When talking books with other people, I have always had a
hard time with describing what kind of books that I like, since I really do
read a variety of genres. That’s why I think the idea of Appeal will help with
Reader’s Advisory because, as our textbook states, “Genre is not as stable a
classifying system as it once was. Genres blend and overlap, making strict
divisions difficult to delineate (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, xvii.) So many
books that I enjoy cross genre boundaries, such as in the Adventure genre when
thrillers and suspense combine. For me, I want to read a book where I can feel
the readers emotions, which is why I love suspense because I like how readers
are able to get inside the head of the characters and feel their feelings. On
the other hand, I also like more gentle reads/romance because I can feel the
romantic emotion that the characters are feeling and can connect to them.
I like to alternate
the types of books I read, because if I read too many suspense novels in row, I
am so invested in them that my mood starts to drop. Therefore, I’ll read a
suspense or thriller, and then something more light-hearted like inspirational
romance, contemporary fiction, etc. My guilty pleasure is the Love Inspired
series from Harlequin that features Christian romance plots. They are extremely
cheesy and predictable, but I like to use them as an escape when I am stressed
or busy. I also like to mix in some nonfiction reading in the form of biographies
and inspirational/self-help books.
Below are some lists of my favorite genres and authors that may be helpful in getting to know a little more about my reading preferences.
Top 5 Genres
Suspense/Mysteries
Contemporary Fiction
Romance
Non-fiction/Biographies
Thrillers
Contemporary Fiction
Romance
Non-fiction/Biographies
Thrillers
Top 5 Authors
Nicholas Sparks
James Patterson
Dorothea Benton Frank
Rachel Hollis
Lisa Jewell
James Patterson
Dorothea Benton Frank
Rachel Hollis
Lisa Jewell
Resources:
Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. (2019). The readers’ advisory
guide to genre fiction: Third edition. Chicago, IL: American Library
Association.
I too love to travel and have to have a book with me wherever I go. We fly a lot to our destinations and I can't sleep on planes. There have been so many novels I've started and completed even before reaching our destination. Most times on longer trips the weight of my suitcase is from my novels. My kids always make fun of me because they also love to read as well (I'm proud of the fact that I passed that gene down to them) but have transitioned to the electronic and audio formats. I just can't get into electronic reading - I NEED to have the book in my hands. And audio books just seems like cheating, if that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of having a reading challenge within the family. I love this idea!! Congrats on finally beating your mom and keep it up. I should start one with my kids, but with my daughter in her last semester of law school and my oldest son just starting college, it will be difficult. My other son is a junior in HS and my youngest in in 6th grade. But I will definitely bring it up and start one soon (hopefully).
It is such a fun challenge, I highly recommend it! The loser has to buy the winner dinner at our favorite fancy restaurant so it is a win-win: we get to read a lot AND we get to spend one-on-one time together which doesn't happen often!
ReplyDeleteAs for electronic books, I can do audiobooks when I'm driving, but I also don't understand the draw to e-books. I would miss the feel of a real book!
Hi Shelby,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on beating your mom's record last year! I find graduate school makes it more difficult to find time to read fiction, so I'm looking forward to this class and the opportunity it affords to read fiction with no guilt :-)
I'm especially looking forward to seeing your recommendations in the gentle reads genre, as that is one of my favorites.
Hi Shelby!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar habit of taking books with me wherever I go! My purses have to be big enough to fit a book. But sometimes it’s convenient to have both a physical and ebook copy on my Kindle since the latter is more portable. I totally understand having difficulty verbally describing books; I normally read fantasy books, so it becomes especially difficult to describe them to non-fantasy readers since fantasy has a lot more world building and rules of magic, etc. I hope to work on my skill of succinctly describing books in this class though! I tend to want to explain too much, which leads to confusion or information overload.
And no judgements here of cheesy romance books! I totally get the need for a nice relaxing read of a “mindless” book that isn’t too complicated or intense. I look forward to reading your reviews!
Hi, Shelby. I understand what you mean about needing to lighten things up with your reading selections. For me, it's often nonfiction that is very interesting and informative, but just difficult to digest (The Blood of Emmett Till comes to mind) that can leave me feeling low. Afterwards, I am drawn towards reading something light-hearted to balance me out!
ReplyDeleteHi Shelby, whenever I see someone describe a book or movie as "cheesy," I think, well, doesn't everyone like cheese? Haha. Looking forward to trying out a romance myself this semester. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy purse always has to be big enough to carry a book, I feel you there! I compete with my mom, but she hasn't come close to beating me in a while, but then again she still has kids at home so I guess I have to go easy on her! I too have to switch up my genres. I can't read too much of one thing in a row; I'm constantly shaking it up. Great profile!!
ReplyDelete