Some genres I dislike are most thrillers, romance, westerns, and mysteries. I have a bit of a grudge against best-selling authors that (in my opinion) follow formulas for most of their books and don't come up with much new material. Looking at you, James Patterson (and yes, I did try a book of his and read it to completion! Still not quite for me). While I know that there are thrillers outside of this formula category, the majority that I encountered during my time as a cataloger seemed to fall into it. I enjoy books that have romance or romantic subplots, but I don't like things that I would consider cheesy or overdone. I think I could enjoy a non-traditional western novel, but haven't found one yet that has caught my eye. I can't really say why I don't care for mysteries, but they've never been my cup of tea.
Outside of genres, I tend to prefer books that focus on strong settings and strong characters. Even if a book is within a genre I enjoy, I don't like it if it is too action focused or if the author tells too much information rather than letting the reader infer things.
As a Youth Services librarian, I try to read a balance of juvenile, YA, and adult books. Some interesting books I've read lately include The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (juvenile), Heartless by Marissa Meyer (YA), and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed.
Some of my favorites include:
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (of course)
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- Across the Universe by Beth Revis
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Amy, the design of your blog is so beautiful and fresh! I love it. I'm in total agreement about James Patterson by the way. Sometimes formulas can be enjoyable, or comforting in their patterns, but he's something else. I'm not even sure if he even writes his own books anymore. I imagine he's got a factory of ghost writers for his brand. But he's very popular and many people enjoy him. My first genre annotation is set for a thriller or suspense, which is not my usual type of book, so that should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteAmy, it's good to see you again! I loved that you included The Night Circus in your top 10. That was a weird one...but weird in a good way! I hadn't thought about it for a while and now I'm thinking I need to re-read it.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that you said you "use reading as a form of travel and escapism". There is nothing better than getting lost in a good book! I love the quote by Mason Cooley that you can find everywhere (tote bags and posters and such) these days: "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are"!
Good luck this semester. I'm anxious to see your annotations!
Amy, I agree with you. Bestselling authors have never been my cup of tea. Unlike you, though, I've never been able to bring myself to read Patterson, Roberts, or anyone like that. I'm a bit worried about this course, because so much of what I read is older stuff, so I'm nervous that I'll seem so out of touch with literature. :(
ReplyDeleteWonderful profile!! I'm screaming at your comment about James Patterson, we tend to roll our eyes every time we get his latest book in at my branch. And that happens like once a month, how many books does that man have!?!
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