I usually describe my reading style as anything but romance! I like well-structured, creative plots and authentic characters. I also like to learn through reading, but this can take many forms, such as a setting in a foreign country, a little known era of history, or a main character with a unique occupation or unique background. I rotate primarily among literary fiction, mystery, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and narrative non-fiction. Most of these fall within the intellectual and landscape genres as described in our textbook (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019). I don't like introspective stories (such as Under the Whispering Door by T. J. Klune) or those with a lot of action sequences or a lot of exposition (Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus). About half of my reading is done through physical books and half through listening to audio books. I also read a lot of middle grade fiction. I have read over 200 books a year for the past three years!
One of my favorite books is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It takes place entirely within the Metropol Hotel in Moscow, Russia just following the Bolshevik Revolution. The main character, Count Alexander Rostov, has been sentenced to house arrest at the hotel and proceeds to make a life for himself within those walls. The chapters begin by covering short spans of time and increase their span until the middle of the story where the time spans begin to decrease between chapters. As a result we get the most details of his life at the beginning and end of the book. In addition to this unique plot structure, I like that both the setting and characters feel very real.
My favorite book of 2023 was The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (literary fiction that takes place in India). Runner-up was Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs (fantasy where books transmit magic). I'm currently savoring Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series (mystery) by waiting to read them in order and in the season in which they take place for maximum enjoyment. Thinking farther back, I loved A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry due to it's excellence sense of time and place- India in the 1970s. I read it a long time ago but still remember the characters and the feel of the book. Another older favorite is the Themis Files trilogy by Sylvain Neuvel. It's a captivating science fiction story told entirely through reports, diary entries, and interviews. Lastly, I'll mention my love for Doomsday Book by Connie Willis because it's an excellent merger of science fiction and historical fiction with fantastic humor. I hope these examples give you a sense of my wide tastes in literature!
Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. ALA Editions.
I loved A Gentleman in Moscow! I mentioned it in my reader's profile, too! I like to learn through reading as well--I was just talking to my husband about how A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini introduced me to the Taliban in ways that the news couldn't. I read A Fine Balance, as well, and think I remember liking it for a new perspective as well.
ReplyDeleteI liked Louise Penny's Three Pines books for awhile but at some point they got too cute for me, not sure I can explain it, but the charming-townsfolk-eating-together-and-now-one-of-them-has-a-duck angle wore thin. Do you think Doomsday Book would work for a scifi selection for this class?
HI Jenni! Yes, I think Doomsday Book would work for SciFi. It's long, but fun! A Thousand Splendid Suns is my favorite of Hosseini's works. About Louise Penny, I had been warned that the early ones aren't the best, they really get going around book 5 or so? My favorites so far were #6 and #9- that's the last one I've read so far.
DeleteKaris, I have very similar reading interests, although I just can't get very excited about science fiction and fantasy. A Gentleman in Moscow sounds interesting - I'm putting that in my "to read" section. I also have The Covenant of Water in my "to read" section. I have read one or two Louise Penny books, but haven't gotten into that series as much. I'm not sure why. I should read another and consider that. I love to read but I read less than a lot of people in this class, including you. I didn't make my goal of 65 books last year. I would like to improve there!
ReplyDeleteHave you read The Master and Margarita? That's a wonderful book. I've read it twice (and I rarely do that). It has some fantastical realism in it that really works, in my opinion.
Hi Janna! I will say I tend to prefer magical realism over high fantasy, but if it's written well enough I do like fantasy. I have not read The Master and Margarita, but I looked it up and think it's looks amazing! I also have a thing for books that take place in Russia because I visited there in 1991 and 1992! Thanks for the suggestion- I'm adding it to my short list!
DeleteOne more thought, another fantasy I really enjoyed this past year was The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. If you were wanting to try one, that is my suggestion!
DeleteA Gentleman in Moscow has been on my "to-read" list for a while, so thank you for bumping it up to the top. Realistic characters are probably one of the most important things in a story to me, so I'll be keeping an eye out for your work this semester.
ReplyDeleteHi Karis! I didn't realize that we both had this class! We don't just have work to talk about now! It's so great to read through your profile and learn new things about you, I always think about you reading junior or middle age books because that's what you work with at work! I remember you talking about A Covenant of Water so I'm glad that it still remains one of the greats! Ink Blood Sister Scribe is on my to-be-read shelf so I'll have to make it a priority!
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