In the past few months since I joined Instagram, I have received many a book recommendations from Patty! She primarily reads YA and I’m hoping to find some more good reads here! Patty is a mom, wife and hospital employee. She reads to escape from stress and the pain of her chronic disease.
Like all posts in the 2019 in books series, remember that Patty’s words are in italics and since this is a bookish discussion, all book links open in a new tab so that you can refer to them afterwards.
Welcome to Armed with A Book, Patty. 🙂 Tell me a little bit about your love for books.
I remember many trips to the library when I was younger but my more recent “book awakening” was when I read Twilight. I’m 37 now and have been reading hardcore since about 2009. I find I get bored with most books of adult theme. YA books are more imaginative and less serious. What are your thoughts on adults reading YA?
YA is such an interesting genre and I think adults, especially those with kids in that age group, can benefit a lot by reading it. I have not been able to get into it recently but I see the appeal for it. If it’s someone’s guilty pleasure to read YA, I am no one to judge. 🙂 What are your other interests, Patty?
I’ve recently gained interest in taking aesthetic book photos to post with my reviews on Facebook, Instagram and Litsy.
I love book staging myself and yours are quite inspirational. 🙂 Do you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge or set reading goals for yourself? If yes, how do you usually chose this goal and what was your goal for this year?
Originally I set it for 48 because I did not know how my year was going to be like. I became a moderator of Monthly Book Club in March and since then I’ve been reading a lot more. I’m at 127 books this year.
That is fantastic! How do you usually choose the books you are going to read?
I don’t have a method really. If the blurb, cover and author are appealing, I put the book on my TBR. Do you reread books?
That is my strategy as well! Cover + synopsis = Decision! I have reread books in the past and only this year seriously started to create a longer list of books I want to revisit. The Time Traveler’s Wife and Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance are the top two candidates there. What about you? Do you reread books? Are there some you are looking forward to going back to in the coming months?
I generally don’t like to reread because there are so many books in the world to read. But I have a bad memory so I’ve found myself rereading the first book(s) of a series to be able to continue with the series. I have to reread Scythe and Thunderhead to read the final book, The Toll. I also need to reread A Court of Thorns and Roses, Mara Dyer, and Red Queen.
About the books this year
Did you read any books this year that got you thinking about your writing style? How did these books inspire you?
No. I used to be a writer and poet but that was a long time ago. Reading brings back good memories of those times.
Were there any books this year that challenged your thinking or you learned a lot from?
Unfortunately, no. I own many self help books and there are even more on my TBR. As much as I want to read them, I struggle with finding the dedication and mental concentration to read them. I’m attempting to read Joyful by Ingrid Lee as my first book of the new year. I’m hoping it will inspire me to be more thankful next year.
I am reading Joyful next year actually. Hope you like it! 🙂
I know it is hard to give recommendations, especially when we read so many books in a year! If you had to choose, tell me about four books that I should check out and why.
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely – I adore Brigid Kemmerer. She can tackle any genre. Her writing is captivating.
- Four Dead Queens – a perfect, well-rounded example of YA fantasy. I almost didn’t read this book because I felt the premise was run of the mill. I was wrong.
- House of Salt and Sorrows – flowing and gorgeous fairy tale retelling by a debut author.
- Swipe Right for Murder – an original, fast paced story with a fresh voice.
What was your favorite book this year? And least favorite?
Favorites are so hard to choose! I read so many amazing books and connected with such wonderful authors. I would like to give a shout out to Stephen Zimmer and his book Prowling the darkness. It got me back into enjoying fantasy again and I love Rayden, the protagonist.
Least favorite is much easier: I tried a book called Dark Retribution by BR Stateham and it was so not my thing. Did you have any least favorites this year?
Wilder Girls was a major let down. Full of fluff but no story.
That’s so surprising considering it was such a hyped book! I saw it everywhere for months!
If you could recommend only one book out of all the books you’ve ever read, which one and why?
That’s like asking which one I would save from a fire 🙂 It would have to be The Braid. It was such a meaningful read and one I plan to share with my future kids.
The Year Ahead
Would you change anything, whether it is your reading habits, review routine or reading goal, for 2020?
I tried not to DNF as many books this year which led me to read more books that I didn’t like overall. For 2020, I will focus more on quality of books than quantity. I used the app Bookly this year and while I like it, I found it hard to track my reading in real time because I get interrupted and distracted a lot. I doubt I will use it in 2020.
Which reading goal will you add or change in 2020?
I want to read more of the books that I own in 2020. Also I hope to engage more with the reading community and read alongside some booklover friends. You and I have talked about buddy reading and I would love to do that! 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Patty! Please let us know what you think and share with your circles!
Ways to connect with Patty:
Next up on the 14th, I’ll have another of my instagram friend Karen over to learn about her year in books. She has given me so many amazing recommendations this year! Also, she makes it a point to go to author book signings! 🙂
Thanks for reading! ❤️
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