TOP TEN TUESDAY | WHY I LOVE…

There are so many possible ends to this week’s topic sentence when it comes to books. I love authors, genres, formats, topics, themes – even locations. So I decided to do a mish-mash post with a few of my book loves and see where that takes us!

…Literary Fiction

This is the first and probably the easiest. While I read books from a bunch of genres, literary fiction is by far my most visited literary landscape. I like that it explores our world, because I find that to be the weirdest and most diverse one out there. Save your planetary travel and hobbits – though they’re great and have a lot to offer – I’ll take the neighbour with the secret, the stranger who will become family, the family who become strangers and the epic story that happened on a normal Tuesday. I want to know what happens inside peoples lives and minds that I never see, because it helps me imagine more in the world around me. I like stepping into shoes I will never own because I want to understand the perspectives of people around me to be a better and more empathetic person. Literary fiction spans such a breadth of human experience and knowledge, and I want to have a chance at it all.

…Book Prizes

They have their faults and their detractors with good cause, but I love them. Mostly because, at their best, they take a full year’s worth of books and distill it down to a list of about a dozen that I can then move to the top of my list. They give me an event to follow along with and lots of people’s opinions to read and watch. I like feeling like I’m part of a larger reading experience, and I love having read the books on a list and finding out which that year’s judges chose as the stand-out, even if it’s not my pick. I’m participating in a book prize for the first time right now (more on that once my judging is over) and I’m so invested in the process and thoroughly enjoying having this structure and focus to my reading.

…Magical Realism

Magical realism has everything I love in literary fiction, but it also introduces whimsy, flights of fancy and straight up wackiness. I particularly love magical realism from Latin America because, frankly, no one does it better. Two of my all-time favourites are Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez. Their books opened a door in my mind that has been ajar ever since, and so much light has come through. I didn’t know fiction could feel as vibrant and intense as their work, and I haven’t been the same since finding it.

…Travel Writing

I love experiencing different ways of living in the world. I like understanding how a culture evolved based on the place and time it exists in. I like seeing how cultures have bled into and changed one another. I like the heightened awareness of natural beauty I experience when I’m in a new environment. But travel is expensive and difficult when you have chronic medical issues (particularly one that precludes sitting for long periods – as on a plane). Not to mention our current pandemic situation. So I have learned to find my way into new places through other people’s eyes and words. I feel like I’ve been to Tuscany with Frances Mayes, to Provence with Peter Mayle and to Mexico with Mary Morris. I’ve read so many books that have taken me places I’ll likely never go, but in some small way I feel like I’ve been there, because these amazing writers have taken me. It’s a magical thing.

…Cross-Genre Fiction

I’ve only recently discovered this, and I don’t even know if this is the right term. What I mean is books that don’t quite fit into one genre – most notably books that have the depth, slow development and scope of literary fiction, but at their centre have the plot of a thriller. The Lie of the Land and Last Night In Montreal are two examples of this cross-pollination that I’ve read and enjoyed recently. I loved The Lie of the Land in particular, and it definitely made me aware of a type of book I hadn’t thought to look for to that point. Recommendations would be happily accepted!

…E-Books and Audiobooks

I love having options in terms of my reading. E-books allow me to read when I have five minutes to spare, whether that’s in a waiting room, a line or just waiting for my toddler to decide she’s ready to get out of bed. I’ve only recently expanded my horizons to include audiobooks, but I’m so grateful I did. There are several reasons I love audiobooks, but the most obvious are that I love listening to memoirs in the voice of the author (notably Tracey Thorn – so good) and that it can make a difficult book easier to get into. I just finished Ducks, Newburyport, and without the audiobook it would have been much, much harder. The audiobook took a book I was struggling to make headway with and made it an enjoyable experience, and for that I will be forever grateful.

…Children’s Fiction

Reading books with my daughter is one of the most precious experiences of my life. Seeing her discover the worlds of Olivia, Corduroy, Paddington and Pete the Cat has been an absolute delight. Her joy in finding a new story she loves and her dedication to her favourites is enough to make my book-loving heart explode with joy. Some I’m re-discovering from my own childhood, others are brand new to me, but both are equally enjoyable. She now has whole books memorized and “reads” them to me (and to herself at bedtime) and it’s absolutely amazing. It has re-awakened my sense of wonder at what books can do for their readers, and it is a wonderful thing.

…Mystery Series

As much as I am loving my literary thrillers, I still also love traditional thrillers. The ones that have great characters and at least decent writing, but are all about the plot and not at all ashamed of it. The ones you can read cover to cover in a day or two and completely lose yourself in. Series are the best because whenever you pick up a new one it’s like stepping back into a familiar, comforting place and it’s helpful when life is feeling a bit too much.

…Narrative Non-Fiction

I am one of those weird folks who loves learning. Not just school (though I loved that too), but about the world in general. I like knowing things, I like figuring out how things work, I like feeling informed on an interesting subject and I like finding an author who can take a complex subject and make it engaging and interesting. Some examples are James Forman Jr., Bill Bryson, Erik Larson, Darren McGarvey, Akala and Mira Jacob.

…Books About Reading

One of my all-time favourite categories of books. I love finding like-minded book lovers who share my fascination with the written word. Some of my favourites are Helene Hanff and Nick Hornby. But there are lots out there, and well worth the effort of finding them! You will find yourself reflected back even if the books they read aren’t the same ones you read. There are some features of book-obsession that are pretty much universal, and you’ll be nodding along and probably also giggling when you hit on a reader who shares some of your own foibles and particular quirks.

I’d love to know which topic you chose for this week, and if any of my picks struck a chord with you!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.