My Reading Profile
While I very much love to read, I often find myself too busy with work to sit down and enjoy too many books, and also have other interests that beg of my free time (bingeing TV and video gaming chief among them. Skyrim, anyone?). I have set a goal to read 12 books a year the past several years; sometimes I meet it, sometimes I don’t. My favorite genres are murder mystery, fantasy, and classic romance. My top 3 novels of all time are The Princess Bride, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Jane Eyre. I have to be really invested in a plot to plow through it quickly. Right now I’m reading A Storm of Swords, the third book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. A little late to the bandwagon, I know! I’m actually really enjoying reading these now that the hype has died down. I enjoy a fantasy series that has a fast-paced plot full of intrigue and suspense. Too much world-building can get a bit boring (sorry, Tolkien!)
When I’m in the mood for a murder mystery, I typically look to the bestseller lists. I read through the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series in record time; absolutely could not put those books down! Since I also like classic romance, my sister-in-law gifted me The Wife Upstairs, which is a thriller/modern retelling of Jane Eyre, which she knew I loved. Sometimes I even venture into the True Crime genre; last summer I read The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. Haunting, disturbing, and so incredibly interesting (although that one ran a little long for my taste).
There are no genres that I will outright refuse, but high
school classic lit definitely burned me out on that genre. I can't stand John
Steinbeck (I said what I said). I can’t say I’m
terribly interested in reading Westerns either. What I love most about books is
their ability to take you away from your current moment and experience another
world. If that world is too miserable, boring, or difficult to understand, I’m
likely to put down the book. I am, however, really interested in what new
genres this class may introduce me to! I’m excited to have this external motivation to meet my reading goals. I'm already taking notes of other people's favorite books that I might like to read sometime.
Hi Haley! I have to say that I totally share your opinion about John Steinbeck and all of high school classic lit. I cannot get through any of those and don't understand why teenagers are still forced to read them lol. Howl's Moving Castle is one I keep meaning to read! I've watched the Ghibli film and loved it. And I still love Tolkein, but I completely understand wanting a faster-paced story and less world-building details haha!
ReplyDeleteAlso Autumn is adorable
Thank you!!!! I can't name a single book we read in high school that I'd ever like to read again lol. No wonder some kids stop reading.
DeleteHowl's Moving Castle is SO GOOD. It's very very different from the movie, like huge plot differences, but it has the same spirit. Book Howl is more petulant and less dashing, but I love them both. It's a really quick read, too.
Don't get me wrong, LOTR is still one of my all-time favorite fantasy stories! The films are my comfort movies for sure. The books are just.... slow. Haha!
Hi Haley! Can I just say how cozy your cover picture looks! It gives me Harry Potter vibes and I love it. I like that you are open to any genre. That definitely broadens your literary experience! I remember reading Jane Eyre in university and at first I found it a little slow and boring but when I got into it, I loved it. It is brilliantly written. That is so smart of you to take notes of other people's favourite books list!! I may just do that right now as well! Lovely to e-meet you and chat soon :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ramah! I looked for the coziest picture I could find! :)
DeleteHi Haley,
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm in the minority here, but I like Steinbeck. We read the Grapes of Wrath in one of my lit classes in college and I though it was really interesting. I do, however, loathe Hemingway and to quote you I said what I said! I am also not a fan of Tolkien. I read the Hobbit, but I did not make it through LOTRs. I haven't read Jane Eyre, but I keep thinking I should. Nice to meet you!
That's totally fair! There's a reason Steinbeck is famous.
DeleteI skimmed through a lot of Fellowship but was successful in actually reading the sequels! If you like period dramas, you will love Jane Eyre. It's a thick one, but the writing is fantastic.
Hi Haley,
ReplyDeleteOMG! I love Skyrim as well. I gotta know, what build do you do? Stormcloaks or Imperials? Do you play as Mer, beast, or human? What's your favorite guild? For me, its stealth dagger/archery or mage, Imperials, Dunmer or Bosmer, Dark Brotherhood.
I also have a really hard time with classics. I need to read more of them. The other day my coworker and I were lamenting about books that we "WANT to want to read."
Cute cat!
So usually I play as a human, my most recent playthrough I am a khajit. I always go for sorcery first (in every fantasy game tbh) and then do some archery on top of it, but always gotta up that lockpicking skill as well! I believe last game I went with imperials because the Stormcloaks were weirdly xenophobic and Ulfric also just kinda rubs me the wrong way lol. I am too neutral good to go for Dark Brotherhood first, but it is definitely a fun guild!
DeleteI saw a post one time that was something along the lines of, "Reading is for you. If you want to skim, skim. If you don't want to finish it, put it down. If you think it's trash but you love it, read it!" and I've been trying to have that as my reading motto!
Haley, while I am not the biggest Steinbeck fan (he's too... minimalist for my tastes), I'm curious as to what exactly you don't enjoy about his work? Was it just from being forced to read it in high school? I totally get that.
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason I didn't like the Steinbeck books we read was that they were SO depressing. But probably part of it was that I was forced to read 3 of his books when there are so many amazing authors out there. However, it's also possible that if I re-read some of them now, I'd have a new appreciation for them as an adult, but... I don't want to. Haha!
DeleteHi Haley! I really love the image on the main page of your blog. It looks like the type of place I'd love to sit and read! I, like many people here it seems, was also put off by the books I was forced to read in high school. I hadn't picked any of those books up to read again until I read The Great Gatsby this past year. I have to say that I found reading old school classical lit books (or at least that one) to be very different as an adult from what I remember as a teenager.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing when I found it! I think I searched "cozy medieval reading room" and it was perfect lol.
DeleteI quite liked Gatsby - it's not the most fun plot, but I really appreciate Fitzgerald's writing style, I think it's beautiful. You're totally right though, I think reading classics as an adult is probably a different experience. However now that I actually am an adult I've been wanting to read fast-paced thrillers the most!