I've had a bit of a revelation. I wanted to do a
blog post about my favorite books, so I went over to Goodreads and looked
through my read books. Since beginning college, I've read 20 pleasure books. In
three years! That makes me so sad. The majority of the books I have on
Goodreads are books I read in high school and middle school. Therefore, my book
tastes are mostly Young Adult and I don't think my reading has had the
opportunity to mature as I have. Obviously, I spend most of my time reading the
classics from the canon, which I don't think could get more mature. But still,
for pleasure reading, I definitely want to get into more adult fiction and
fantasy. I go on co-op in the fall, so my goal is to read a lot more then.
My revelation
aside, I wanted to write about some of my favorite books now and perhaps do
another post about my least favorite books in the future. Goodreads has spoken,
and the results are in.
Two of my
favorite fantasy series of all time are by Sarah J. Maas, which is a bit of a
hot take. Her books aren't the best works of literature by any means, but I
find them highly entertaining and addicting. The world building is insane and
her plots so very extensive I feel immersed in her worlds. The two series are Throne
of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. It's a toss-up
between the two as to which one I like better. Throne of Glass is
just massive, as there are seven novels. As series usually are, the books get
longer the further you get into the series, with the final book being a
whopping 984 pages. Despite their length, I can't read these books fast
enough. A Court of Thorns and Roses is very similar, but there
are only three books in the series. They're like my children, I just can't pick
which one I love more.
To stray a
bit from YA and flex my English major tastes a bit, I want to mention my
favorite classic novels. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is one
of those books that gets me every time I read it. I geek out over that book.
There is so much to analyze and think about, ugh I just love it. Edna is my
girl. The ending is also one of the most well-done endings I've ever read. SPOILER!
Obviously, it's tragic that she takes her own life, but it starkly differs from
our modern world full of happy endings and couples ending up living happily
ever after. Another classic that I truly love is The Great Gatsby,
I'm a sucker for that novel as well as the film and its soundtrack. The
characters are just so flawed and problematic, I love it. Like The
Awakening it also gets me thinking and analyzing.
As for childhood favorites, we have the cult
classics Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. I was a bit late to the
game with Harry Potter, but Percy Jackson was what started my love for reading
back in 5th grade. I don’t feel the need to really go into these, I
think they speak for themselves.
I’m running out of words, so I’m going to wrap
this up with rapid fire favorite books. Illuminae
by Amie Kaufman is one of the most unique books ever written. It is
composed of files, letters, messages, reports, etc. It was such a unique form
of storytelling, and despite the fact that it wasn’t a traditional narration I
became so invested in the characters. Another honorable mention is Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. This
series is fantasy story inspired by ancient Rome, which was so interesting to
read. One last mention is The Queen of
the Tearling by Erika Johansen. This is a more adult fantasy story with
another non-conventional ending. I won’t spoil it, but I really recommend. It
isn’t the traditional happy ending that you would expect.
That’s it, that’s my list. Here’s to a year of
trying to read more than 6 pleasure books in a year!
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