22. That Dreaded Reading Question
What book are you reading? Plus internalized shame and one of the best romance authors.
What book are you reading?
What was your initial reaction to that question? Did your nose crinkle? Did your inner voice say oh, no. Did you cringe? Or perhaps did you feel a spark in your chest? Did you look up excitedly? Are the sentences already forming in your brain, eagerly awaiting to leave your mouth?
I find this question so interesting. To be honest, I really don’t enjoy talking to people about what book I’m reading. First of all, this question usually occurs when I am reading, and I don’t particularly enjoy being interrupted. It tears me out of the moment, the experience within the book. It jerks me back to reality.
Second, reading has always felt like an intensely private thing. I often deeply connect to the book I am reading, whether it is to a character, emotion, experience, feeling, or the world itself. It feels personal. It’s not easy to talk to someone about something personal and vulnerable.
I’ve also noticed that it depends on the genre of book I’m reading. Historical fiction, nonfiction, memoir … those types of books I will disclose and explain. It’s like an internal automatic reaction to show others that I am learning and growing and working on myself and not reading those silly books.
But I do read those “silly books” - a lot. I adore fantasy, fiction, and romance. They are my favorites. And they aren’t silly, so why do I have internalized shame in disclosing that? Why do I feel icky inside about talking about my fantasy or romance books?
A lot of the time that personal feeling I get is in these types of books. A struggle a character is going through, relating deeply to a personality, enjoying the escapism and imagination of fantasy - those are all more personal than highlighting a nonfiction book that is going to explain my anxiety to me. Don’t get me wrong - I enjoy nonfiction books and have ones I adore, but they aren’t usually as personal. Romance and fantasy books allow readers to see characters go through difficult things and usually come out the other side better for it.
I guess I don’t want people judging me. I think that perhaps nonreaders don’t fully understand the impact of a good romance novel. The ways I have experienced a hundred different lives and struggles, and how that has helped me become a better person, deal with difficult situations, and know what I want out of friendships and relationships.
With all that being said, I still don’t think I’ll happily disclose to that dreaded question. But I’m working on tearing out that internalized shame that serves no purpose.
What about you? Do you like this question? Do you feel that shame? Or do you have no idea what I’m talking about?
These are only a wee taste of all of the fabulous books releasing this week. Please note that my normal source for upcoming releases wouldn’t appear for me (??) so these were gathered directly via Goodreads (sigh). I am trying to make a point to feature a wider array of authors and genres!
Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Fantasy): April 23, 2024
Blood Justice (Blood Debts #2) by Terry J Benton-Walker (Fantasy): April 23, 2024
A Whisper in the Walls (Waxways #2) by Scott Reintgen (Fantasy): April 23, 2024
Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle (Romance): April 23, 2024
The Love Algorithm (True Love #3) by Camilla Isley (Romance): April 26, 2024
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Thriller): April 23, 2024
Funny Story by Emily Henry (Romance): April 23, 2024
Books I’ve compiled from mainly the NYT Bestsellers List, but also the B&N Top 100 and Amazon Bestsellers in no particular order. I’ve decided to simply add the books I haven’t before, since I’ve caught up to the new additions. If you’re curious, last week’s post can be found here.
Toxic Prey by John Sandford (Mystery)
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (Fantasy)
Wild Love by Elsie Silver (Romance)
The entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series by SJM (lol what?)
The Beloved by JR Ward (Romance)
The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides (History, Nonfiction)
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten (Fantasy)
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (Thriller)
One by One by Frieda McFadden (Thriller)
I had to for this week. She’s a Roman Empire author of mine, and I love her and want to have coffee with her. It’s Emily Henry.
THIS WOMAN!!! A true Queen of Romance. She has written some of my favorite romance novels that exist. I reread them religiously. I think about them daily. These include the NYT Bestselling Beach Read, Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Met on Vacation, and more.
These are definitely her most popular books, but Emily has been writing for years. I read one of her older books, A Million Junes, last year and I adored it. It is magical realism and maintains her typical flair for writing. All of her books have incredible characters, real life problems, and we all relate to them in different ways. Pair that with her absolutely beautiful writing, and you get the phenomenon that is Emily Henry.
Several of her novels are in adaptation to be made in to movies (I will cry), and she offers a lot of wonderful advice on her website. Emily lives in the midwest, and she is generally quiet on socials. I love her.
You can find her on HER SUBSTACK!!, website, and Instagram.
Just a reminder to submit any books you think others will love on the R&R page or to my email: thesundayreads@gmail.com!
I gotta go back to the wonderful Emily Henry. Just read them all.
That’s all for today. Much love!
Izzy
I totally feel your shame. But as a women's fiction/romance writer myself, I strongly agree with you when you say that these novels can actually help heal. Maybe that's putting it too strongly, but I believe watching a fictional character go through something and change her life makes me more able to emulate her and do it myself. I think that's part of the embarrassment--it's so personal, as you mention.
Me? I light up when somebody asks me that question! but I totally get your points above why you wouldn't want to disclose. Also, I read Funny Story last month and I still think about it!