Sharing Books With Your Loved Ones

I am one of those people that tells everyone when I love something. I have been known to bother my friends to get them to watch my favorite TV show (which, for the record is the oh-so amazing The IT Crowd) or in my cooler years, listen to that latest indie band. Books tend to be more subjective, but I have a few friends and family members that share my love of books, so when I read a really great book, I want to shout it from the mountain tops! Er, okay, I live in central Virginia, so there aren't really mountains per se, but you get my drift.

That said, I pick my choices wisely. There are certain people I'll pass nearly any book along to. My mother is the first. I'm ashamed to admit that my mom has been reading children's literature for years now, and when she would recommend a book to me, I'd think to myself, "It's a children's book! Sure, I read Harry Potter, but that's different."

Oh, innocent Tara. How you were wrong. It's because of my mother that I read The Mysterious Benedict Society, Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy-I could go on, but I'll be here all day. I've returned the favor by telling my mom of great books I've read and loved. She and my father came down for a visit shortly after ALA, when all the books were still on my floor. I brought her into my room and we bonded over the books, she hadn't heard of a lot of the new YA releases, but she had me type up a list of the books I thought she'd like the best.

I also have a former co-worker that I keep in touch with who I can share just about every book recommendation with. She favors paranormal romance, but also reads a lot of YA. She most notably introduced me to LJ Smith and The Vampire Diaries.

Then are the folks who are a harder sell. The people who may not read that much, or only read specific genres. My husband falls into this category. He loves hard sci-fi and that makes up most of what he reads. I knew he would love The Hunger Games, so I started pestering him to read it. He pushed me off for awhile, but once he finished up that library book he'd renewed twice because it was in such small type it took him forever to read it, I pushed The Hunger Games into his hands. He read both The Hunger Games & Catching Fire within a week and a half-which is fast for him because he generally just reads before bed. I loved being able to share these books I loved so much with someone I love, and I'm already thinking of which books I can spring on him next.

How do you pass books on to your loved ones? Do you hard sell, or let them discover in their own time?

Photo from the the oh-so wonderful Bookshelf Porn. I LOVE the idea of secret libraries. Have you seen Holly Black's? :drool: