10 Year Challenge Book Tag

This tag was created by booktuber Rincey Reads, one of the first book vloggers I tuned in to and have continued to follow. She makes great book review videos, and she is co-host of Book Riot’s Read or Dead podcast, which is all about mystery and thriller novels.

So this book tag is about comparing your current reading habits and tastes to how they were 10 years ago. Well, 10 years ago I was an English major in college and hardly read for fun and when I did read, I didn’t keep track of what I read. So instead of comparing my current reading to what it was in 2009, I’ll instead compare it to 2014, which is about when I started to seriously track my reading, blog, and participate in the Goodreads reading challenge.

What was your favorite book in 2009 2014?

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

It’s still one of my favorite classic novels. I love the story and the writing and still intend to try more of Márquez’s work. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel I’ve recommended to many although I know it might not appeal to everyone. However, I think it’s a book everyone should try, just in case, because it’s amazing. It can be confusing because the same character names are used over and over again for different characters, but I even like that aspect of it.

It’s a multi-generational story about the Buendía family, which resides in a small town in Columbia. The story is about how the patriarch founded the town and the superstitious fears the matriarch has about her family. I decided to read it back in 2014 because I’d read in Jeff Vandermeer’s Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction that One Hundred Years of Solitude is a story written without dialogue and I wanted to experience that. It was great and is worth a reread.

What is your favorite book of 2019?

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair

This might change because 2019 isn’t done yet and I’m still reading books. But, yes, The Secret Lives of Color is one of the best books I read this year. It’s a nonfiction book about color that’s well written and quite engrossing. By exploring the history of color, we also get some world history, art history, and scientific facts. Some of what I learned was quite amazing, such as a type of pink that can make men weak. It was a great read that I know I will revisit.

What was your least favorite book in 2009 2014?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Did not like it at all! I disliked it from beginning to end and would have been upset that I bought a copy if I didn’t like the cover design and feel of it. I tried the story because everyone was raving about it, but it didn’t work for me. I couldn’t see what all the hype was about.

I also read an erotica short story in 2014 that was very disappointing — Anything He Wants 1: The Meeting by Sara Fawkes. I was disappointed because it was short. (I read it thinking it was a novel.) Also, it seems similar to Fifty Shades of Grey, so of course I didn’t like it.

What was your least favorite book in 2019?

The Stand by Stephen King

Ugh! This book. I did not like it, which was surprising because the premise sounds like something I would like and I liked watching the old mini TV series, but man! This book was slow, full of tangents, and annoying. I ended up DNF’ing it and rating it 1.5 stars. My rating for the The Fault in Our Stars was about the same. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads, which I’m starting to think was a round up from 1.5.

What is a book published in 2009 2014 that you still want to read?

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

I’ve wanted to read this ever since I first heard of it, but I’ve yet to do so. Next year, I will.

What is a book published in 2019 you want to get to before 2020?

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

I started it yesterday, actually, because I’m reading it as part of a buddy-read with a few others on IG. Many bloggers and vloggers I follow didn’t like it, so I tried to go in without too high expectations. But James is one of my fav authors so it might work for me.

What is a genre you used to read a lot of that you don’t read as much of anymore?

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I don’t read much YA fantasy anymore, or rather, modern YA fantasy. I try to stay away from them because, to me, they are often romance novels set in a fantasy world, so the focus is mostly on the romance, which annoys me. However, I would like to read and complete Raasch’s Snow Like Ashes series. I liked the first book and will try to sneak in a reread of it before the year’s end.

Compared to 2014, I don’t read as many magazines anymore, although I continue to buy them. Back then, I started reading books late in the year because I spent the beginning focused on magazines, which range from the sketchbook volume from ImagineFX to the National Geographic, and Traditional Home to Scientific American MIND. I need to get back to reading them.

What is a new genre you’ve discovered since 2009 2014?

Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew by Grace Ellis, illus. by Shae Beagle and Kate Leth

I decided to feature a new story format I discovered since 2014: comics. I started really reading comics in 2015 when I visited a comic book shop near my job and bought the first volumes of Saga, Rat Queens, Wicked + Divine, and Infinite Spiral. I immediately fell in love with this story format and continued visiting and purchasing more. Unfortunately, I don’t read them as fast as I purchase them despite them being short.

What is a reading or book habit you are hoping to leave behind in this decade?

Hmm… I’ve never thought of this before… Procrastinating on recording my thoughts about what I read. I’d like to jot down what I think soon after reading, at least within a week.

What is a new reading goal or habit you want to create in the upcoming decade?

Mostly reading the books I already own and getting rid of the ones I really don’t like or have no intention to read.

This was a great tag and I really want to share it with others, so I’ll tag a few folks. Also, consider yourself tagged if you’d like to do it too. (I’m nosy, so link back so I can see your post 😀 .)

Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books

Tammy at Books, Bones, & Buffy

Lisa at Way Too Fantasy

Lashaan & Trang at Bookidote

the orangutan at the Orangutan Librarian

Millie at Milliebot Reads

Mogsy at the BiblioSanctum

the Captain in the Captain’s Quarters

Emily at Embuhleeliest

Ola and Piotrek at Re-enchantment of the World

Shanah at the Bionic Book Worm

Dani at Perspective of a Writer

Drew at the Tattooed Book Geek