Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim | Top Ten Tuesday

May 17, 2016 / 21 Comments / Book Memes, Personal, Top Ten Tuesday

Hi guys, today I’m chatting about ten books I picked up on a whim. Honestly, nowadays it’s hard for me to find this kind of book because I talk to people about books so much, and I have so many favorite authors…but I definitely still have moments where I find something in a catalogue and I’m really excited.

Some of these will go back to pre-blogging days, so this was a bit of a nostalgic post for me…but I think these are still pretty relevant to what catches my eye these days! I’m restricting this to books that I have read that I found either through a catalogue or bought just based on synopsis:

1) Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld book cover 2)  whateverlifethrowsatyou 3) TheRunawayPrincessbyHesterBrowne
4)  The Phoenix Candidate book cover by Heidi Joy Tretheway 5) Game Set Match by Jennifer Iacopelli book cover
6) A Summer in Paris Cynthia Blair book cover 7) Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson book cover 8) 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson book cover
9) Violet on the Runway by Melissa C Walker book cover 10) Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund book cover

Newer releases:

  1. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld – I was perusing the Penguin Random House catalogue one day last year when I found this, and obviously, being a Pride & Prejudice retelling by Curtis Sittenfeld of Prep fame, I had to request it. Does not disappoint!
  2. Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross – I don’t even know how I found this but I bought the ebook after it came out because I like baseball stories. I’d never read any of Julie’s work, but now I’m a fan. I recently re-read this one, and it’s actually better the second time – if you’re into sexy athletes, this is totally your thing.
  3. The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne – I think this pick came from some list I found after reading The Royal We on fiction books about royalty, which is totally my crack. But I also remember that the person who made the list hadn’t read it, so I’m counting this as totally on a whim. Very compelling although a bit disappointing.
  4. The Phoenix Candidate by Heidi Joy Tretheway – I picked this up because of the anthology “Skip to the Good Part” by a bunch of romance authors – I got totally hooked on this story of sexual power and politics and I had to read the whole thing (and the sequel) immediately. Highly recommend if you like very, very steamy character-driven romance.
  5. Game. Set. Match by Jennifer Iacopelli – I think this was just me browsing Goodreads and finding a book that sounded like my kind of sports book. I was really lucky that Jennifer reached out to me fairly early in my blogging career and asked if I wanted a copy, because this NA is SO fun.

Older releases:

6. A Summer in Paris by Cynthia Blair – sometimes I get this idea into my head that I really want to reread some of the juvenile books I read as a teen, and then I have to hunt them down. This was one – it took me quite awhile to find it, but I read it immediately last year once I did. This story of three best friends on a summer trip to Paris after their graduation was one of my faves as a teen, maybe because they all take very different routes to growing and learning. As an adult, it’s pretty fantastical and cliche, but I think it also sparked some of my very early ideas about traveling abroad.

7. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – the ultimate on a whim pick that changed my life. I wrote all about my initial reasons for picking this up last week!

8. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – the book that started it all for me. I literally found this book in the YA section and began reading in the bookstore and couldn’t stop.

9. Violet on the Runway by Melissa C. Walker – this was a library read for me – I liked the idea of a fresh model and all the exploits that come with it. Kind of like America’s Next Top Model but without the competition? Anyway, Melissa has since become a favorite author of mine – I love that she combined a lot of awkward teenage realness with this girl who could basically conquer the world.

10. Secret Society Girl by Diana PeterfreundDiana and her various works have had such an impact on my ideas of feminism, as well as my reading choices, that I had to put this one on the list. I picked it up when I worked at Random House Canada ages ago and they had a book sale – in fact, my husband (boyfriend at the time) found it in a box and thought I might like it. Two books later, I was hooked. After the third book, I started commenting/discussing the books (and other book-related things) on Diana’s blog. A year later, I won an ARC of the last book in the series from Diana and wrote my first ever review. How far we’ve come!

What books have you read on a whim? Let me know and I’ll try to stop by!
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish to highlight a top ten list related to book blogging, and to get to know fellow book bloggers.


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21 responses to “Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim | Top Ten Tuesday

  1. I *really* liked “The Runaway Princess” and ‘Amy & Roger’ was super cute. Curious about “Eligible,” “Secret Society Girl” and “13 Little Blue Envelopes.” Great list, Tiff! 🙂

    • Yeah, The Runaway Princess was a total out-of-the-blue read for me – I just wish it hadn’t ended so quickly. But I loved the gardening aspect of it.

      Definitely check out those three – they are all different, but all really solid reads. =)

    • Me too – it’s really hard for me to find things to pick up on a whim, usually they’re romance or adult reads. 13 Little Blue Envelopes is the book that started me reading YA again, so yeah, it holds a special place in my heart. It’s pretty fun! Hope you get to it!

    • Right? It’s definitely a favorite and constant rec. It was a really long time ago…I also picked up If I Stay and Anna and the French Kiss on a whim, so yeah, I think I have pretty good taste. =p Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Oh I really want to read Amy And Roger’s! Only it won’t be on-a-whim for me because I’ve heard SO much about it, hehe. But ahhhh, most of my list is like pre-blogging-days (or at least very early blogging days) too! Blogging has introduced me to a gazillion recommendations. #noregrets But it IS nice to just read a book with no idea what you’re in for too. 😀 Here’s my TTT!

  3. This is the second list this week where I’ve come across Whatever Life Throws at You. I have had it on my iPad for a while now and it totally sounds like my thing (hell yes to sexy athletes) but for some reason I haven’t read it yet. Seeing it around definitely bumped it up on my TBR list.

    • I just re-read it and it’s better the second time! Brody is…smokin. I don’t even want to say anything else, you should totally read it. It also features an amazing dad-daughter relationship. Let me know what you think if you do read it.

  4. I forgot all about Game Set Match!! I remember when it came out I LOVED the cover (yay for bright colored font) and the sports aspect, but I never ended up getting to it. Also Amy and Roger have been on my TBR for far too long. I love a road trip book, so I definitely will be reading that one!

    • OMG, you must get to A&R, Michelle. It was a life-changing read for me!

      Also, GSM is totally sexy and such a quick read, it’s worth it between some of your more serious reads as a palette cleanser. =)

  5. I think I picked up Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour on a whim. I don’t generally read that many contemporary books, and I think I just randomly picked this one up while I was waiting for something in the library?

  6. Sounds like you have a lot of fabulous whim purchases!! That’s always the best feeling, when you take a chance on something and it works out!

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