Reading Profile
Hello! I am a book enthusiast and librarian. I love attending book clubs and sharing discussions about books with others. In my previous role at the library, I ran two book clubs, now I get to attend them without the pressure of leading the group. :) While I love checking books out at the library, my favorites end up on my bookshelf at home! Belle is my favorite Disney princess because she has a beautiful library! That is my dream! To be surrounded by my favorite stories! I read a lot of different genres (one of the book clubs I attend intentionally picks a different genre each month! Wow! That really expanded the selection of books that I like!).
My go to genres are thrillers, YA, historical fiction, with a bit of nonfiction tossed in. I love books with surprises that I did not see coming and ones that inspire me. My favorite authors and books are everchanging! I'm always stressed when people ask me for my favorite book - I could never have just one! But here are my current favorites (in no particular order):
Current Favorite Books:
1. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
3. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
4. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Current Favorite Authors:
1. Nora Roberts
2. Dee Henderson
3. Heather Graham
4. Meg Cabot
5. Kate Quinn
All-Time Favorite Genres:
1. Thrillers/Suspense
2. Historical Fiction
3. True Crime
4. Fantasy
5. Non-Fiction (usually Psychology or History related)
I loved The Golem & the Jinni! It was one of the few books I've read and felt that literally everything about it was perfect. :-)
ReplyDeleteAmber, I completely agree! I was unsure of this one but one of my co-workers swore I would love it. She was right! The sequel is coming out this summer! It is called The Hidden Place and I cannot wait!
DeleteWhat books are you enjoying by Meg Cabot? I found her adult fiction books a few years ago and was so sad when I ran out of books to read. I grew up with Princess Diaries and fell in love with the Heather Wells series.
ReplyDeleteI first found Meg Cabot as a YA author! The teens in my book club loved her! And I found that I did too! I loved her Heather Wells Mysteries series (The first one is called Size 12 Is Not Fat). I am really excited because she has a new book coming out in August! Keep an eye out for No Offense!
DeleteI did not know she had one coming out! You just made my night. One of my coworkers recommended her adult series and I could not put Heather Wells down. Then I read the Queen of Babble the next week. Thanks for the tip on the new book!
DeleteAbby,
DeleteI was excited about it too!!
Hi Roberta,
ReplyDeleteI like to read YA and historical fiction as well. You mentioned that you enjoyed Lilac Girls. That's been on my TBR list for awhile, but I am hesitant to pick it up because someone mentioned to me that it is a little graphic. While I really enjoy historical fiction (especially about WWII), I don't enjoy when things are too graphic. How would you rate this title on a disturbing scale?
p.s. I also love Belle's library :)
I have to be honest, it takes a lot for me to feel disturbed, so I don't think my rating would be accurate. I can tell you that I read this book with a book club and no one was overly upset about the level of graphics (and a couple of them sometimes are). I focused on the female strength of the story. I just kept thinking, would I be brave and strong enough to do these things?! It was awhile ago that I read it, I'll peek at it again to make sure I didn't forget anything and come back with a better answer!
DeleteI am not a huge Disney fan, but if I had to pick a favorite Disney princess, it would definitely be Belle, too! I haven't participated in a book club before, but I think it's super interesting that your club chooses a different genre to read each month. I love this idea. I'm interested in true crime, but have not read many books in this genre. Are there any that you could recommend to me? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe Books and Brews book club is so much fun because the participants are adventurous in what we read! If someone didn't like a book, no problem, it will be a different genre next time!
DeleteOoh, true crime! It will depend a bit on what type of true crime you prefer. I really liked Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me. It was so interesting (and a bit scary) to learn about Ted Bundy from someone who knew him and had seen a different side of him. I just finished Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters not too long ago. This one was did a great job of breaking down the statistics and even had a whole section on how to be as safe as possible. I liked that it had a portion trying to make you aware of what to look for (but beware this one has pictures - if you don't want to see it, steer clear of this one). I probably wouldn't have picked this one up (it was a gift) but I found I liked the data.
Hello again, Roberta!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I loved so many things that you said. First, Dee Henderson is amazing! If you like her writing, you might like Mary Lu Tyndall (inspirational historical fiction about pirates!), Melanie Dickerson (fairy tale retellings but historically accurate), or Arena by Karen Hancock (inspirational science fiction where present day characters get sent to another world where they have to figure out more about themselves and their purpose).
Second, I also love books that make you think about real circumstances that gives you insight into yourself. I took Materials for Youth last semester and I was asked to read books I never would have picked up because they are not in my genre, like Poet X, and I loved them. Books can be so surprising and speak into where you are in your life, which is why they are so amazing.
Thank you for sharing and I look forward to interacting through the semester!
Taylor! Hello, again!!
DeleteDee Henderson makes me love her characters so much. I am so sad when I finish a book because I feel like I am leaving a friend behind lol.
I am totally checking out all of your suggestions!! I have to say, MaryLu Tyndall is calling my name - that sounds like a great read! It looks like she has a couple of different series - can you point me to the one you are talking about?!
Yes! I am so glad that I got such an adventurous group of people that were willing to genre hop! And the group has a wide range of perspectives (members are range in age from in their 20's to in their 70's)! I love hearing how they think about a book because I continue to learn about the different ways the book affects others!
I love hearing when other people are excited about books because that makes me go into them more excited! Your group sounds like so much fun.
DeleteDee Henderson's O'Malley series literally made me cry so many times. It was beautifully written and the characters were so real. I loved every one of them.
MaryLu Tyndall is fabulous and you can't go wrong. The main and first series she wrote starts with "The Redemption." That is her longest series and was great with some crossover to her other books. However, she has a trilogy set in the same character world and time period that starts with "The Red Siren" I believe about three sisters. Those were so amazing and may be my favorite?! Her standalone was also so worth it and might be a good start to her writing style. She has a more medieval series as well and I haven't read those yet, but I have heard great things about them.
I hope that helps!
Taylor,
DeleteI own the O'Malley series! LOVE it so much!!!! Those are the books that I was sad to finish!
Hello Roberta!
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier! However, it intimidates me a little bit, to be perfectly honest. I’m afraid that it will be boring and won’t hook me into the story as promised by those who love the book. Maybe I should make that one of my reading challenges for this year, to read titles that intimidate me. If not exactly that, then I could make more of an effort to read titles that scare me, because I am sure that I will end up liking the majority of the ones that I end up reading!
Hello, Alisha!
DeleteI read Rebecca in high school and again as an adult. I love it. I've found that even when there are times that I am not into a book, when I try it later - that can change. I vote that you give it a try! Worse case it isn't for you. Best case you love it too! I liked the movie too. :)
I didn't read Rebecca until a few years ago and I definitely enjoyed it! I need to see the new Netflix adaptation. Fantastic job on your reading profile! I feel as if I know you better already. I love that you're in a book club that reads a different book each month. What fun. Full points!
ReplyDelete