Point of view, taste, and how to translate my book recommendations and inform your reading

A deeper look at what speaks to me and what doesn't

Last week I wrote about how I am in the process of changing a strong opinion, which is the importance of reviewing not just the best books we read, but the ones we have negative things to say about as well.

Why?

Because, as I learned from a conversation between two book reviewers (who don’t self-identify as critics), talking shit about books is good for books.

Interrupted Reading | Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

It sounds wild, but I am learning that it’s true. Speaking ill of a book isn’t meant to be an attack on the author — which is the position I have always taken regarding bad reviews — but rather, sharing the negative is an important part of a greater cultural conversation.

I launched this newsletter late last year with the intention of it being a place for readers to discuss what we love about literature. I still want it to be that place, but I also don’t want to skirt around when something doesn’t work for me. You won’t find me flooding this space with negative reviews, but you may find that I’ll be more open when I dislike something, rather than declining to write about a particular book at all. (“If you don’t have anything nice to say…”)

Laura Sackton, author of a 2023 essay in Book Riot, says it well: “I have learned so much about books and my own ingrained ideas about them from reading thoughtful critical reviews. I absolutely do not want them to go away. I simply do not want to write them.”

She considers her brand of reviewing “love letters” to the books she loves. I feel similarly about my essays on books. They are often full of lines I loved and themes that resonated with me, with deep appreciation and admiration for the creators.

Here is my point

On more than one occasion, a friend has read a book because they knew I liked it — and they did not like it. And that is okay! That’s great. But those hours my friends spent reading books they disliked could have been avoided if they’d better understood (and if I’d been clearer about) my personal tastes and the kinds of books I gravitate toward.

When I say a book is five stars, I don’t mean everybody should go read it (unless I do, in which case I would say that). I mean specific people with specific tastes should pick it up. So today’s edition of Words on Words is dedicated to sharing my stance on books. Consider it a hero post, if you will; an explanation of what makes me tick — and what doesn’t. Given that I so often give book recommendations, I think it’s important to share a more fulsome view of my literature likings.

Storytelling I am drawn to

What does it mean when I say I love a book? Maybe I loved it because the story transported me somewhere I’ve never been before, or somewhere I have been and wish to return to. Maybe I liked a particular character or relationship. Often it’s because I find the writing to be beautiful. This is why they say book reviews often say more of the reviewer than of the author — it is so true. The reasons I like something differ from book to book, but there are certain styles I am drawn to:

• Literary fiction

• Character-driven stories

• Slower pace, deeper interiority

• Beautiful prose (think memorable, highlightable sentences)

• Complicated emotions / relationships

• Books in translation

• Craft books (check out the list of books I’m currently reading. They’re all craft, which might sound horrible to you!)

I don’t have any tropes that I particularly like or dislike. I don’t pick up a book because it is enemies to lovers, but perhaps I will like the enemies to lovers story once it unfolds. Like Beach Read by Emily Henry, for example. Her books are generally a little sunshiny for me, but I adored Beach Read. My guess is that it had something to do with the main characters being novelists: she of romance, he of literary fiction. That, and Emily Henry’s writing is hilarious.

I have also read a number of books recently that don’t fall under my typical categories or preferences and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Examples are The Leftover Woman, a thriller by Jean Kwok, and Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen, a page-turning story about competing nail salons. I loved both.

I also dabble with nonfiction. Crying in H Mart was one of my favorite reads from last year. I gave that book five glowing stars.

Storytelling I am not drawn to

What don’t I like? I don’t like when things are overwritten or unnecessarily explained. I’m not into fantasy or science fiction or murder mysteries. I don’t like anything scary, and I don’t enjoy when I have to suspend my disbelief too much. Time traveling and magic, for example, don’t interest me. (Babel by R.F. Kuang is an anomaly, probably because there is very little magic in it.) You are unlikely to find me picking up a celebrity memoir, though I would read one if a friend thinks I’d like it.

My favorite authors

I have a lot of auto-buy authors. If they publish something, I will buy it. They include:

• Donna Tartt (I wish she would come out with something for me to buy more often!)

• Elizabeth Strout

• Jhumpa Lahiri

• Elena Ferrante

• Ann Patchett

• Maggie Shipstead

• Melissa Febos

I read for enjoyment, but I also read through the lens of a writer trying to sharpen her own tools. The authors above help me sharpen my tools. They write with such command of the language that I use their books for enjoyment, yes, but also for study.

What does this mean for you?

My hope is that by sharing all of this, you will have a better understanding of what my reviews mean for you. I want you to know how my opinions can best inform your own reading decisions.

Now that you know I prefer literary fiction to romantasy, you can better gauge whether to take my recommendations to heart. If your tastes are different than mine, knowing I liked a specific book might tell you to stay away from it. And vice versa! Me disliking a book might encourage you to pursue it.

As readers, you and I and other reviewers and recommenders are all part of a greater conversation. And those who read hungrily would do well to understand the tastes of those they look to for recommendations and make their decisions accordingly.

I hope this helps you understand how to gauge my opinions so you can inform your own reading choices.

What I’m reading: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg, and On Writing by Stephen King.

What are you reading? Please share! Thank you for reading.

Love,

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