Let’s talk about anything bookish!
It’s not surprising when your reading tastes have changed. In fact, I am one of those whose reading tastes have changed significantly over the years. I wrote a post listing a genre that I don’t read anymore. I also wrote a post explaining why my genre preferences have changed. But I haven’t really explained the whys. Which brings me to today’s topic – a map of my reading tastes through the years.
It’s hard to explain the change that each individual goes through throughout their life. I don’t want to be profound or anything, but I did notice that my changes tend to happen during milestones in my life.
I have been reading since I was very young. My genre of choice was fairy tales. I was obsessed with them. In fact, I had this book of classic tales that don’t really have pictures in them that I love so much! I am a fan of fairy tales. I guess it’s because when the Disney Rennaissance started in 1989 with The Little Mermaid, I was 5 and I was captivated by it.
As I got older, I started to become fascinated by Jule’s Verne’s books. Specifically A Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days. I also started reading Greek Mythology books – my favorites were Prometheus and Epimetheus, Jason and the Argonauts, and Hercules and the 12 Labors. After that, I started getting fascinated with Edgar Allan Poe and his tales and poems! The Telltale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Asher, and his poem The Raven were my faves.
It was also around this time that I started reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys and of course my favorite childhood series Sweet Valley (I wrote a post about it)! I discovered Sweet Valley around the time I was in 4th grade, where I was still fascinated by the macabre. When I was in 6th grade, I was already reading Sweet Valley University, and quickly outgrew this shortly.
I also went through a phase where I was feeling so “adult.” I read a lot of Michael Crichton and was obsessed with his books! This was also around 1997 when the movie Jurassic Park came out, so this was my first book to movie experience! My favorites written by him are Jurassic Park, Lost World, Sphere, Congo, and Timeline. All of these books were made into movies!
When I discovered Harlequin Historicals in 6th grade, I was hooked! I LOVE Historical Romance and these books were my gateway drug to the genre! I also want to note that in the Philippines, we don’t have middle school and our elementary school ends in 6th grade.
It was around this time – that summer after 6th grade and before I entered my Freshman year in high school, that I started reading romance! And I honestly haven’t looked back since! I just recently reread Mistress of the Seas by Ruth Ryan Langan and while my thoughts about the book have changed, these still hold a special place in my heart.
Let’s also not forget that I read a bunch of old school historical romances by the great Johanna Lindsey and Elizabeth Elliot! I didn’t read a lot of the old school historical romance because I was really limited with what we had available and there was a lot of the old school Harlequin Historicals that I was able to sink my teeth into.
My very first “modern” historical romance was discovered the summer before my Freshman year in college – I was 17. That book was Secret Ways by Kat Martin. I then discovered Lisa Kleypas’ Again the Magic and I was officially hooked! I think she is one of my most read (and reread) authors ever!
Around this time, turmoil entered my life and of course, a certain on-again-off-again, forbidden romance happened. Let’s just say my life around this time was pretty angsty. I was in nursing school during this time so my reading wasn’t as great as it is now. I mostly read books that I could purchase in this one bookstore in my hometown.
I also picked up the Harry Potter books in the late 90s – before the movies came out and I LOVED it so much. I feel like this book recaptured my childhood and I felt the magic of this series. Of course, Pierre and I read the books and watched the movies, too! I think the first couple of movies were date night movies for us when we first started dating. LOL
After Pierre and I got married in 2008, there was a new phenomenon that popped up. It was this little book called Twilight that got me reading Young Adult books. I also picked up Fallen and Firelight which I loved. And while I started reading these books, I still went back and read my favorite historical romance books.
In 2015, I listened to this awesome audiobook narrated by Tavia Gilbert and I got obsessed. The Night Huntress series, The Night Prince series were the books that got me reading paranormal romance. While this is not my preferred genre, I still read a few books here and there.
This was also the year when I started reading a lot more contemporary and new adult romance! Contemporary didn’t use to be my favorite since the earliest ones I read with Harlequin Presents and I wasn’t a fan. Beautiful Bastard, Sweet Filthy Boy, Searching for Beautiful and Wait for You are probably the books that really got me hooked to this genre!
