Reading Profile


I'm a reader without rules, likely to pick up any bound collection of pages that comes my way be it a historical mystery, a space opera, a bodice ripper, or a reimagining of Shakespeare!  I'm a big fan of the art of browsing library shelves.  

Like other life-long enthusiasts of the printed page I have favorite books that I've read time and again throughout my life : Little Women, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Harry Potter, The Catcher in the Rye, to name a few. 

The classics, those authors-whose-names-we-all-know tend to draw me in. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Carson McCullers, and Willa Cather are all some of my favorites. In my heart these literary canon luminaries are on par with authors like Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, Lorrie Moore, and Raymond Chandler, Shirley Jackson, and Frank Herbert. I think perhaps what these authors, spanning the realistic fiction, horror, mystery, romance and science fiction genres, have in common is the ability to make a character's humanity really sing, and to do so with a little humor mixed in.  

Lately, I have been trying to read more new books as they come out. I also made a conscious effort in 2020 to mostly read books by female authors. I felt like without this awareness I tended to end up reading mostly male authors for no good reason. 

My favorite books I read in 2020:

1. Circe, by Madeline Miller (the mythic tale of an outcast who also happens to be an immortal and a witch, retelling Ancient Greek myths from a new perspective)

2. What Are You Going Through, by Sigrid Nunez (a woman muses on life and death and what it means to have friends and practice empathy)

3. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke (part mystery, part fantasy that takes place in a beautiful and strange alternate universe inhabited by one gentle soul)

4. Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew A. Smith (a YA novel set in Iowa where and when the apocalypse begins- funny and touching!)

5. There, There by Tommy Orange (weaves together a large cast of Native American characters in Oakland CA to explore complex issues of identity and meaning)

Comments

  1. Jennifer MillerJanuary 26, 2021 at 12:26 PM

    Hi Abigail,
    I love the opening sentence of this blog post- A reader without rules. That's how reading should be! I used to hate reading when I was in school and a lot of that had to do with "rules." Assigned novels, reading levels, comprehension tests... It took the fun out of reading. Now I have the freedom to read anything and everything I want and I take full advantage. I'll go from picture books to adult nonfiction to middle grade graphic novels and no one can stop me!
    I enjoyed hearing your top 5 of 2020, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 26, 2021 at 9:23 PM

    Hello, Abigail.

    You seem to have quite an open mind when it comes to reading. Do you ever read graphic novels? I love those and comics. If there's one to look at from the known franchises, such as DC Comics and Marvel, it would be Alex Ross' Kingdom Come. Granted, you would probably have to be familiar with the stories behind those heroes prior to a few of those recent comic-reboots, but that graphic novel (or perhaps rather a trade-paperback) has both a compelling story and unbelievable artwork. I've also somewhat come to enjoy novels that combine horror and sci-fi. The Star Wars books Death Troopers and also Red Harvest are perfect examples, as well as the Five Nights at Freddy's YA trilogy. Those books are excellent time-killers. You could probably finish each one in a few days. But I digress.

    Happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abigail SmithJanuary 27, 2021 at 11:03 AM

      Hi James,

      I have really enjoyed some graphic novels in the past, Alison Bechdel and Lynda Barry come to mind, I loved "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf and everything by Daniel Clowes. I also enjoyed the Watchmen (of course!) and the Sandman. Graphic novels though, are probably where I need the most help finding my next read. I think I'm pretty picky about what I like in this genre and I'm not sure what how to describe it. The world of graphic novels seems so vast and varied that I often feel like I don't know enough to find what I want!

      Delete
  3. Daniel ThurstonJanuary 30, 2021 at 7:04 PM

    Hi Abigail!

    Thanks for sharing your reading preferences. I love that phrase: "reader without rules." I love Witch of Blackbird Pond too; I read it with my book group last year, and we had a lot to talk about.

    I also appreciated your insight about consciously reading books written by women. Every voice deserves to be heard, not just the majority or those with power. When giving reading suggestions, I try to include recommendations that the reader may not have originally considered because of their privilege or bias.

    Looking forward to hearing more from you this semester!

    -Daniel Thurston

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  4. Nicole ScurlockJanuary 31, 2021 at 7:59 PM

    Hi Abigail,

    I love the idea of being a "reader without rules"! Like Jennifer mentioned, I also did not enjoy reading school-assigned texts when I was younger because of all of the work and rules and analysis. Because of this, I simply chose NOT to read many of the assigned texts. Unfortunately, I missed out on reading a lot of the classics. I've had to try and play "catch-up" a bit as an adult. For example, I didn't read books like Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, or The Hobbit until I was in my 30s. Classics are still not my reading preference, but I think it's important to be well-read in as many areas as possible.

    If you're interested, you can check out my blog at: https://nscurlock.blogspot.com/.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Erin CataldiFebruary 8, 2021 at 10:16 AM

    Fantastic reading profile! Full points! I have to agree with all your classmates - I love the phrase "reading without rules" what a great philosophy! Also, I've never seen anyone else read Grasshopper Jungle - it's like a cult classic for me. It's so weird and I love it - I'm glad I'm not alone. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete

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