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I felt like I’d read fewer books than usual this year, but when I check the numbers, I actually read more than any other year that I’ve kept track of. I only keep lists of books that I finished completely—there were many, many books I started and didn’t get through for whatever reason. There are also many books that I still want to read, but my library doesn’t have them,* or I don’t have the money to buy them yet, or in a couple cases, they aren’t available in the US at present, and I’m not sure what to do about that.**
Anyway, the books. I’ve had to look harder this year for books to fall in love with for some reason. I think one element is that I’ve never cared much for dystopian—it’s a very cold-feeling genre to me, and it’s never really done it for me. And I am tired of rehashed paranormal romance plot lines (ditto love triangles), so that cuts out some more. I tend to love books with fantastical elements, but regardless of genre, what makes me love a book is this: 1) a sense of immediacy; a way of writing that puts me in the MC’s head and inside the story, 2) a plot where the MC does something, 3) a MC who is relatable and positive/admirable, and 4) some element of truth. I’m not into issues-driven novels or novels that think they’re about something important but it’s something that feels in reality rather trivial to me. I also don’t like books about miserable characters. I can definitely see how agents can reject books that might be well written and in a genre they supposedly want, because taste is about a lot more than just genre. It’s what a reader brings to the text as much as what the writer offers.
*I can’t figure out my library’s interlibrary loan system. So far, any request is treated as a purchase request, and supposedly you can request it ILL if they don’t choose to buy it—but so far, they have yet to honor a single ILL request of mine in the year and a half I’ve lived here. Maybe I need to talk to a real librarian and see where I’m going wrong.
**Order via thebookdespository.com? (Not available even there in one case.) Abebooks.com? If Abebooks lists the book as new and coming from a bookseller in the UK, does the author get royalties? Or does “new” in the case of Abebooks really mean “used” (ie author gets no royalties b/c it’s a resale)? If I order a book from the UK (for-real new) that is not published here (with no obvious future here), is that a good thing for the author, or bad?
So, divided by kind of book, here you go: the complete list for 2011:
YA contemporary realistic (and I had no idea I’d read so many this year; I see myself as a fantasy girl, actually):
( Read more... )
Anyway, the books. I’ve had to look harder this year for books to fall in love with for some reason. I think one element is that I’ve never cared much for dystopian—it’s a very cold-feeling genre to me, and it’s never really done it for me. And I am tired of rehashed paranormal romance plot lines (ditto love triangles), so that cuts out some more. I tend to love books with fantastical elements, but regardless of genre, what makes me love a book is this: 1) a sense of immediacy; a way of writing that puts me in the MC’s head and inside the story, 2) a plot where the MC does something, 3) a MC who is relatable and positive/admirable, and 4) some element of truth. I’m not into issues-driven novels or novels that think they’re about something important but it’s something that feels in reality rather trivial to me. I also don’t like books about miserable characters. I can definitely see how agents can reject books that might be well written and in a genre they supposedly want, because taste is about a lot more than just genre. It’s what a reader brings to the text as much as what the writer offers.
*I can’t figure out my library’s interlibrary loan system. So far, any request is treated as a purchase request, and supposedly you can request it ILL if they don’t choose to buy it—but so far, they have yet to honor a single ILL request of mine in the year and a half I’ve lived here. Maybe I need to talk to a real librarian and see where I’m going wrong.
**Order via thebookdespository.com? (Not available even there in one case.) Abebooks.com? If Abebooks lists the book as new and coming from a bookseller in the UK, does the author get royalties? Or does “new” in the case of Abebooks really mean “used” (ie author gets no royalties b/c it’s a resale)? If I order a book from the UK (for-real new) that is not published here (with no obvious future here), is that a good thing for the author, or bad?
So, divided by kind of book, here you go: the complete list for 2011:
YA contemporary realistic (and I had no idea I’d read so many this year; I see myself as a fantasy girl, actually):
( Read more... )
