As a kid, all the way up until high school, I was an avid reader--to the point where my parents punished me by taking AWAY reading time. My grade school years were filled with reading books as fast as I could, squeezing in a few pages any chance I had, and leading the class in AR (Accelerated Reader) points. In those days, there were three main series that I couldn't devour fast enough, and I re-read them many times while waiting for the sequels to be released. Those series were:
1. Redwall by Brian Jacques
2. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Needless to say, I have been a fan of the fantasy genre ever since. Just typing out those titles gave me a rush of nostalgic goosebumps.
During the decade from high school to 2016, somehow my love of reading was squelched by busy schedules, life, and a bajillion other things. What saved me from that life of boredom was my then-girlfriend: she is an avid reader and it is her favorite way to pass the time. When we started dating, she would often spend lazy Sundays curled up on the couch reading. Not wanting to be left out of something so important to her, I started picking up books again to read with her and keep her company. Thanks to her, I found the joy of reading once more, and have been reading over 40 books a year ever since. My goal for 2019 is to break 50!
Oh yeah, I also married her this past September, so I guess I'll just have to keep reading as my number one hobby......oh darn......
Oh yeah, I also married her this past September, so I guess I'll just have to keep reading as my number one hobby......oh darn......
These last few years, my reading interests have evolved and I now enjoy reading just about anything (except straight romance, I'm still trying to work on that one, hence it being the first genre I picked for the annotation assignment). The most recent fascination has been with science fiction, and after reading up on appeal terms from "The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal" from NoveList this last week, I can now pinpoint specifically what aspects of science fiction I enjoy. It turns out, I really like near-future sci-fi that has a connection to our world today, yet pushes the boundaries slightly. It's kind of hard to describe, so I'll try and give some examples. I LOVED Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton because, while it is fiction, he lays out the plot so well that it seems so gosh-darn possible. Another example is a teen book I read last semester for class called Warcross by Marie Lu: Lu crafts a riveting plot and weaves it seamlessly into a near-future setting where virtual reality (VR) has taken the world by storm and a game the vast majority of people play in VR, Warcross, is now the most popular sport in the world. What I find so fascinating is that, in present day, VR is just now coming into its own in pop culture, so the future that is painted in the book is one that seems entirely plausible. Make more sense? I'm planning on using this explanation for my secret shopper assignment, because now that I have pinpointed a specific aspect of sci-fi that I love, I am hungry to get my hands on more!
I'll leave you with some of my favorite books and highlights from what I read in 2018:
1. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin - Seriously, check this trilogy out if you have not heard of it. ALL THREE of the books won the Hugo Award (sweeping the award for the last three years)! They are an amazing blend of science fiction and fantasy, so if either of those is your jam, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
2. The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer - This is one trippy, creepy, and heady tale that VanderMeer created, but it is also the kind that I felt really pushed me as a reader. His writing is all about rich and thick descriptions of the settings, and if you can wade through, he will transport you to a different reality that leaves you both utterly fascinated and totally horrified. A science fiction and horror hybrid, I would highly recommend this to any who are up for a reading challenge.
3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - I had seen the movie, like most warm-blooded creatures, and had only heard good things about the book that inspired it. Well, this year I finally got around to reading it and it did not disappoint! The humor of William Goldman is so dry and dead-pan, that it almost catches you off-guard, but the wit and intelligence that he brings to the story is incredible. If you are a fan of fairy tales, but also enjoy poking a bit of fun at them, then this is the book for you. The uniqueness of the book is the dual perspective: it's essentially a story within a story--there is the actual "Princess Bride" fairy tale and then there is the snarky commentary and abridgements of a writer who loved that fairy tale as a child. Both of which are fiction, created by the brilliantly hilarious mind of Goldman.
Hi Zach,
ReplyDeleteGlad you married your soulmate and she has been a good influence on you. Reading together is a great way to share quiet time together; it is a double bonus:) Do the both of you have the same interests? What type of books does she like? I also love Harry Potter and have read everyone of the series. I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, even though I knew it was a play, hoping to get more, but it fell short. I just read there will be two more Harry Potter books being released in October. I hope they live up to the original books.
We have some similar interests in reading, but there are some significant differences too. She tends to like the more heartwarming stories or stories with a strong female lead and I tend to go for more action packed or suspenseful reads. We actually just started our own "book club" where we picked six books to read together this year so we can actually discuss them (instead of just talking about them to each other).
DeleteGood for you. You and your wife remind my of my parents. They always read books every evening, but they both had completely different tastes. My mother would read philosophical and English types of literature and my Dad would read mysteries. They were totally different personalities, but they were each others soulmates :)
DeleteHello! I think it is great you read The Princess Bride. I just watched the movie with my little girl and she really enjoyed it. I may have to give it a read now that I hear you say how much you liked it and how great it is. Congratulations on the new marriage and I Hope you have a great semester!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I have stew for dinner (which really isn't all that much...) I think of William Goldman's fantastic book! "This was after stew. But then, so is everything. When the first man crawled out of the slime and went to make his home on land, what he had for dinner that night was stew." The whole books is incredibly witty and a great read!
ReplyDeleteI was just in the bookstore and noticed Christopher Paolini has a new series out called the Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. I haven't read it, but it looked like another fun series.
Excellent reading profile, full points! I love that you and your wife are starting a book club. If only I could get my boyfriend to read! Also I put The Broken Earth trilogy on my goodreads. Thanks for sharing!
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