Last year for my birthday I did a fun post where I talked about bookish things I learned about myself that year, and I had so much fun putting that post together I thought I'd do it again! My birthday is tomorrow, so today I am reflecting on some very interesting things I learned about myself in 2023.
High fantasy is a genre I don't read a lot of. I used to literally only read one book a year. Idk what it is about it... the complicated names, the overly descriptive worlds... maybe it's just a bit too much for me. But this year I have read THREE high fantasy books, and I'm in the middle of another... AND I plan to read another one before the year is over! 😱
The high fantasy books I read, those one-a-year books, are typically books by authors I already love. You guys know I adore Jennifer Estep and will read literally anything by her. She had two high fantasy series and I devoured them. And the high fantasy book I'm reading now is Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, and we all know what a fiend I am for the Shadowhunters! So all that makes sense. But then this year I picked up a high fantasy book by an author I knew nothing about... and I read it... and I LOVED it!
I am, of course, talking about Astrid Scholte's books. Four Dead Queens is this sort of murder mystery thriller set in a high fantasy world. I love thrillers and mysteries, and the premise of this book sounded intriguing and I just HAD to read it! League of Liars is another sort of thriller dealing with deaths, possible teenage killers, and a mystery. I did not know that fantasy thrillers were a thing until I read the synopsis of League of Liars and those are the words they used to describe this book 😱 And let me tell you, I LOVED these books! And maybe it's just this author that I like, idk. Her worlds are pretty great. But I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for more high fantasies that are also mystery thrillers because I need them in my life. (There's one more Astrid Scholte book I have left to read, so I'm gonna be reading that before the year is over 👀)
I like learning new things so I thought I'd give some science-y books a shot, and I ended up loving them! Both of these books were really funny which just made them easier to read. What If? answers, as the subtitle suggests, Absurd Hypothetical Questions. It was so much fun! The questions were, indeed, absurd, but in answering said absurd questions, you actually learn a bit.
Quackery is more on the medical science side of things and it was also very fun and informative. The writing was very sassy and you learn about all the messed up ways people would be cured back in the day. Some of the things they used... it was astonishing. I'm really looking forward to reading more books from both of these authors!
I'm starting to realize that I like romance more than I let on 👀 Contemporary romance is another genre I don't read a lot of—again, I used to only read one a year. But then last year I read FOUR and I was shocked! Especially because I liked them all. And then this Autumn I binge read the Krimson Empire series, which I enjoyed. But my only gripe with it is that it needed more romance! Lol. I love the characters and their interactions, but more romance! So what did I do after I finished the series? I went and read Betting on You, a YA contemporary romance 😂 And I loved it! It was so freaking cute and it definitely hit the spot!
My one gripe with romances though (I know, so many gripes lol), is that the third-act conflicts tend to be dumb, avoidable, and totally predictable. I think that may be why I don't read many contemporaries, now that I think about it. But that being said, I did love the romance in Betting on You. I discovered Lynn Painter last year and fell in love with the cute romances she writes! I also recently discovered that Julia Huni also writes romances under the pen name Lia Huni, so I may have to give those books a shot too 👀
I like funny books about science, too.
ReplyDeleteThree things I learned about myself through reading this year:
1. I don't like reading nonfiction books years after they were published, unless they are on a historical topic. Current nonfiction doesn't stay current for long.
2. I am not much of a romance genre reader. In fact, I rarely like this genre of book at all. I find myself rolling my eyes as I read them. Sigh.
3. I want all the books read to be well-written that is why I like to read award winners. I figure I have a better chance of running into well-written prose.
Let's discuss: Best Books of the year
I totally get you #2. It's another reason why I don't read many of them. But there have been a few authors that I've found that aren't too bad.
DeleteThe three things I learn about myself:
ReplyDelete1. I like low fantasy. Particularly Sword and Sorcery. I never thought I would like Robert E. Howard but turn out his action stories are really good and engaging.
2. I like older fantasy and Sci-fic. In the past year I have discover and read so many authors in that genre.
3. I can enjoy romance but still picky.
I am the same with #3! Every once in a while I'll venture out and try a new romance author I haven't before... sometimes they're a hit, sometimes they're a miss.
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