Reading book review journals for my job ensures that my “To Read” list keeps getting longer every day. I read mostly fiction, though I’ll read nonfiction if it is something that interests me. I’m generally perceived to be the “quirky books” reader, and guilty as charged. I like weird and snarky, if it’s written well. Loved Rowling’s Casual Vacancy, Ramsland’s Doghead, and Good Omens by Gaiman/Pratchett. I will read anything contemporary or historical (literary or genre) if I like the writing and mood, especially books taking place in colder climates (quirky!) A vacation in either Bali or Finland? No contest, I’d head north every time. I also like mysteries (I’ve read everything by P.D. James and Louise Penny) and psychological suspense, with the odd thriller thrown in. I love the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly and I enjoy the occasional ghost/horror novel, but have my standards—no zombies, boring and devoid of personality! Dark and gloomy I like, a la Karen Maitland. Not much one for chick-lit or romance and I rarely read fantasy or science fiction (unless required to by work), but I never say never.
The Dirty South by John Connolly
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
If It Bleeds: New Fiction by Stephen King
The Only Good Indians: A Novel by Stephen Graham Jones