Friday, January 19, 2018
Reader Profile
I will openly admit that I haven't had much time for reading the past few years, and what time I have had has generally been given to picture books and middle grade or young adult novels, along with graphic novels and manga. I like them because they're easy for me to follow along with and drop and pick back up whenever I need to. I can also generally finish them in about a week, so I enjoy that aspect as well.
When I do branch out, I generally lean towards romances, historical fiction, and nonfiction, with a focus on 20th century history.
In regards to middle grade and young adult novels, I particularly enjoy historical fiction and horror. Historical fiction, because I enjoy learning about the ways other's lived. Horror, for the pacing and the unpredictability of them in book format (I can't stand horror/suspense movies though!). If I'm in the right mood, I do also enjoy fantasy and science fiction. The world building has to be well done for me to enjoy these genres though, so I'm more picky about which I'll read.
Over the past few years, I've also found a fondness for both graphic novels and manga, and my selections within that format vary widely. I particularly enjoy slice of life manga along with memoir graphic novels, as it allows me to see everyday life through the lens of different cultures, much for the same reason that I enjoy historical fiction.
I'm looking forward to reading more books this semester that are for adults, both for my personal readings habits and so I can feel more comfortable recommending books to others outside of youth materials. I'm also looking forward to better articulating the plots of books as well as their appeal factors through the annotation process. The rule of three that Saricks (2009) explains to us particularly fascinates me, as I'm usually pretty wordy as opposed to concise when discussing books!
My top 5 books of 2017, from various formats and genres:
Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura (slice of life manga)
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Eiji Otsuka (horror/mystery manga)
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (nonfiction)
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi (fantasy MG/YA)
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (historical fiction MG)
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Saricks, J. (2009). At Leisure: The Rule of Three. Booklist, 106(3), 25. Retrived from Academic Search Premier.
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Great reading profile! You have some books on their I've never heard of and I'm intrigued and want to check them out now!
ReplyDeleteMalissa,
ReplyDeleteI love that you read mostly youth books. I, too, haven't had time for many adult books, but love to read to my kids.
Have you read any of the nonfiction graphic novels? At first, I found graphic novels exhausting to read, and so very choppy. But, I love how they truly engage the reader, especially readers who are interested in art. The Nonfiction graphic novels, especially the biographies, educate my kids about important historical people, encourages their appreciation of art, and provides entertainment...a great combination.
Thank you!
Hi Lisa!
DeleteYep - it's definitely a style you have to get used to! It took me a few years before I became really comfortable reading them and then when I started reading manga, I had to learn all over again.
I do read quite a bit of nonfiction within the format, though a lot of them tend to be memoirs. Concerning events though, I really enjoyed Don Brown's works. I also read a graphic novel on Richard Feynman recently that I enjoyed, since I knew so little about his life.
I like how graphic novels can give access to information for readers who might be intimidated by a larger, all text biography, or who just want an introduction to certain events or people.
Hi Malissa,
ReplyDeleteWe have some similarities in reading preferences. I, too, like historical fiction - especially 20th century. The "Radium Girls" is on my "to read" list. I just got "The War I Finally Won." It feels like I was on the holds list forever to get it, and despite having lots of reading to do for school - I'm going to read it!
I wish I had your knowledge of youth materials in MY head. That's one area where I still struggle a bit. I don't work in our children's department much, so I don't often have the opportunity to assist patrons looking for youth materials. I am WAY better than I used to be, though. I at least know where to find "Bad Kitty." : )
I read a Manga book for the first time recently. I enjoyed it! I just proved to myself that sometimes I have to actually read a genre before saying I do or don't like it. I've never been a big comic book fan, and in my mind, that's what Manga was. I'm looking forward this semester to trying other genres that I normally wouldn't read.