My Reading Profile
As a child, I devoured books. I read multiple at once, always had a book with me, and was punished by having my books taken away. Then, as it so often goes, around the end of high school and through college I hardly ever picked up a book that wasn't required reading for a class. It felt like I lost a part of what made me me, and in Shailene Woodley's immortal words, I'm a reader! That identity was slowly slipping away, but in 2019, as I was getting closer to finishing up at IU, I started to regain my reader identity once again.
It started slow, I only finished nine books that first year, but now I'm averaging about a book or more a week and I'm finally at peace (at least in this regard). My favorite genre since childhood is fantasy. I love escaping into fantastical worlds and pretending fairies are real. As an adult, I've come to love literary fiction, romance and memoirs. Something in me cannot listen to fiction audiobooks, but I love a good celebrity memoir read by the author!
My goal in 2024 is to write little reviews for each of the books I read. I'm always looking for more friends on Goodreads and Storygraph; please add me!
Goodreads: goodreads.com/abigailryan
Storygraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/abigailryan
The following stats are courtesy of Storygraph, I love all the charts and statistics they create. I read 61 books in 2023, my top genres were romance, fantasy and contemporary, in that order, and my reading moods tended to be emotional, adventurous, reflective and dark.
While we're talking 2023, here's my top five from last year (in no particular order because that's too hard):
- Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
- High Fantasy. This was a lovely fantasy adventure with the silly tone of The Princess Bride and wonderful storytelling and characters to go along with it.
- Weyward by Emilia Hart
- Magical Realism, Historical Fiction. A few things I love in a book: witchcraft, complex women and multiple timelines blending together. Weyward has it all!
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
- Memoir. I love a memoir that doesn't hold back. Zauner gives us everything and the writing is lovely as well.
- You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
- Contemporary romance. She had me at gender-bent When Harry Met Sally.
- The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
- Nonfiction, True Crime. This was truly a wild ride. A great nonfiction read for habitual fiction readers.
- Honorable Mention: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Romantasy. Writing and world-building was mid but hey, I had a great time reading it.
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- This is a perfect YA fantasy, and, to me, just a perfect fantasy full stop. The world building is rich, the central mystery engaging and thoughtful, and I'm so deeply in love with so many of the characters. Please read.
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- This book had me in an absolute chokehold. I love it so much. And, bonus points, you get to fall in love with Paul Mescal when you watch the TV adaptation.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
- As a Millenial/Gen Z cusp, of course Harry Potter is a huge part of my identity. I have a tattoo, I've read the books too many times to count, J.K. Rowling needs to stop trying to ruin my childhood. But HBP will always be my favorite of the series. The movie is the worst, though.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
- This is the book that I find myself thinking about STILL, over 3 years after I read it, and I know I'll keep thinking about it and going back to it always. The writing is beautiful, the story is heartbreaking, what more could a girl want?
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Another series that was pivotal to my childhood. I felt so cool when my reading group in second grade was assigned The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and I had already read it. I also may have made movie trailers for a similar fictional world my friends and I dubbed "Slarnia" with characters like "Slucy" and "Slaslan." But I digress.
How did you like "House of Earth and Blood"? I saw you reviewed in on Goodreads. I have been thinking of getting into Sarah J Mass, but I'm not sure where to start.
ReplyDeleteI'm about 200 pages into that one but I'm liking it so far! I think ACOTAR is definitely a good place to start in the SJM universe. The series and the individual books aren't too long, and the stories are easy to get into!
DeleteOooh thanks for the rec! I love Viola Davis, so I'll definitely add that to my list! I definitely get the chasing the Harry Potter feeling. Nothing has ever given me that same rush, but the community around A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing makes it fun in a similar way
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud when I read your opening statement. I, too, was punished by having my books taken away. Just as nowadays kids get sucked into TV or a videogame, I would get drawn into my book and wouldn't want to do my chores. The Art Thief is on my To Be Read list, I may bump it up a little if it is highly recommended. I also may take a look at Graceling because I do enjoy YA fantasy novels. Thanks for the suggestions!
ReplyDeleteHaha, taking away TV time never worked so they moved onto the books - really hitting where it hurts! Definitely put Graceling on your list, and then let me know how you like it. And the Art Thief too! It was the first true crime heist book I've read and it was such a doozy.
DeleteI'm also in that club! One summer I wasn't allowed to participate in the summer reading program because I got a C+ in math. It was the worst punishment!
DeleteAbigail! Your reading profile is so interesting and not at all what I'm used to. I actually picked fantasy as my "unfamiliar" genre. Outside of YA fantasy, I haven't del ed too deeply into that genre. I have read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue which was amazing. Do you have any recommendations for people who don't read fantasy all that often?
ReplyDeleteHi Kayla!! If you loved Addie LaRue, I think you'd like Weyward by Emilia Hart. There is some SA, so keep that in mind if that's something you try to avoid. If you're interested in some more fantasy, less magical realism, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a total gateway drug for fantasy. I've talked to so many people who've never read fantasy, they pick up ACOTAR, and now most of what they read is fantasy!
DeleteI didn't know about Storygraph! I just downloaded it and it's importing my Goodreads data now. I love stats and charts so this should be great. I'm also adding Tress..., Weyward, and The Art Thief to my TBR which is an ever growing list. Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteYou're going to LOVE Storygraph! And I hope you enjoy those reads as much as I did :)
DeleteHi Abigail! I am currently reading The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and I am enjoying it. I have ACOTAR in my reading pile. I have heard of Storygraph but have yet to download it. That may change.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing about storygraph - I really need to check it out! Excellent reading profile! We have a lot of similar books in common! Can't wait to read your annotations!
ReplyDelete