag passages and take notes. So, I have no quotes to share and this isn't really a review post so much as a note that I started off the reading year well. Now that it's occurred to me that starting off a year reading a book by Simon Van Booy is a great idea, maybe I'll know what I'm reading before the beginning of the year arrives, next time around, so I can join in on Sheila's First Book event.
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Funny, I have my review for this going up tomorrow. It's my first review of the year, but my last book of 2015. I loved it too!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting coincidence! So glad you also loved it. I'll have to go read your review.
DeleteSounds like a great book to start out your year!
ReplyDeleteIt was absolutely perfect. I'm definitely going to make this a new tradition, reading a Simon Van Booy book at the beginning of the year.
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