I mostly read historical fiction and literary fiction, but
occasionally I’ll branch out to some humorous non-fiction or historical
non-fiction. I’ve even been known to dabble in science fiction, but it’s
definitely not a go-to. I used to love horror as a young adult, but can’t get
into it much anymore. I can’t say that I’m a fan of romance, suspense, mysteries,
or westerns. I may try to give a few of those a whirl this semester so I can
be a be a more well-read readers’ advisor!
A few favorite books that come to mind are:
·
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
·
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
·
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail
Honeyman
·
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
·
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
·
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
·
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
·
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
·
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
·
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
·
Just about any cookbook ever written
After reading “The Appeal of Books,” I used NoveList to
review the appeal terms of some of my favorite books and found that I like:
·
Characters who are awkward, authentic, complex,
quirky
·
Storylines that are character-driven
·
Tones that are amusing, moving,
thought-provoking
·
Writing styles that are engaging, thoughtful,
witty, lyrical, stylistically complex
At any given moment, I will have up to 5 books on my “currently reading” list because if I get bored or overly emotional with one, I like to rotate to the next and then circle back when I can handle it. (lol) I do love the feel and smell of a real book, but I’m not a bibliosnob; I love books in any format. I love my Kindle because I can read in the dark and I love audiobooks because I have a 30-minute commute. Also, one of my favorite things to do is cook and listen to stories.
Here's my Goodreads profile. I'd love to connect with classmates on Goodreads. I always like to see what others are reading!
Excellent profile! I definitely love quirky characters too! I'm also a massive Vonnegut and Bradbury fan. Thank goodness for Goodreads so I can keep track of everything I get into!
ReplyDeleteDear Shawn,
ReplyDeleteI’ve enjoyed the horror genre considerably, although I haven’t read many books in the genre. I disagree with your preference towards historical fiction, although I still enjoy literary fiction if the novels in that particular genre are constructed well. I don’t really think that nonfiction is humorous unless it is carefully constructed. So, I think that you might have been referring to creative nonfiction when you mentioned nonfiction. Authors of works of creative nonfiction will purposefully create distortions in the narrative to make it more entertaining and marketable for individuals. I believe that I’ve dabbled in the science fiction genre to a certain extent as well, although I might be a bit more curious about it than you are.
I’ve tremendously enjoyed Fahrenheit 451, but I suppose that’s because the book itself was dark and wasn’t afraid to discuss deep topics. I’ve found it hilarious that Fahrenheit 451 has apparently been viewed as a part of dystopian literature, especially since the novel’s ending is actually optimistic. While I understand that Fahrenheit 451 does contain dystopian content, the novel’s identity is more dynamic and complex than many individuals assume. As memories of reading books fade away, individuals are left with nostalgic impressions of novels. I wish individuals actually committed themselves to the effort of reading and analyzing these novels. I suppose that individuals sometimes look at books from a vague cultural understanding, instead of critically analyzing a book’s components.
Also, I’ve had a teacher read Charlotte’s Web to my class during one of my years in grade school, but I don’t know if I really appreciated the novel. I remember the novel being interesting, but it might be more simple than I imagined. Besides Fahrenheit 451 and Charlotte’s Web, the rest of your listed books are relatively unfamiliar to me. I also love cookbooks if they contain interesting or useful recipes. I just recently bought a cookbook from a sale that a nearby library had hosted.
I haven’t tried to review the appeal terms of any books that I’ve liked. Generally, I don’t become bored or emotional with books, although I have been emotionally moved on occasion. Recently, I was emotionally moved by Allegiant’s ending. I believe that becoming emotional with books requires a long duration of reading the written content and envisioning it. Also, the appeal terms that you’ve chosen are aspects that I highly favor. In addition, I personally prefer to read books in a physical format. However, I haven’t read whole books in an electronic format, so I may want to consider finding or using an Amazon Kindle in the future. Also, cooking and listening to stories at the same time sounds quite useful. That might be a good idea when I create soups over a long period of time.
Hi Megan,
DeleteYou bring up an interesting point about creative non-fiction. I guess when I said humorous non-fiction, I was referring to books by comedians or other funny people. Jim Gaffigan's "Dad is Fat" is quite funny. Even some biographies or autobiographies are written in a humorous way. Rob Lowe's autobiography, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends," made me laugh out loud quite a few times. So these probably do fall under the umbrella of creative non-fiction, but not all creative non-fiction is humorous. I hope that makes sense.
