My Book Journey

Change is constant. And like everything else, my genre preferences changed over time. It is inevitable that we, humans will crave something more. After all, as Billy Joe said, "only fools were satisfied".

Do you still prefer the same genre you loved from day one? Or have you transitioned into another.

Romance

Who did not like romance at one point in their lives?

Back in junior high school, of course I was into romance. It was actually the only genre I knew, or rather the only genre I have resources of. As mentioned in my previous blog, I started with Wattpad. It is an e-reader where anyone can access the e-library and even write their own story.

This, of course, has its pros and cons. On the bright side, it got me more into reading and even gave me a glimpse of life outside that of which I am familiar with, although a little exaggerated. On the flip side though, it exposed me to some dark places not appropriate for my age. Some really gruesome actions or situations were normalized and even romanticized, which was not very ideal for someone who's new to the world.

Moreover, as the platform is open for anyone who wants to write their stories and were not required to have editors or anyone at all to proofread at least, their works are prone to mislead and misinform. Grammatical errors and misspelled words are really common as well.

But even with all these, it was a fun phase. It kept me entertained and got me through some hard days. I even had the fulfilling feeling of finally having my own physical books (3 to be specific). But one cannot be content in a monotonous story. One ought to seek for more. It was there that I ventured into international titles and best selling authors.

Mixed Genres

The first international books I had were mixed genres. I bought 13 books from NBS Christmas sale way back 2019. Some were romance, thriller, fantasy, adventure, short stories, etc. It was the first time I read works of Nicholas Sparks, Neil Gaiman, and Elizabeth Kostova.

What I love about these books are the new words that I encounter at every page. Reading widens my vocabulary and teaches me phrases that I would not know had I not delved into books. There are also plenty of interesting facts that I enjoyed.

Oopsies, I got sidetracked. Anyway, I actually enjoyed these genres especially fantasy. When I was a child, I had nobody to read fantasy books to me (or any book at all) so I assume my inner child was hungry for it, still is to be honest.

Mystery/ Thriller/Crime/Suspense

Who's in for some action?

It was a year after that I was able to buy books again. 2020 was the start of the pandemic thus, I got exposed to online shopping which led me to a wider range of books. I live in a province where we have no bookshops nearby. It was a struggle to get my hands on books so you can imagine the joy I felt when I tried online shopping.

I only ever buy secondhand or preloved books this time. Previous purchases showed me how costly brand-new books are and I am unfortunately not in any way wealthy.

During this phase, I enjoyed detective stories, haunting crimes, and loved the thrill. I became more observant and aware. This genre awakens my mind as I try to study the characters' actions and personality. I try to solve the mysteries and guess the plot. Although there are times when I just let the events flow because I do not want to spoil myself. I do not want to ruin the element of surprise. Do you do this too?

Then there came the time when mysteries no longer interest me. I have taken a liking for historical fiction.

Historical Fiction

How can you identify a book as historical? Where does the boundary between historical fiction and fiction merely set in the past lies.

What I consider historical are those that tackles historical events or historical people, stories that happened at historical places in historical times and those that I counted as historical because of their covers.

I developed a weakness for books with women or historical scenes on the covers. The events on world war intrigues me. How did they live? How did they cope? How did they get on after being bombarded every day, surrounded by dead bodies and crumbling ruins? How did they have the courage to wear their uniforms and charge in battles? I only have one answer. They did because they had no other choice. It was a choice between running to a shelter or remaining in their homes where they're likely to die. It was gruesome.

Classics

Like it classic, eh?

I was under the impression that classics are well above me. I mean they are known for their deep wordings and complex meanings, so I kept clear of them for years. In fact, I think they were indeed above me, that maybe it was after immersing for years in less complex genres that I finally felt ready to take on these great books. Or maybe I was just prejudiced, who knows? I think it only takes a try to know.

As I was saying, I am currently diving into classics although I have not read much because I've been in a slump from the very start of this year. I have only read Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, and now I am almost done with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I think what drew me to classics are the women in it. I am constantly at awe at how they think and speak. I love joining them in their character development, but I admire their will more than anything else. It was tough time for women because of what is expected of them by the society. Class also matters so much as well as respectability.

Right now, I am trying to collect more classic books that I can pore over for I assume this phase will last for some time. At least I hope it will.

Anyway, that concludes my blog for today. I hope you enjoyed my book journey. Happy reading!