I was tagged by @bookbandit and @lexi-rose-studyblr
Rules: respond to the prompt “decade in books” however you want, & then tag some ppl!
I’m choosing to put down books that had a big impact on me whether because the book just left a lasting impression or because it changed the way I read.
2010: The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III. Please forgive me for that title, honestly it isn’t even the worst one. This book is in the genre of bizarro fiction. I found it in 2010 and probably read another 13 books by this author until I stopped in 2013. They were like a 10x more vulgar and grotesque version of Chuck Palahniuk without the poetry and beautiful writing he has. Or even a real plot. Kind of like shocking for the sake of it and sometimes there was a message. Quick reads with interesting ideas. I enjoyed all of them, but they were obscene and I could not get back into them. It was a wonderful and interesting time though. I ended up reading more because of these books and it showed me that I should try books from any genre because you never know what you could miss.
2011: Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. I loved this book. It has stuck with me through the years. If I ever had to recommend a book for everyone to read, it would be this one. It is haunting and bleak and I cannot forget it. I swear at least once a month I think about this book. ALSO, One by Metallica is based on this book.
2012: Great year for books! Um, I have to pick multiple books for this. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, ASOIAF by George R. R. Martin, and The Devil in The White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. The Book Thief had me crying like a baby and it is one that I am so thankful that I read because I remember that gut wrenching feeling while reading it and it reminds me why I love books so much. ASOIAF has become my favorite series. I absolutely loved the books and characters and am waiting for the next two books. The series was my favorite read that year. The Devil in the White City was important for me because it introduced me to Erik Larson. I’ve read two books by him and I own another two. I think he showed me that non-fiction, that isn’t a memoir, can still be interesting and that I should give it a chance, before then I didn’t feel that way.
2013: The Stand by Stephen King. I finally finished the book I had started and stopped for the past 10 years. It was wonderful, best Stephen King book to me, and just reminded me that I absolutely love his writing, especially when it comes to his large novels.
2014: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This was the year I stopped reading like I used to. On May 28th, I was standing in front of my bookshelf around 7:30 in the morning trying to figure out what book to grab as my grandma was being taken to the hospital. I had to do this same thing about two months earlier and ended up staying overnight for two days and wanted to make sure I had a book. She always pulled through, we just ended up waiting a while. Well, she didn’t pull through. Apparently, she was dead before we were even told to go to the hospital. She had died in the ambulance and my grandpa didn’t want to tell us so we could drive safely. The Kite Runner was the book I grabbed that day. It took me four months to finish it. This is when my depression truly began, where I was too deep in my grief that I needed help. Prior to this, I would read about 60-70 books a year. I know the biggest symptom of depression is losing the enjoyment or desire to engage in the things you once loved. I think I always kept thinking about how could I be looking for a book as she was dying. Why didn’t I treat it more seriously? My reading habits haven’t been the same since. Every time I think of The Kite Runner, it reminds me of my grandma’s death. It was an amazing book, and it was sad and dark too, which probably made it even harder to read at the time. This one decision I think made me resent books or just the correlation between the two made reading too painful for me.
2015: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. Of the 7 books I read that year, it was the only one I absolutely enjoyed.
2016: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I joined an academic quiz team at the end of 2015, but 2016 was the year that I got active in it. I excelled at it because I had been such a big reader and therefore I knew a lot of books, whether I read them or not, especially since I had the habit of buying books and not reading them. I read Things Fall Apart because it kept coming up and quiz team and it sounded like a great book. I loved it and the ending made me so angry. Any book that makes me feel strong emotions usually becomes a favorite.
2017: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I needed this book to help me process by grandma’s death and to help me deal with my depression. This book hurt my heart, and I identified so strongly with the boy. I’ve made emotional connections with books before, but the feelings this book brought up came from the deepest parts of me. It was a cathartic read and I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled or is struggling with the death of a loved one. Be prepared for how painful it can be to read this.
2018: Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan. I only read six books that year and this was the one I liked best.
2019: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I finally got back into reading last year and I have Tumblr to thank for it. Anyway, I had made a goal on Tumblr to read more books that I owned and this was one that I owned, so I went for it. This was my favorite read of 2019. I didn’t think I would like it because I disliked the writing when I first started. The book pulls you in and the writing and lack of detail in the beginning all make sense and it works. It was a great read and only made me want to read more of the books I own by him.
Thanks for tagging me, this was fun. Sorry, this is so long!
I will tag @darkestwings, @bookofmirth, @akhuna @cathaveryreads, and anyone else who wants to do this!! Please tag me if you make a post!