I agree that sometimes novels leave nostalgic impressions, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Every reader experiences reading a book differently because they apply their life's experiences, thoughts, and opinions to it. What they take away from it is their own. Sure, it would be nice if someone took the time to dig deep into books like Fahrenheit 451 or Slaughterhouse-Five, but the reality is - that just isn't going to happen every time. It took me a few reads through Slaughterhouse-Five to get all the nuances, and the entrenched messaging in the book. One nearly has to do a complete study of Vonnegut's life to really understand it - but we can't expect everyone to do that. If it's just a nostalgic impression they are left with, I think that's okay. Maybe at some point down the road, that impression will lead them back to the book, and they will take another, harder look at it. I've actually done that.
I hope you enjoy your new cookbook! Soup is one of my favorite things to make. Especially this time of year.
Hi Shawn,
ReplyDeleteI've dabbled in science fiction, too, mostly when it's required for a class. Character driven stories and thought-provoking tones definitely make for a better read. I also enjoy reading physical books, but adore being able to get a book quickly and read it right away with my kindle.
Hi Brittany!
DeleteThat is truly what I love about the Kindle. SO many books accessible at any time. I really like helping patrons learn how to use their devices to download ebooks - especially older patrons. They just think it's the greatest thing - and I agree!
Hi Shawn! I love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and, of course, Charlotte's Web. :) I love romance so if you need a any suggestions. I have, I believe, read only one western so I picked that as one of my genres. Did you end up selecting that category? I would highly recommend Lonesome Dove. It is one of my favorite books, but it is around 1000 pages. I couldn't help thinking of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series if you like akward, quirky characters. The books are laugh out loud funny, but not too realistic.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie,
DeleteI would LOVE a good romance suggestion. I didn't pick Westerns (I wanted to, but the timing on when that annotation was due wasn't going to work out.)
Hi Shawn!
DeleteOpen Season by Linda Howard - (romantic suspense) love story featuring a librarian as the heroine with lots of humorous moments.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - (historical romance) epic love story between a 1940's nurse who travels back in time to 1700s Scotland featuring one of the most loved hero's in all romance. I warn you it's a dense book with around 1000 pages. Gabaldon was a college professor & has a PhD so this is not a quick, easy read and there are some very disturbing events that occur. I know it's popular now because of the Starz series, but the book is far more detailed and, imho, enjoyable.
Naked in Death by JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) -(romantic suspense) I don't care for her other books, but I really enjoy this futuristic romance series with a tough as nails cop, Eve Dallas, and an Irish billionaire, Roarke. This is book one in the series.
Heart of Fire by Linda Howard - (adventure romance) this is not politically correct so if you pick this up be warned. I love the hero who is all scoundrel and that the archeologist heroine drives him crazy. One of my minors is anthropology so this book really appeals to my sense of adventure. This is my favorite romance book (outside of the classics like Jane Eyre).
Saving Grace by Julie Garwood - (historical romance) I love Julie Garwood's historical romances which have a lot of humor and endearing characters. This is my favorite of hers, but that might be because of the audiobook narrated by Emma Samms which is delightful. The heroine has to put up with a lot of male chauvinism throughout the story which makes the ending very satisfying.
Gentle Rogue by Joanna Lindsey - (historical romance) warning this was written in 1990 and is not politically correct. I like alpha males in romance (not so much in real life :)) and James Mallory definitely fits that bill. This is story 3 in the series, but you don't need to read the first two to enjoy this book. This book is like a box of chocolates (do I sound like Forrest Gump, lol).
The Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn - (romantic fantasy) I don't want to say to much except I loved the ending which had me actually standing up and cheering.
And, since I have heard wonderful things about this book and it's in my tbr pile
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer (historical romance)
Please let me know if you would like some other suggestions (paranormal, modern, romances darker in tone, more comical, ect). These are just a few books I like so don't feel any pressure to select one of them. I look forward to reading your annotation.
Wow! Thank you! A lot of these sound good! I appreciate you taking the time to do this!
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