I have never really thought about why I like the books I do and why I dislike the books I don’t until I read chapter three of Sarick’s Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. I have read books, supposed “good” books, that I just couldn’t tolerate and never understood why until now. I prefer books that are great in detail with well-developed characters preferably in series books rather than fast-paced psychological thrillers and what I would call “fluff.” I want to know who I am reading about, what that person(s) looks like, their personality, where they live, what things look and smell like and so on. I love for the author to paint a picture that I can imagine in my mind as I read.
My favorite books to read are Young Adult (YA) High Fantasy Fiction with the occasional Steampunk or historical fiction. Generally I try to stick to series books as I feel single works do not normally satisfy my curiosity. My ultimate favorites are the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and more recently, the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld (audiobook version—Alan Cumming is an amazing narrator!) and the Curse Worker Series by Holly Black. High fantasy is my favorite because of the magical element as well as the plots and frames normally associated with this genre. I am excited about discovering fantasy books for adults this semester.
Saricks, J. (2005). Articulating a Book’s Appeal. In Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. Chicago: ALA. Pp. 40-7
