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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Your Reading Taste

When I read Kals @ Pemberley's blog the other day, she posted a fun yet different challenge started by Simon from Stuck In A Book :

Can you post a picture which sums up your reading taste, or a section of it? I'm looking for a picture which doesn't include a book in it, or a character from an adaptation, or anything like that. It can be a photograph you've taken, or a painting you've seen, or anything... have fun with it!

It really got me thinking!

I read so many different type of books it's hard to "summarize" it:
  • Non-fiction - mostly memoir, medicine, education, psychology, business, science, lifestyle, decoration, food, cooking, art, writing... 
  • Fiction - mostly murder/mystery/thrillers, realistic fiction, contemporary fiction, dystopian, some young adults, some historical...
  • A little graphic novels...
  • Hardly any chick-lit, urban fantasy/paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, western


So how can I really find a picture that represent all that?!

Then I thought about the books I really like - do they have anything in common? Here are some I really like in the past 3 years (not in order):

  • A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
  • The Emergency Teacher: The Inspirational Story of a New Teacher in an Inner City School by Christina Asquith
  • Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
  • Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
  • The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
  • The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
  • Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter 
  • A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
  • Josie's Story - A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe by Sorrel King
  • Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, In Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson
  • Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell
  • Still Alice by Lisa Genova 
  • The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 


The common theme, of these books that really made an impression on me, were, SAD BUT INSPIRATIONAL. Usually there were some type of struggles, but the authors/characters somehow kept going and turned their lives around to make it better for themselves, or others.

But, what of picture represents that?

Google image is my friend :) I type SAD INSPIRATIONAL into the search bar, and this picture is just perfect when I saw it.
















Wouldn't you agree?

How about you? What's your image? Please post a link if you do decide to find one that represents your reading taste! :) I LOVE reading others' posts!

6 comments:

  1. Oh this picture is brilliant to sum up your reading taste! It's great to see how you arrived at picking it :)

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  2. Great picture. I've read a few of those books and really enjoyed them. Still Alice, Left to Tell, The Hunger Games....are all favourites of mine. We do have a lot of books in common.

    I'm a new follower...lol

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  3. I like that you pulled out your favorites and found a common theme. Even though we read a lot of variety, the ones we love are probably more similar than different. You proved it!

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  4. I've read quite a few of those books, and I think your picture accurately portrays them. We live in a broken world, but there are so many people out there who are doing what they can to heal it.

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  5. Christa, I didn't realise our similar interest in books.

    Great choice of picture, I missed your thread but saw your post on Simons.

    Here is mine.

    http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/06/if-reading-was-image-this-is-mine.html

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  6. @Kals - thanks! I tend to be a more analytical person, so had to analyze my own reading tastes before I can find a picture!

    @Jennifer - great to find someone with common reading tastes! I subscribe to your blog via google reader :)

    @Kristen - I definitely read a lot of variety just to see if I'd enjoy other genre... but it does seem like the books I like best do have a common theme! I didn't think about it until this fun exercise!

    @Shan - very true! And I appreciate and admire those who make a difference (or try!)

    @Marce - isn't it fun to see each other's choice!!

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