Sunday, January 16, 2011

Unbroken

Are you like me? Do you ever read a book that is so amazing that all you want to do is tell people to go read this book?

I'm not just talking about telling other big readers like me and you. I'm talking about telling everybody. My brother who loves WWII. My eighty-four year old dad who never reads books. My friend who reads mainly mysteries. My checker at Kroger. Everybody.

When I woke up this morning, I felt so happy: I had finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand yesterday and I had loved it. I wanted to write a Sunday Salon post about Unbroken, a post so brilliantly written that everyone who read my post would zip out and buy the book and read it today.

I tried writing down my favorite parts of this amazing book and I tried writing lines and lines of enthusiastic prose about this amazing book and I tried writing entreaties to go buy this amazing book because it's, yes, amazing....but nothing seemed right.

Finally, I came across this fifty page excerpt of Unbroken and I realized that I could simply post part of the book and let you read the book for yourself and decide for yourself. In fact, I'll go further....I challenge you to simply read the two page preface of the book (pages 18 and 19) and see if this book works for you.

I'd love to hear what you think.


19 comments:

  1. I know the feeling. I've given up on actually convincing anyone I know to read the book, but I still get the feeling.

    I did not know that this book was by the author of Seabiscuit. I loved Seabiscuit.

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  2. Everyone who's read this has been raving about it. So glad you enjoyed it, too! :-)

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  3. I'm glad this book was amazing. It's been on my radar since it came out last year, but I think I'm waaay down in the library queue for it at the moment. I can't wait to read it!

    And I love the posting an excerpt thing, how did you do that?

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  4. Wow! UNBROKEN has been on my "eventually" wish list, but this excerpt puts it on the next-books-I'll-buy list!

    27 days in the water?!? It's amazing that any of them were still alive at that point; yes, I want to know what happens to Zamperini next.

    And, yes, I felt this way with Emily St. John Mandel's LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL. My "review" was a photo of the book, with all the flags sticking out where I had marked passages, rambling about 'what it's kind of about, but you have to read it to get it all' ... I love when a book hits me this way.

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  5. Can see why you love this book so. Those two pages got my attention and I don't normally read book associated with war.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  6. I loved posting this excerpt thing, too, Kim. It was easy. I just clicked "Add to My Site" and posted the code within my blog post.

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  7. Now I must go add Last Night in Montreal to my wishlist, Dawn. Great idea for a review. Good books sell themselves, maybe?

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  8. I know that feeling well! The worst is when you recommend a book that you absolutely loved to someone and they don't like it that much.

    I've put Unbroken on my wish list :)

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  9. I got this book as a Christmas gift - I asked for it for no other reason than that Hillenbrand wrote Seabiscuit, which I LOVED. I also gave a copy to my dad, and he was really enjoying it when I talked to him about it last week!

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  10. This book was fabulous; I read it in December and loved it!

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  11. I've heard quite a bit about this book and I think that I might just add it to my wishlist, especially after hearing how much you love it :]

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  12. Thanks for the preview. This one is on my library list.

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  13. I have heard nothing but good things about this book! I want it!

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  14. Wow, that is some wonderful endorsement :)
    I have heard only good things about this book; so glad to hear that you enjoyed it as well.

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  15. With a recommendation like that, I'll certainly put this one on my radar!

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  16. I tried to comment on this book this morning, but was on a different computer, and it clearly didn't work. I hadn't heard of this book when I read your post this morning, then I went book shopping in small town New Zealand today- and what should I see on the shelf? My Dad would really like this, I'm sure I'll be able to buy it back in Australia, but I'll keep it in mind for him.

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  17. Well, you've accomplished what you set out to do! "Unbroken" is now on my TBR list--way UP on my TBR list!!

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  18. I've got this one on the waiting list on e-books at the library and can't wait until I do get it. Thanks for providing the preview.

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  19. I've got to read this book.

    I know what you mean about wanting to tell everyone about a book. Some books are just so well written and worthy of praise that you just can't help but gush over them.

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