Word of Blog Book Finds: Cranford

I have a growing Wish List and TBR pile because of book blogs. Whenever I add a book to my list in Bookpedia, I add the URL of the blog that brought the book to my attention (that way I can refresh my memory as to why it’s on the list).

I’ve decided to share my finds and the excellent reviews of my fellow book bloggers each Sunday Monday. Leave a comment with a link to your post or a trackback if you decide to play along.

The second book that caught my eye is Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell reviewed at the Shelf Love Blog with this review, written by Jenny who tag-team blogs with Teresa. The eagle-eyed may notice that the picture to the left is actually of The Cranford Chronicles (there is a reason for that, which I’m getting to).

What caught my attention?

This review is one of the reasons that I love book blogs. Cranford is a book that I would never look twice at: it’s not the genre I read, the cover doesn’t excite me, and the author has been dead for more than a hundred years. And yet, I’m enticed to read it after reading Jenny’s review.

The thing that caught my attention was that it was the story of a town primarily populated by spinsters and widows and the society that they had evolved. I’ve read modern science fiction where it’s been imagined, why not check out how it was imagined a century ago? I won’t say much more because Jenny’s was a short review and worth reading (and go read it now, I’ll wait for you).

Did you read it? Good. While I was poking around Amazon¹, I found that Gaskell actually wrote three novels about Cranford: Cranford, Mr Harrison’s Confessions, and My Lady Ludlow. All three are collected in The Cranford Chronicles, which is what I’ll pick up when my TBR pile grows small enough to add to (can you hear the hysterical laughter? That’s MOH (My Other Half) laughing at the mere thought of that ever happening).

Anyway, the point I would like to make is that this review convinced me to put this book on my reading list when it’s not even remotely the kind of book I would normally touch. Now, I may not end up liking it, but I was convinced to consider it in spite of that. That’s pretty cool, I think.

There’s still time to pick up some books for $1 at Bookcloseouts, if for some reason your TBR pile is looking anemic.

¹ Yes, I do realize many people hate or dislike Amazon. I have some issues with them myself, but that’s another post, for another day, and I do buy from them on occasion.