Welcome to me.

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

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!