Hi folks!
Welcome to our first book contest here at Books in Bloom! We want to celebrate the New Year, and what better way than to give away a fantastic book. So we’ve decided to give away a copy of John Green’s new book, The Fault in Our Stars (Coming out Jan. 10th). This book has had such an impact on us, and although it’s only January, we think it’s going to be the best book of the year! Check out Tracey’s Promising Bloom post to read more about this amazing title.
The rules are simple. Just post a comment telling us about a book that has impacted you the most and why. We’ll choose a comment randomly and Tracey will announce the winner in her post on Monday!
Lori C.
Mackin Books In Bloom
Mackin Guest Blogger
Mindy R
Ryan H.
Tracey L
Tuan N
Beth Wakely said,
January 4, 2012 @ 10:25 am
The Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which I read and reread as a child, enkindled in me an interest in the pioneers of the American West and in the overland trails. I seek out historic diaries, nonfiction books, courses and trips on these topics. I also belong to three historical societies that cover this era.
Laura H. said,
January 5, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
I agree, Beth! I, too loved these books, probably because we shared the name Laura!
Robin said,
January 4, 2012 @ 12:08 pm
Lois Lenski’s American Regional series because it is the first set of books I remember reading and it so deeply implanted the love of reading and opened my eyes to the world outside my own.
Mrs. Provence said,
January 4, 2012 @ 8:33 pm
A book that impacted me to this day is Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. What made me think so much was how their society controlled all the women, and how seemingly quickly it happened. To this day, it is a book I’m always recommending to my high school students.
carlrscott said,
January 5, 2012 @ 2:39 pm
Like many of my generation I was greatly affected by Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, regardless of Capote’s “That’s not writing, that’s typing.” comment.
Ms. B said,
January 8, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
A more recent book that made an impact on me was The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang. It’s the story of the journey of Kaila’s family from Laos to the refugee camps of Thailand and finally St. Paul, MN. Kaila’s writing is straightforward and easy to understand. If you like biographies/memoirs or would like to learn more about the Hmong, read this book.
Munnaza said,
January 12, 2012 @ 11:40 pm
Not sure if this contest has ended, but if it hasn’t, I’d love to enter. An emotional book that has affected me personally was Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. While I haven’t experienced either of the things the protagonists of those books have experienced, the writing for both of them was so saw that I felt like I learned so much about the issues at hand and how girls react to them through the stories. I loved reading about Annabelle’s personal journey and struggle, and I also loved the fact that Dessen dealt with the issues in a way that didn’t sugarcoat them, but also tried to remain optimistic. Living Dead Girl is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. The story itself was a little uncomfortable to read about, but that’s actually one of the things I love about it – it’s TOO real, TOO raw, but incredibly important.
Another series of books, even though they aren’t contemporary fiction, that affected me strongly are the Harry Potter books. It isn’t the fantasy elements, even though I loved reading about those (JK Rowling is an amazing world builder), but the way they deal with Harry’s personal journey in grappling with destiny and love and loss. I grew up with these books and they taught me more than just the stereotypical good versus evil stuff. They taught me that life is full of struggles and despite the loss, despite how hard it is, there’s so much to live for and so much to accomplish, even when the odds are against you. And that death, as difficult as it is to accept, is natural. Friendships, love, memories that live forever despite the fact that people do not… I really think people underestimate how incredible these books are. And how powerful.
Thank you again for this TFIOS giveaway! If it’s over already, then thank you for this post. I love YA books that make a difference, or books that strongly impact readers because they’re incredibly written and their stories are powerful, so I had a blast responding anyway.
DFTBA!
Tracey L said,
January 16, 2012 @ 12:10 pm
Thank you for your comments. Though we did finish our contest for The Fault in Our Stars last week, we do plan to have more contests–both for books and for advance copies. We hope you keep tuning in!
Lindsey L said,
January 16, 2012 @ 7:32 am
Thank you to everyone who participated in our first contest here at Books in Bloom! We loved reading your responses and learning about the wonderful books that have impacted your lives. Keep checking back for more contests…especially in March when we celebrate our one year anniversary!!