For What It's Worth


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

I dedicate thee……

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I’ve become a bit obsessed with acknowledgments & dedications in the books I’ve been reading lately. I’ve always glanced at them but since I started blogging & following authors more closely I find them even more fascinating.

Some of them can be touching or hysterically funny. A few give me insights to the authors struggles about writing and are deeply personal. Some even set the tone for what I expect from the writing.

I started mentioning this on Twitter and it seems that quite a few of you read them too, so I thought I would start posting a few as I go along.

Although I’m not including her in this post – Stephanie Perkins dedications are always the best! In fact, I believe she is the one who got me to start paying attention to such things.

So here we go! *Note – I’m not always posting the *entire* dedication or acknowledgments, just snippets.


Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn ~ Goodreads

Dedication: ”This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever felt like they don’t quite “measure up”. You do. To anyone who doesn’t feel beautiful. You are.




Curio (Curio #1) by Cara McKenna ~ Goodreads

Dedication: “For the surprising number of people who chimed in to express their enthusiasm when I first mentioned I was working on a “Parisian man-whore book”. Here you go, you glorious perverts.”

Acknowledgements:Great thanks to my editor and one-woman bomb squad, Kelli, for snipping my green wire, mere seconds before my head asploded.”




Croak (Croak #1) by Gina Damico ~ Goodreads

Dedication: “For mom, Dad, and Lisa. In exchange for years upon years of supporting my nincompoopery, I offer you this simple, heartfelt dedication. Call it even?”

Acknowledgements: “To my sister, Lisa, whose refusal to be killed by the Lego I fed her when she was a baby made me rather angry at the time but now pleases me greatly, as I can’t imagine life without her.”

“And finally, to you, dear reader, for picking up this book! There’s no way you could have known that it was rigged with explosives, but since it would be disastrous to put it down now, enjoy!”

Do you like reading the dedications and acknowledgements? Do you have any favorites? Or do you skip them like the credits to the movie (which I do skip *oops…sorry*) I think they show so much of the authors personality and style that I’m often depressed if they’re boring. No pressure. lol

10 comments:

  1. Yes I love reading them and have seen your name once or twice in them LOL

    I think its great to see who helped the author with the book or music.

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  2. I have to love them, I have my name in one, wohoo! Cos I helped with a thing :)

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  3. I like to read them and I love some of them. Like Stephanie Perkins...they are my favorites. I like how some of them actually say something about the author, in just a few words. I never skip them...even if they are boring or generic :P

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  4. I always read the dedication and acknowledgements, I'm not sure why, maybe I think I'll see my name there some day. :D I also always watch the credits to the movie, you never know what you might miss, a lot of times there's little something extra at the end.

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  5. Love this idea!
    And yes, I always read dedications :)

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  6. I used to never read dedications, acknowledgements or the quotes at the beginning of books but since I started book bloggers I always do because every so often someone I know will be mentioned, over even cooler... ME! Hehe Neat idea!

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  7. Yes! I always ready Dedication and Acknowledgements first. I love Olivia Cunning's dedication to Kurt Cobain in Rock Me, where she said "thank you for showing me that 'mosquito', 'my libido' were great song lyrics.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I do read the dedication and acknowledgements either before I read the book or after. Though if the acknowledgements are too long I probably won't read them for a while xD.

    Sandy

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  9. I've read so many great dedications and acknowledgements. I only wish I would have made note of them to share them with you. Great post!!

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    Replies
    1. I never kept track of them before but I've read so many great ones recently that I'm going to now.

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