I currently read any sub-genre of romance now. I also read a few YA sci-fi and fantasy and I do tend to avoid YA contemporary romance. I’ve noticed that I have started trying to read other genres of romance at least once.
How have your reading tastes changed throughout the years?
Are there any genres that you don’t read anymore?
It’s really fun to look back at how our reading has changed over the years! Blogging often affects our reading more than we realize, too.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…Sunday Post: Book Pre-order Campaigns & Giveaways Galore – 7/21/19
That’s true! I find that I have phases where I listen/read one genre which really affects the tone of my reviews!
Great post! It’s neat to track how our tastes change over the years. I’ve never considered *why* my interests change it fluctuate. I’ve kept a list since 1993, logging each book read by month. I like to see how mine have changed, or to see when there are bursts of interest in certain things, that taper off and disappear, or just go dormant for a while. That list is a good mnemonic for me, too. Perusing it, I can recall good detail of what was going on in my life at the time.
Yes! I wish I tracked my reads from before! I’ve only been seriously tracking it when I got Goodreads and I started book blogging!
This was such a great post! I find it so interesting to see how reading tastes change throughout the years! I used to read a LOT more fantasy, and now I practically avoid it! At the moment I reach mostly for romance and YA contemporary with some more magical realism kind of fantasy thrown in every once in a while.
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators recently posted…Debate It: Are You A Distracted Reader?
Yes! I also noticed that for right now, I am not reading YA at all!
Super fascinating to follow along with this road map! Mine looks a bit different, but there are definite phases I recognize, LOL. It’s so sweet you got to have date nights with the Harry Potter movies, I just love that idea 🙂
Yes! I think we started dating during the second movie? But I clearly remember that night we saw Chamber of Secrets! 🙂
It would be interesting to see what your road map looks like!
This is such a fun post! I want to do this myself. Once I get moved into my new house and I can start sitting on my back patio and let my dogs play while I do internet stuff, I may do this. Some of my favorite books when I was a kid were Nancy Drew, then Sweet Valley High when I was in middle school, followed by more like Stephen King and Dean Koontz in high school, and on to Michael Crichton in college when I was studying paleontology and the Jurassic Park movie was about to come out. I continued reading a lot of that stuff for a long time. Then I started teaching and got more into kids and teen books again, and now I’m getting really into romance.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…L-L-L-Little Reviews: Five 5-Star Adult Contemporary Romances
Romance really changed my life! But seriously Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley was my childhood! I really loved those books and really, those were the only books for young adults at that time!
I have been reading contemporary and historical romance, as well as women’s fiction for about 9 or 10 years. I will read some YA and some NA. I sometimes go off historical, even though I keep buying them, but I will never say no to Lisa Kleypas or Tessa Dare! I also had some favorite woman’s fiction writers that were too angsty and not romantic enough going forward – Jane Green, Emily Giffin, Lauren Wiesberger, Adriana Trigiani. I have really been into the trade size books lately, Christina Lauren, Helena Hunting, Penny Reid, Helen Huang. I will read anything that Carolyn Brown puts out, as well as Laura Florand (I hope she starts writing again!), Jill Mansell and Terry Osburn. I had been a Kristan Higgins romance fan, but can’t bring myself to read her women’s fiction. I do a ton of rereads, Rachel Gibson and Jennifer Crusie being big ones (comfort reads). So, bottom line is, some things have stayed the same and some have changed! Just keep reading is my motto!
Thanks for all the recommendations, Sharlene! I absolutely love your motto!
What a great idea for a post! I love it!!! The Sweet Valley High image takes me back. I wouldn’t say that my tastes have changed much since I’ve been an adult. I go through phases of wanting to read things based on what’s going on in my life.
Renee @ ReneesBookcase recently posted…The Things I Know by Amanda Prowse (Book Review)
Thank you! This was a suggestion from one of my friends and I decided to spin it this way! It was really interesting looking at how my reading has changed throughout the years!