What even is my reading taste?

TL;DR

Olive discusses her diverse and edifying reading taste, focusing on multi-layered books with attitude and characters, featuring deep insights and impactful writing.

Transcript

hi guys Olive here here today to dissect my reading taste recently Harriet Rosie posted a video that asked some frankly really hard questions about reading taste and she was kind enough to invite me to answer them so I'm going to give it a shot if you know anything about me then you'll know that I'm a little bit hard to pin down a little bit hard t... Read More

Key Insights

• 👅 Olive's reading taste is diverse, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction.
• 🧑‍🏫 She values books that can teach her something and provide multi-layered reading experiences.
• ✍️ Olive enjoys books with depth, beautiful writing, and authors who make their presence felt.
• 💯 While her taste has broadened over time, her core reading preferences remain constant.
• 👅 Olive appreciates channels like The Book Bully, Gloria Thompson, and Savage Reads that overlap with her reading taste.
• 😃 She finds joy in discovering unexpected favorites and appreciates when books reflect her current interests.
• ❓ Olive acknowledges the impact of BookTube and freelance reviewing on her reading choices.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Olive define her reading taste in one sentence?

Olive enjoys edifying multi-layered books with attitude, where she can learn lessons and experience various levels of enjoyment.

Q: What types of books does Olive prefer within the non-fiction genre?

Olive enjoys most subgenres of non-fiction but doesn't usually read books on physics, philosophy, war, or religion. She particularly enjoys memoirs and books about nature.

Q: What are Olive's preferred categories within fiction?

Olive tends to be drawn towards historical fiction, literary fiction, and contemporary novels. However, she occasionally reads mysteries, thrillers, romances, and fantasy.

Q: What is Olive's ideal book length?

Olive prefers books with around 350 pages, finding that books over 375 pages often feel too long, while books under 300 pages can be challenging to fully develop the story.

Q: Which book that seemed to be Olive's taste did she not enjoy?

Olive thought she would enjoy "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" due to its bookstore setting and heartwarming story but found it manipulative and disturbing.

Q: Which book did Olive enjoy that didn't initially seem like it would be her taste?

Olive unexpectedly loved "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell, despite her usual disinterest in science fiction and religion. The book challenged her intellectually and had compelling characters.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Olive describes her reading taste as enjoying edifying, multi-layered books that teach her something, whether through fiction or non-fiction.

• She appreciates books that can be enjoyed on various levels and feature characters with depth.

• Olive values beautiful, nuanced writing and books that make a statement with their style.