Reading Profile

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I love to read in my free time! I tend to read a lot of new releases, especially ones I check out from the library I work at. I've done Book of the Month Club on and off as well, which gives me access to more new releases. Last year I read 77 books and I have the goal to read at least 75 again in 2023. I read across formats, from physical to ebook to audio. I especially love to read fantasy with dips into literary fiction, science fiction, and thrillers. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, adventure, or romance but I'm really not opposed to most genres as long as they fit my other criteria! Primarily, I really look for diverse casts, engaging settings, and strong female leads. Bonus points for LGBTQ+ characters and themes. This generally discounts the majority of non-fantasy adventures and westerns, but almost every other genre hits these criteria now and then!

I'm currently rereading Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir before reading the third book in the series, Nona the Ninth. I'm really bad at ranking books and authors, so I'll just provide an unorganized list of some of my favorites! 


* Hell's Library Series by AJ Hackwith

* The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir

* The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

* Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

* Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

* The Astonishing Color of After by Emily XR Pan

* Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner


Comments

  1. Jacob ShrinerJanuary 12, 2023 at 3:45 PM

    Hi Laurie,

    I just picked up a copy of Station Eleven and am really looking forward to starting it as soon as I find some spare time. You’re definitely right that there’s a dearth of female leads and LGBTQ+ themes in non-fantasy adventures and westerns. I don’t really read many westerns myself, but there is an “acid western” novel by Colin Winnette called Haints Stay that I really enjoyed that featured a trans gunslinger as one of the protagonists. It was a weird book, but in the best possible way. Nice to be in a class with you!

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    1. Laurie FancherJanuary 12, 2023 at 4:25 PM

      Hi Jacob,
      I adore Station Eleven. It's very unlike any other book I've ever read. I hope you'll like it too! I haven't heard of Haints Stay but that sounds super interesting, I might have to check it out. I'm always down for a good, weird book. Nice to be in class with you too!

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  2. HaleyJanuary 12, 2023 at 6:36 PM

    Hey Laurie, fancy meeting you here lol! It sounds like we have fairly similar taste, although I'm not as voracious of a reader. I am interested in the Station Eleven tv show since it has Mackenzie Davis in it; I didn't know it was a book as well! I'll have to add it to my list. If you had to name a top favorite book of all time, what would it be?

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    1. Laurie FancherJanuary 13, 2023 at 2:09 PM

      Hey! Super cool to see you here too! I enjoyed the Station Eleven tv show, though there are quite a few differences between it and the book. Both are good in their own right, though. And if I had to name a single favorite book... honestly??? I think it would be Station Eleven lol!

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    2. HaleyJanuary 14, 2023 at 12:17 PM

      Wow, that is high praise! Def adding it to my list! :)

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  3. Dany MartinJanuary 17, 2023 at 11:59 AM


    Hi Laurie,
    I just read "Sea of Tranquility" and "Glass Hotel" by Emily St.John Mandel. I liked that with both of the novels I was never quite sure how we were going to get from one point to the next!
    I also read "Last Night at the Telegraph Club." I found that the rising action felt so long, but then it was wrapped up so quickly. I was a little disappointed with how everything wrapped up so quickly.

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    1. Laurie FancherJanuary 18, 2023 at 7:23 AM

      Both of those books are on my to-read list! I actually ordered a copy of Sea of Tranquility a few days ago. As far as "Last Night at the Telegraph Club," I can completely understand that critique. It was quite slow to get going, but I really enjoyed all the historical San Francisco details throughout. Malindo Lo recently published a second book with the same characters, though I've not read it yet. I wonder if it maybe resolves some of the pacing issues?

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    2. Laurie FancherJanuary 24, 2023 at 7:20 AM

      I actually just realized I was wrong! The new book by Malinda Lo is actually about different, though vaguely related characters. It's called "A Scatter of Light" and I'm reading it currently. Too early in to tell how good it is!

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  4. Laurie FancherJanuary 20, 2023 at 1:51 PM

    Hey Jaclyn! Hell's Library is so amazing, with really great world-building that is truly unique to anything I've seen before. It ties in a whole lot of different mythologies/religions from history into the story. And as far as "engaging settings" I really like locations/settings that contribute to the story and feel alive, if that makes sense. This can be fully realized fantasy worlds with tons of little details about the culture, geography, animal/plant life, even food! But real-world settings can be equally engaging too, especially if it's a location I'm unfamiliar with. For example, I liked "The Astonishing Color of After" partially because of the setting in Taiwan and the author's descriptions that made me feel like I was really at the Taiwanese Night Market.

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  5. Molly MillsopJanuary 22, 2023 at 8:25 PM

    So funny to see how many people are responding to Station Eleven. I also loved it! More importantly, it is one I'll recommend often because I find it has broad appeal or readers of all kinds.

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  6. Erin CataldiJanuary 23, 2023 at 8:56 AM

    Fantastic reading profile! You definitely sparked a lot of conversation :)

    ReplyDelete

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