BBAW: “What Blog Inspired You To Read This?”

On this day, during Book Blogger Appreciation Week, we are to share the books that we’ve read because of other bloggers. I feel as if I should make a confession here. Before I started blogging, even before I narrowed my scope to blogging mainly about books, my reading was, for the most part, completely different. I was not nearly as sophisticated a reader as I am now. While in college, I burned out on classics, more difficult literature, you know; that stuff that makes you think? Once I graduated, I read easy, boring, sometimes poorly written stuff. But then I “met” a few bloggers, saw what they were reading, became interested in reading in myself, and well, my life changed. I still read some of the best-selling type stuff but I find myself drawn more and more to genres outside my comfort zone, to new authors, new types of books all the time and I am eternally GRATEful for it. Without bloggers, I don’t know what I’d be reading, but I sure as heck know, I wouldn’t be enjoying in nearly as much.

For an idea of how bloggers have affected my reading this year, I’ve taken the list of books I’ve read so far, of which there are 87 so far (woo hoo!!! Best year EVER!) and am leaving the ones I read because of blogging. 52 books I’ve read so far this year, and I can attribute them all to a blogger.

Hurray for book bloggers!!!

85. Willow by Julia Hoban
84. Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
80. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
78. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
77. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
76. Killer Bunny Hill by Denise Robbins
75. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
74. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
72. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Read by Carolyn McCormick
71. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
70. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
69. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
67. Storm Front: The Harry Dresden Files #1 by Jim Butcher, Read by James Marsters
66. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
65. The Patron Saint of Used Cars and Second Chances by Mark Millhone
64. Fire by Kristin Cashore
62. Atherton: The House of Power by Patrick Carman
61. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
60. The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
59. The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
57. The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon
56. The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
54. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
53. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
47. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
46. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
45. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
44. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
43. Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn
41. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
40. The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
39. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
38. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
33. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
32. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
31. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
30. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
29. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
26. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
25. Anatole by Eve Titus
24. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
22. Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman
21. As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason
20. Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
17. The Host by Stephenie Meyer, Read by Kate Reading
16. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
14. Drood by Dan Simmons
12. The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes
10. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
1. Paper Towns by John Green

Whew! That’s a lot of books!

Don’t forget to enter my two BBAW giveaways; for Dreaming Anastasia and Her Fearful Symmetry! The deadline is tomorrow! I’ll post winners tomorrow night.