Good morning 🙂
I am going to make this quick as I just seen to be running behind today and I soooooooo hate that.
Last night we had a small book club group gathering. This was a bonus review that we agreed to do this month and next. We are reviewing a book around the food within it. This was an optional read for our group and those who felt they would like to and were able to read the additional book as well as participate in the food bringing were invited to do so.
Really…. that’s the background story of shy I was straightening the front room to my home… it’s a small friendly room that I often refer to as the friendship room as it is brightly decorated and is comfy to sit in and chat with a few friends. We usually do book club when it is at my house in the family room downstairs as that is bigger, but I did not need that much space last night and left the downstairs to Chance and Al to chill and watch tv while we met upstairs.
(Wow…. I digress today! LOOK!!! Something shiny!!!!) 😛
Ok…. my POINT is that while cleaning the room I was organizing a basket of books that I have next to a chair in the room. That basket of books has been more decorative than anything and these books have not rotated out of this basket in years. As I looked at what was in the basket I pulled out a book called The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin. It surprised me as I do not recall having heard of Justin Cronin before The Passage came out this past year. Yet, there in the basket was an earlier writing of his, and by the looks of it… a softer read as well.
(Really – this sounded much more interesting when I started typing it)
I know I picked this book up because of title… It really does have a gorgeous cover and now as The Passage is so deeply written and interwoven in this futuristic world of vampire (virals) like creatures… I am super curious what this one is about.
Have you ever done that? read something by an author you believe you have not heard of before – only to find you own something by them already? Or is that just me? Crazy chick in Minnesota. 😛
Last nights book club was sooooooo awesome. I need to get the review up today for Olive Kitteridge but currently have run out of time to do so and was too tired last night so we shall see if I can squeeze in some time to do this later this afternoon. I should have been more organized – but honestly I unwound last night by watching Amish Grace on Netfix which is the true story of the Amish School shootings in 2006, the book I read recently about that was Think No Evil.
Oh and winner from yesterdays Sarah Pekkanen day using random.org is: Kavyen from Reading Between The Pages!
Have a super fab day 😀
Book Journey 
Such fun you found that book! Hope you have time to read it soon.
It’s happened to me, I read a book by a writer then found I had already read something else by them (or even owned it). Can’t think of examples now but yes, things don’t always “click” with me, either.
I am curious as to what this one would be like… 🙂
I have definitely discovered all kinds of things in my TBR pile that surprise me! :–)
Jill – I get that way too when I read a review and think “wow that is so awesome, I want to read that”, and then discover I have had it on my shelf the whole time… 😀
Congrats to Kayven…and that is awesome that you found this “treasure” of a book in plain sight. Or not, if you don’t use that room very often. LOL
I’m curious about the book, now; so you have to read it soon….now that I study the cover and the title, I’m thinking that the “summer guest” might be a creepy, scary person or creature….Ooh….
I love the cover Laurel and I am sure that is why I picked it up….. but had no idea about the author. You are right … it could be a creepy summer guest… 😀
Oh yea for Kavyen! I know she will be excited. And I agree with you, Sheila–that cover definitely looks like a contrast to The Passage!
My quirk when I read an author that I like, is that I will get a list of all of their books and then I read from their earliest work forward. I don’t do this all of the time, but I do like to do it. It is fun to see how the author develops over the years….
Thats a greta idea Julie!
Definitely a much softer read, as is his first novel (Mary and O’Neil). I’ve only read parts of Summer Guest and keep meaning to pick it up again. I enjoyed Mary and O’Neil. (Justin was one of my writing instructors in grad school, and Mary and O’Neil came out around that time.)
Wow Mellisa – you have read both of his earlier books! I am impressed! AND you had him as a teacher? WOOO!
Wow you sound might busy this morning and still so upbeat i love the energy!
Congrats to Kavyen i just put her in my inbox feed list!
Have a great day
😀
Thanks 🙂
Pre-blogging I don’t think that would ever have happened to me, but these days? I’m not sure I would be surprised. 😀
I guess I had not realized he had written anything else Hannah. 😛
Oh, I hadn’t either, but I could totally see something like that happen to me these days!
If I dug around I bet I would find more books i did not know I had or authors I have wanted to read but did not realize I had their book. GAH! The life of a Bookie! 😛
Yep, kinda scary when I think about it. 🙂
So glad you had a great book club meeting!
Thanks Rebecca…. I have to get that review written – still! 😀
I have done that before too, so you’re not alone! 🙂
Oh good Alyce -w e can start a support group 😀
I don’t think I’ve ever done that before, but never say never. I didn’t realize Cronin had an earlier book either.
The books are such a contrast to each other too Kathy. 🙂
I read that book by Justin Cronin years ago and loved it…you must try to get to it soon…lol!!!
Wow Patty! Have you read The Passage too? 🙂
Yae.. I won, I won, I won.. I am so excited I could jump out of my reading couch and do a lil shake.
Thanks Sheila!
You did win – and YAY!!! I am excited for you 😀
Oh and send me your address to journeythroughbooks@gmail.com. 🙂
Congrats, congrats!
I totally have done this before with an author! Hilary Mantel to be exact. I was given her giant Wolf Hall for Christmas and then lo and behold I had another of her earlier works on my shelves from a booksale (that was much smaller!) so I decided to read that one first to try out her style. Well I didn’t really like either that much but oh well!
I am trying to read Wolf Hall now…. its slow going 😉
A library I used to work for had this book and I even used it in a book display for summer books (set in summer or summer in the title, etc.). When I heard of The Passage, Justin Cronin’s name didn’t even sound familiar to me. I thought The Passage was his debut novel but apparently not!
Thats what I thought too Christina 🙂
I’ve never discovered I already own an author I thought I’d just found, but I have definitely realized I’d already read something by a “new” author. I get most of my books from the library, so it’s easy to lose track. There’s been at least twice that I find a “new” author, start reading lots of books they’ve written, and stumble across a book I already read years ago. It’s kind of a fun discovery, though I do wonder why I didn’t seek out more of their books years earlier…
Exactly Cheryl 😀