My reading tastes have changed quite a bit since I began working in youth services nearly ten years ago. These days my reading focus is mostly on picture books and young adult fiction. Working full time and taking graduate classes leaves little time to read for pleasure as I am sure many of my classmates can also also attest to. However, while enrolled in Seminar on Literature for Youth last semester I did learn to better carve out time to read and make reading for pleasure a priority. For me, it often means reading early in the morning before anyone in the house, including the animals, are awake.
I have always enjoyed mysteries and when I was younger, Agatha Christie was my favorite mystery author. Lately I have begun to enjoy cozy mysteries written by Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Alyssa Maxwell and Ellis Alexander. I think this genre appeals to me because it is not as nail biting as other mysteries and of course, I like the recipes! I also enjoy Inspirational titles, particularly those of Lynn Austin and Francine Rivers. I just finished Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers which struck a chord with me because of the family relationships described between mother and daughter.
Being a history buff, I enjoy reading historical fiction. Last summer I read Code name Verity and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. I particularly liked Rose Under Fire because of Wein's character development. I enjoy books by Ken Follett and read the Pillars of the Earth. However, I must admit that it took me months to finish. Maybe after I finish school I'll find the time to tackle the next in the series.
Some of my favorite authors are Adriana Trigiani, author of the Big Stone Gap trilogy and Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I read Ford's book on the recommendation of a fellow librarian who has never steered me wrong. Librarians are just great! Elizabeth Berg has always been one of my favorite authors since the late 1980's when she wrote for Parents Magazine. I identified with her then as a young mother and find that I can easily identify with many of the characters in her novels. She often describes the difficulties and complexities of family relationships, as in What we Keep.
I'm really not interested in reading romance novels. especially YA romance novels, despite being happily married for 33 years. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell may be one exception. I also don't really care for graphic novels, although I highly recommend them for our reluctant readers. However, I am attempting to branch out into the realm of science fiction this year to appease my teenage son. This year I am also setting a goal of reading on average a book a week. So far I am on target.
Hi Jane! I too struggle to find reading time. I'm going to work on putting reading first -- at the beginning of the day -- instead of hoping to squeeze it in at the end. I have found that expanding my "reading" to include audiobooks has allowed me to enjoy and complete more titles.
ReplyDeleteI tend to fall asleep if reading late at night! I've considered including audiobooks too. However I have the good fortune to work less than a mile from my home and I think it would take me months to finish a book if listening in the car.
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Delete"What we Keep" really stuck with me-great read. I find my reading time shuffled to bedtime as well, and of course with school, work & kids, it's pretty much snooze time as soon as my head hits the pillow...not conducive to quality reading time.
ReplyDelete"What we Keep" really stuck with me-great read. I find my reading time shuffled to bedtime as well, and of course with school, work & kids, it's pretty much snooze time as soon as my head hits the pillow...not conducive to quality reading time.
ReplyDeleteJane, that Pillars of the Earth is really good according to my bookclub ladies with Christie. One actually refused to start reading until the whole series was published (Pam, don't think you know her). I've heard it's really worth it, though. I don't know Alyssa Maxwell or Ellis Alexander and not sure if we have them, so those will be good ones to look up, as they sound like authors I would like to add to my list.
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