Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Book Toss-Up: A Tale of Two Annas

A few months ago, I read Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss and loved it. I tried to get Ally to read it, but she very rarely reads contemporary and pretty much scoffed at my book recommendation. I then approached Melissa about reading it, and although she was skeptical, she wasn't outright dismissive, either. Then I got an idea. Melissa had been urging me to read Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood, which she loved, for quite some time. Aha! A bargaining chip! So Melissa and I made a deal: I'd read Anna Dressed in Blood if she read Anna and the French Kiss, and then we would write a post on how our little book swap went . . . .

And here's the post! We actually had a lot of fun doing this and would love to toss books at each other again. Now for the results of our first toss-up:

Melissa Read: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lee's Thoughts on This Book: I loved Anna and the French Kiss! It's one of my favorite contemporary reads. Anna is an extremely likable, yet realistic, protagonist. And Étienne St. Clair? He's handsome, charming, and has a British accent. Need I say more?

Why I Wanted Melissa to Read This: I thought that she'd like the story, which centers around American Anna spending her senior year in Paris and slowly falling for St. Clair, who already has a girlfriend. Even if Melissa didn't like the book, I was pretty sure that she'd at least love St. Clair (I know I did!).

Melissa Says: At first, I thought that Lee was off her rocker. I usually don't read contemporary books, so I was a little shocked when she recommended it to me. However, Lee insisted I would like it, and she was right. I loved everything about Anna and the French Kiss! It was wonderful, and I can't wait to buy it! I'm so glad Lee forced me to read it.

Lee Read: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Melissa's Thoughts on This Book: I love ghost stories, so when Goodreads recommended this book to me, I put it on hold at the library ASAP. It was awesome! Anna Dressed in Blood was my kind of book. I loved all of the characters and their backstories.

Why I Wanted Lee to Read This: I loved this book so much, I had to share it with someone else. I didn't really expect Lee to like it; I just wanted to push her out of her comfort zone and make her read something she normally wouldn't read. Mwahaa (evil laugh). Lee doesn't really like horror-related stuff, so I thought it would be fun to hear her rant about it.

Lee Says: Melissa kept trying to convince me to read Anna Dressed in Blood, and when she sets her mind to do something, man can she be persistent! I'm a big chicken when it comes to all things horror, so I was a little reluctant to read this. I didn't expect to like Anna Dressed in Blood, but I did! What surprised me the most was how hilarious the main character, Cas Lowood, was. The story was also quite sad, which I hadn't expected, either. Naturally there were some scary scenes, but I didn't mind them at all; the book was just so engrossing. I really have to thank Melissa for pestering persuading me to read this.

You can check out our reviews of these books below:
Anna and the French Kiss: Lee | Melissa
Anna Dressed in Blood: Lee

4 comments:

  1. Haha I like how you are both taking a break from what you would read and daring each other to try something- glad it paid off!

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    1. It did work out really well. I even got Melissa to read the companion novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door, which she also enjoyed.

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  2. Sounds like a successful experiment! 2012's got me picking up contemporary novels more often than in the past too. Look forward to your next Book Toss Up.

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    1. Anna and the French Kiss was the book that really got me back into contemporary. I haven't read this many contemporary books as I have this year in a long time.

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