How I Read Tag

Thanks Jenna @ Reading with Jenna for tagging me!

How do you find out about new books to read?

Most of the usual ways: other bloggers, booktube, Goodreads, etc. I’ve mentioned before that I listen to a lot of podcasts, and those are also full of great recommendations. Podcasts like The Lively Show, Good Life Project and The Accidental Creative are good sources of self-help and the business of creativity-type books in particular. Welcome to Nightvale, an ongoing podcast about the fictional town of Nightvale is coming out in novel form soon. I’m also quite obsessed with comedy ladies like Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, so I will of course read anything they put out into the world.

How did you get into reading?

When I was first in school, my teacher and my mum actually had a bit of trouble getting me to read. I would look at the pictures in the books they gave me and make up the stories for myself. Since the pictures were so great, I figured, I didn’t need to bother with the words parts. Then one day a mean/great teacher took over my class and covered the pictures in my books with paper, forcing me to learn to read the words. I have been obsessed with them ever since.

How has your taste in books changed as you got older?

I have a lot less tolerance for what I perceive to be unhealthy and abusive relationships presented as the Height of All Things Romantic, especially in young adult fiction. The biggest, most famous and most obvious example of this is, of course, Twilight. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying I don’t want to read about unhealthy relationships. I am saying however, that I’m only interested in them when they are actually acknowledged as such. I can’t stand a book that defines a manipulative, co-dependent mess as Happily Ever After. I think it’s particularly disgusting when these novels are aimed at young girls. We should not be teaching them that such awful relationship dynamics are okay.

A great novel that totally combats this unfortunate trope is Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler. You can probably guess the basic plotline of that one.

How often do you buy books?

Whenever I have money to buy them and time to read them. Both situations fluctuate regularly. I’m 22. It kind of goes with the territory.

How did you get into book reviewing?

I just finished my degree. I studied English Literature with Creative writing and I wanted to make sure, no matter my job, that I stayed in touch with the analytical side of my brain. Writing book reviews made sense as a next step – I read a lot and I love to talk about it. Writing is something I would love to make at least a partial career out of, so having a constant deadline writing on a subject I’m passionate is good for me.

How do you react when you don’t like the end of a book?

I am tagging (sorry if you’ve been tagged already or you’ve done this already, it goes without saying that either way you’re free to ignore this!):

Aentee @ Read at Midnight

Josie’s Book Corner

Bookahontas

Bookish Freaks