So apparently I’m now selecting books without having any idea what they’re about.
First, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. This is a really good book. I’d heard great things about it. Apparently I’d never actually read a synopsis, because for reasons I can’t explain, I thought it was about a teenage boy.
Spoiler alert: It’s lovely and moving. Also, it is not about a teenage boy.
Second, Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg. I was expecting funny anecdotes about Ansari’s life, and there are some. But this is actually the funniest serious book about sociological trends that I’ve ever encountered. This book is based on a study and references others. It has substance.
I recommend both of these books. But I am surprised that, twice in a row, I read (well, in the case of Modern Romance, listened to) books of which I had no prior knowledge or understanding.
What books have taken you by surprise?