choose my favorite genres?

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (quiet, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 favorite genres

If you’ve been following along with this weekly event, you’ll know that this week’s topic is a bit of a departure. Usually the task is to come up with a list of three books that fit the criteria.And yet this week I had to make a broader determination. I’m not going to lie: it was scary. I know what I like in specific books, but taking the plunge at the genre level seemed like a big deal. Luckily, I got over it.

1. Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Yes, fantasy (and a dash of sci-fi) is my first love. I know I’ve mentioned before that I love the escape and magic of it – it’s just so foreign and imaginative and WEIRD. It appeals to the same part of me that loves to travel and try out new people, places, languages and food…just to see if I can, and to see what’s inside everyone else’s heads. I didn’t always love fantasy best, but it’s become a big staple in my pleasure reading in my adult life, and I expect it will stay that way.

2. Young Adult

Is there anything quite as perfect as a good coming-of-age tale? Society has trained me to see growing up, taking the mantle of responsibility, and joining adult society as the major turning point in life. When I was a teenager I was in a rush to do all that, and I skipped a lot of ‘young adult’ fiction, though I read bits and pieces. I’m going back now and making up for lost time.The promise of finishing a novel in one day is pretty seductive as well…

3. Historical fiction (and if I’m honest with myself, historical romance)

Darn it, I loved historical fiction as a kid. Favorite genre EVER, up to the age of fifteen or so. I don’t know what flipped the switch, but I’ve never abandoned the genre, only moved it down the priority list. I have such vivid childhood memories of finding quiet corners at home, or sitting in a damp tent during a camping trip, or listening to my mother read aloud in front of the fire. Always about history, about ‘great men’ (and women!), and wars and intrigue…and I still love to get into it, and to its cousin, historical romance. Don’t judge.

What are your three favorite reading genres? Be honest!

where’s a sequel when you want one?

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (quiet, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 books you wish had a sequel

I’ve never been one to beg for a sequel, even if the ending of a book seems ambiguous. I just let my imagination have free reign and savor what is actually written. But if I have to choose – and I do for the meme – I’m going to choose old favorites. I’ve imagined new endings for these books countless times as I’ve reread them over the years, but I’d love to know how the authors themselves envision their continuing stories (it they do at all).

1. The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

Whenever people say they like ‘contemporary fiction’ best, I wonder a bit, and try to place a book that I love in the genre. Inevitably, I end up with this one. I wouldn’t mind knowing how Ginny and Caulder and Smitty end up, because I love them all so much.

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

As Neverwhere as a book ends, another adventure is already beginning for its characters. I’d love to follow the Marquis and all the other zany denizens of this novel on further adventures in London Below. I’m sure they’d be hilarious, dark, frightening, and joyous by turns.

3. Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery

I will admit that I’ve always been a bit miffed that there wasn’t a follow-up book for this title. I mean, didn’t L.M. WRITE in series? I had that thought tucked away somewhere…oh wait, it’s a natural expectation, seeing as she wrote how many Anne books? *le sigh* Magic for Marigold leaves off in Marigold’s early adolescence. I know it’s too late now, but I’d love to know how she was meant to grow up, and maybe even grow old.

Can you name three books that you wish there were sequels for?

perfect summer beach reads

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (quiet, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 perfect beach reads

1. Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger

I didn’t expect to choose a book for this theme with the word ‘summer’ in the title. But as I went through my Goodreads 5-star list, this title stood out. And it made me remember all the things I love about it: the setting (an American city during WWII), the characters (baseball player, zany/needy/hilarious kid), and the almost palpable sense of summer heat and memories that permeate the writing. I felt the bustle of the city, the oppressive heat, the thrill of baseball, the relief of a fire hydrant sprinkler, and the tension, humor and love of family all at once. It’s a beautifully honest story.

2. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

I will put down anything that gets too ‘involved’ when I’m at the beach. I want an interesting story, yes. I want emotional connection. I just don’t want to feel guilty when I’ve forgotten the name of another fantasy country or custom or type of creature. I’m there for the sun and the water, after all! So a dystopian children’s book, with a good dash of mystery and adventure, fills the bill nicely. No confusing post-modern meta-narrative, but also no stinting on the entertainment. Ember is suitable for all ages, with enough slick edges and dark corners to keep any audience hooked.

3. Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks

It’s a pretty well established fact that Nicholas Sparks has a formula. His stories are bittersweet (or sappy, if you’re feeling cynical) summer beach fare. But what I found when I read this memoir is that this formula correlates to his real life. Sparks can write convincingly about love, death and tragedy because he has been steeped in it. Three Weeks with My Brother is not only a memoir and a travel diary, it is the story of a childhood and of grieving and hardship. Normally this type of book would be too much for me to handle. But there’s something about bright sunshine that makes the emotional wringer a bit easier to bear. And I have a beautiful memory of camping over spring break in Myrtle Beach with this book to prove it.

What are your perfect summer beach reads?

books i thought i'd love, but ended up hating

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (quiet, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 books you thought you’d love but ended up hating

1. Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock

Dairy Queen and its companion novels pretty much single-handedly showed me that I could fall in love with realistic YA fiction. I was ready to swear allegiance to the Catherine Murdock fan-for-life group. Well, as long as they had coffee at their meetings. So when I found out she was publishing a fantasy (my favorite genre!) novel, I just about had kittens. I bought the hardcover and greedily started reading it. And put it right back down. Tried again. URGH! I can’t explain it, but there’s something about this book that just rubs me wrong. And that was a huge disappointment.

2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

This is one of my mom’s favorite novels, which is saying something, because she doesn’t read much for pleasure. She recalled it fondly when I carried it to her to see if I could borrow it. So I sat down with the expectation that it would be made of awesome. It was famous! Plus, it was on a classics list that I got from the library (I had big goals!). And…I hated it. Couldn’t connect with the story, main character, setting…ANYTHING. Of course, I was a suburban kid (aged 13?), and I didn’t know much. But I knew I didn’t like this book.

3. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

I’m hesitant to mention this one, because I know so many people have enjoyed it. I couldn’t, though, and it’s partly my own fault. I read Wicked Lovely, this book’s precursor, and loved it. It had the same effect on me that Twilight did – I slurped it down in one gulp, and then recommended it to others. So my expectations were high going in, and I thought I’d be getting a certain sort of story. Instead, there was a lot of violence and using, which I was (and still am) not cool with, in any way, shape, or form. I had nightmares about this book, and it’s not something I’d ever voluntarily pick up again.

So, tell me: what are some books you thought you’d love, but ended up hating?

i was so wrong about that book!

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (quiet, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 books you thought you’d hate but ended up loving

1. To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston

I mentioned that I was homeschooled in this post. As a part of that, my mom traveled to curriculum fairs and teaching seminars on a regular basis. Usually we’d dread her return, because she’d be all fired up with new strategies and so many new TEXTBOOKS! It was overwhelming, to say the least. One time, though, she returned with this title and insisted on reading it to us almost as soon as she’d unpacked. I was ready to hate it. Had already decided on it. But the adventure! The romance! The historical setting! The story caught my attention in spite of myself, and I’ve re-read it several times since.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

For several years I lied to my swim lesson and swim team kids. That sounds really reprehensible, doesn’t it? What sort of role model was I? I, dear audience, was the girl who hadn’t read any Harry Potter, and didn’t want to. I didn't want to tell those kids that I hadn't read the books, either. I was determined to be the only person in my generation who hadn’t touched the series. I was sure they were badly written and not worth my time. Well, I was sure up until the night before I left for my second trip to Chile, when I realized I didn’t have any suitable books for the 10-hour plane ride. So I gave in and borrowed my roommate’s copies, and I ended up staying awake for hours to read them all. Suffice it to say…I was wrong.

3. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

My grandmother has had an amazing effect on my reading taste. No, really. She lives in upstate New York, and whenever she visits or I go to visit, I somehow end up reading one of her books. It’s uncanny, really. I am always sure that I won’t like whatever it is, and I’m always sucked in. This probably means that we have very similar taste. I try not to shudder at that, even though it’s true. So I was pretty positive that I wouldn’t like reading about a middle-aged priest in a small Carolina town…but it turns out I was wrong. I gobbled up the entire Mitford series in a month or two. And some Nicholas Sparks, and some James Patterson…and you get the idea. Books I usually don’t review here, but read guiltily and then give away to my local thrift shop.

What are three books you ended up liking in spite of yourself?

books i've been meaning to read for...forever

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list. Who doesn't love lists (QUIET, you!)? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 Books that have been on your TBR (to be read) list the longest…

1. My Invented Country by Isabel Allende

I went to Chile (and fell in love with it) in the summer of 2004. I went to Spain in the fall of 2004. I bought this book in Spain. And I have taken it EVERYWHERE with me. It survived the after-college book purge, another trip to Chile, moves to Florida, Georgia, and Seattle, and it now resides on a shelf in my DC apartment. I always mean to read it, but somehow it never happens. That may also be due to the fact that I bought the Spanish-language version, and I read about three times slower in Spanish than in English. One day I will read this book! Sigh.

2. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

I love Shannon Hale’s books. I read The Princess Academy, The Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days in quick succession. And then I bought Enna Burning and River Secrets…and they’ve just been SITTING. ON. MY. SHELF. Accusing me, making me feel guilty, and proving that even with books by the authors I love, I can still be the ultimate procrastinator. Probably not something to put on the résumé, eh? But I intend to read this one by December, because it's on my 'Once Upon a Time' reading challenge list.

3. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

As a long-time fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel and the Regency period in general, it is a travesty that I haven’t read this book. It was a birthday gift, and a good one. From the year 2007. I just have never gotten around to reading it. But I will, never fear! Because the cover is just too gorgeous, and one of these days (probably a rainy day, with hot chocolate) I will discover just how much of a fool I’ve been to delay.

What are three books you’ve put off reading?

books i've read over and over and over

I’ve never taken part in this meme before, but K at We Be Reading had a lovely list today at her blog, and I followed the link. I officially suggesticate it.

The Book List is a short and fun meme that allows you to share books with the blogosphere and make a list! Who doesn't love lists?!? It is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Lost in Books.

This Week's Topic is: 3 Books You've Read Over and Over and Over and...

1. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter

I’ve read this book so often that my paperback copy is falling to pieces. And I take METICULOUS care of my books. Porter’s story is a childhood comfort read that resonated with me all through my teens. I have very clear memories of lugging it on multiple camping trips and enjoying a cool afternoon in a tent in the shade, reading about Elnora and the Limberlost swamp. I haven’t read it in a while (maybe a year?), but I know that it will always remain one of my favorites.

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Perhaps best described as my ‘gateway’ to the world of Neil Gaiman’s writing. I’ve read this one cover-to-cover and then all over again right afterward at least once. There are scary characters, noble characters, and a lot of people just trying to survive. It’s set in London Below, which always seems magical to me, even though it’s mostly just dark. Oh, and did I mention that the author has a wicked sense of humor?

3. Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede

This one was written expressly as part of a series of ‘fairy tales for adults.’ It is set in Elizabethan England, and the language and dialogue match the era. I don’t think I need to explain how utterly difficult that must have been to write. But the result is a intriguing take on the traditional fairy tale and a smashing good read. I’ve read it almost as many times as Neverwhere – it was definitely a comfort book during my college years. And a vocabulary-improver, too.

What are three books you re-read?