It’s really hard to pin down my favorite
genre of books. It’s easier to describe
what I DON’T read, which would be mysteries, romance, and westerns. To begin my reader profile, I consulted my goodreads.com
list of 400 books that I can remember reading, which I compiled years ago. Of course, this is a fraction of the books I’ve
read in all, but it’s all I could remember.
Literary fiction figures heavily in this list, followed by non-fiction. For me, exceptional writing and intricate plotting are most important. I loved the dark tension in gothic novels like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Tom Robbins' use of the absurd and mystical made him my all time favorite author, and I'm truly devastated that he probably won't write any more. 1984 changed my life and everafter, proles and party members have figured into my thinking. I've gone through phases in historical fiction, horror and suspense. Gone Girl was one of my favorite current reads - wow, what a twist! In the last 15 years, though, I’ve been busy as a
mother and a wife, so reading fiction often felt too indulgent, like watching
too much TV, so I’ve been reading lots of non-fiction. Favorite topics include travel, religion, sociology/psychology,
and animals, elephants in particular. Further,
I have a penchant for memoirs involving peoples’ professions and I’ve gone through
phases reading rock memoirs, personal memoirs, books about Africa, North Korea
and India, and Middle Eastern affairs. I really love the short story genre and I've found that reading short stories from around the world gives me an insight into other cultures. I'll admit, though, I've gotten some funny looks when I mention something like "I'm currently reading a book of Bulgarian short stories!" I have dozens of books of short stories lying around in case I need a quick fix.
Favorite books of all time, in no
particular order:
1984: George Orwell
The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood
A Fine Balance: Rohinton Mistry
Geography of Bliss: Eric Weiner
Dog Boy: Eva Hornung
Dog Boy: Eva Hornung
The Good Earth: Pearl Buck
Confederacy of Dunces: John Kennedy Toole
The Metamorphosis: Franz Kafka
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas: Tom Robbins
Baghdad Without a Map: Tony Horwitz
Although I said I don't read mysteries, romance or westerns, I have in the past read books that would definitely be characterized by those descriptions, so I can't say NEVER. I'm looking forward to exploring these, though. I'm always looking for my next favorite book!
I’m a bit late to the game, 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale are on my list of books I want/need to read! Your favorite books sound intriguing. I love that you enjoy short stories and nonfiction. I cannot seem to enjoy short stories-I think because I know they will end soon and I want a long story to entertain me. I also enjoy reading nonfiction books about personal memoirs and books about Japan. I have actually only heard of a couple of the books on your list of favorite books of all time, I definitely will research them and see if any look appealing! I can’t wait to see what your next book recommendation is!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeannine!
ReplyDeleteYou might like the author Jane Austen. Her writings can easily fit in either Women’s Lives and Relationships or Romance genres, but she keeps her books very modest. You might want to try her if you want to venture into either genre. She wrote Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey, to name a few. I really like Emma and Pride and Prejudice. I would suggest reading Pride and Prejudice first, and then work your way down the list if you want to read more. A lot of modern authors tend to write knock-offs of her work, which used to bother me, but then I grew to appreciate some of the fan fiction, like Austenland by Shannon Hale.
Also, have you read The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells? I haven’t yet, but it looks interesting. I listened to the original radio show once, in its entirety and it was very convincing!
I've read Pride and Prejudice and found it enjoyable. However, I'm more drawn to Edith Wharton, who tends to be a bit darker. I noticed the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies book and thought it humorous but not going to waste my time on that! I never read War of the Worlds. Frankly, I don't read a lot of science fiction either, but not for any specific reason. I read Stranger in a Strange Land a long time ago and found it amusing, a tad sexist and definitely dated, but enjoyable. Thanks for your suggestions!
DeleteExcellent reading profile! Thank goodness for Goodreads or I'd never be able to keep track of what I'm reading. It's neat to see how my tastes have evolved since I first joined a decade ago!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to seek out a Tom Robbins book, I'm pretty sure. I've never gotten around to reading one. I also quite like 1984, but I think I find myself quoting and giggling about Animal Farm more often. "I will work harder!" = )
ReplyDeleteNow that I've got started, I'm wondering if you've ever read Huxley's A Brave New World. My friend and I have had what I have found to be an interesting discussion about which book between 1984 and Huxley is more brutal. Thoughts?
Interesting. I would definitely say 1984 is more brutal. People are ruled by threat of extreme pain or death. It's a scary and unsure existence to be afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. The North Korean dynasty must have read this one because NK is suspiciously similar to Oceania. But in Huxley's world, people are lulled into complacency by comfort and technology. They don't have to or want to think for themselves, which frankly, reminds me a little of the US. In any case, ignorance is bliss. I would rather be lulled than scared. Sure, if you're a thinking person, neither of these situations is tenable, but if we're talking brutality, 1984 is way worse. Granted, it's been a long time since I read Brave New World, so I could be off in my memories of it. What do you think?
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