- Swamplandia by Karen Russell
- State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (2 votes)
- A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano
- The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
- Sweet Jiminy by Kristin Gore
- Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2 votes)
- The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
- E-mergency by Tom Lichtenheld
- Bone Dog by Eric Rohman
- The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye by Jane Yolen
- Deadline by Mira Grant
- Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
- Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
- Never a Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer
- Always a Temptress by Eileen Dreyer
- The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
- We the Animals by Justin Torres
- Sockology by Brenna Maloney
Now on to today's discussion. I have been compiling my personal list of the best books I read this year, and in the process, I figured out a few new things about myself and my personal reading tastes.
For example, this year I learned that I love to read travel guides. Click here to read my full review and reasoning, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that there is a who new type of book for me to enjoy.
It reminded me that even people like me who are extremely self aware of what we like to read and why, can be surprised by something new. We should all keep our minds and options open to new types of books, new authors, new genres, and new formats.
When we, the professionals, keep our options open, it is easier to counsel our patrons to do the same. How can we expect them to try something new if we won't do it ourselves.
So in that spirit, think back on your last year of reading. What new authors, genres, formats, or themes emerged as new likes for you this year?
Click here to follow past Monday Discussions.
Also a programming note: due to the fact that the government, post office, and libraries are all observing Monday 12/26 as the day off for Christmas, the library will be closed and I will not be working. The Monday Discussion will make a rare Tuesday appearance on 12/27.
2 comments:
I never would have said that I was a historical fiction reader(mostly because I immediately would think of books about queens) but this year not only did I realize I read it but I also enjoy it. The other surprise that no one else but me would classify as a surprise, came about because a friend of mine, after discovering I had read a book she was interested in, said "I should have known you had already read it - it's a memoir." Again, never would have thought of myself as a memoir reader but I am. I guess it wasn't so much what I learned as what was pointed out to me.
I learned that I'm jaded in terms of horror. Books I would have found thrilling 15 years ago just don't do it for me anymore. To make things worse, most horror is not as graphic and scary as it once was. I too, have branched out to historical fiction. I've always loved non-fictional history and historical fiction is a nice upgrade.
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