Friday, February 25, 2011

Attempting to Explain Reading

The way I find my favourite books is rather indescribable. I'd be walking in a bookstore, I'd see a title that catches my eye, I'd read the back, stare at the picture, start reading, and know that this is it. It's a calling, really, a calling of books to me.

I'm always at a loss when people ask me what sort of books I read. What a question. Well. I read classics. (Mostly I slug through them so I can triumphantly claim the accomplishment of finishing it, so it's more of an obligation for me to do so than personal enjoyment, with the odd exception.) I read modern-setting books as well, of course. I shy away from hardcore science fiction and hardcore chic lit. Hmm. I don't have that many books in my house. So, I'm forced to re-read more than I read. You see, I kinda read every day. Even if I'm tired shit or have exams or whatever. You can't read every day and claim you have enough books to read. So mostly every book I have in the house gets re-read at certain-number-of-months-long intervals. Which makes buying books is a big deal if I don't wanna buy a book I can't reread. See the curse that has been inflicted upon me.

But thanks to the influence of Tamora Pierce, whose books I have an amount of twenty-six, my favourite type of book more or less needs to fulfill this checklist.

Foreign pre-Industrial Revolution setting

Main character an able female striving to prove herself in a man's world

The character's coming-of-age mission of good principle, however conflicted

The main plot not being one that focuses on getting the girl together with a guy

A love story on the side that isn't annoying/stupid/disgusting

The presence of royalty/nobility

Yeah. I think that's it.

This is the type of book I will be willing to forgo sleep and food for, in order to finish it in one reading and don't have to spend a night waiting to continue it in the morning.

So now you know, and so do I.

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