Kenedy is a connoisseur of books. She finished 100 books in 2020 and has plans to read another 125 in 2021. I frequently find her curled up with a good book so I asked her a few questions about her connoisseurship.
Why did you read 100 books in 2020?
I like to read and I wanted to keep track of what I read and what I like. My original goal was 250 but I had no baseline so decided go for a more reasonable 100. Since I met that goal, I’m trying for 125 books this year.
What are you planning to read in 2021?
The hard part is finding books to read. There are so many good books coming out this year:
- A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas is about Nesta who is a side character in the other books and I think she’s kind of annoying. Nesta and her sister Elaine went through some stuff. Nesta gave up and Elaine got busy. I wish Sarah J. Mass would write another of the Crescent City series. This is Sarah J. Maas’s newest series and she likely wrote A Court of Silver Flames because her publisher and editor wanted her to write the books [because they make money]. But I think she wanted to write this new Crescent City series.
- I can’t wait for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s new book to come out in April. She wrote the Blood and Ash series and has a third coming out in April.
- Angie Thomas wrote The Hate You Give and will release Concrete Rose this year.
- The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry.
- Leah Bardugo will release another book about the Shadow and Bone world.
- Cassandra Clare writes a massive world, too many books to start. She is coming out with a new book, Chain of Iron. She writes Mortal Instruments and other series. Shadow Hunters is a show on Hulu. I don’t like it because I can’t relate the show to the characters I imagine from her books.
Why do you like goodreads so much?
Goodreads sends me emails about books that I might like and books are coming out. I use goodreads to rate books and make read, read over and over again, want to read, read soon lists. Some people on goodreads have a lot of followers. I have no idea who they are because their user names are nonsensical letters and numbers like Elon Musk’s baby. I have about 767 books on my lists. If you set a reading goal goodreads will pace out your reading and you can stay on track. I like being ahead of the goodreads pace but I’m not very consistent. I read in waves, sometimes I read with all my free time, other times I can’t find a good books because authors can’t write them fast enough or would rather play soccer.
What is your favorite book?
I love the way Sarah J. Maas writes the plot, worlds and characters. I also like her style of writing. It’s not based on our world, total fantasy. She succeeds at taking a character, making them a stereotype and then turning that stereotype on its head—the character is a surprise. She also provides many different perspectives; everybody gets a say in Sarah J. Maas books. For example, Throne of Glass is about many different factions coming together. I wish I could read them for the first time over and over again.
I get jealous when other people read books that I’ve read before. They don’t get to join my book private worlds and I don’t want their ideas to affect my ideas—they are perfect just the way I make them.
Other read a lot books: the Mercy Thompson series, The Priority of the Orange Tree and Seven Blades of Black are nearly equally good. I also enjoy poetry by Amanda Lovelace. It is very free, not structured and straightforward. Other poetry is too fancy, confusing.
What is your favorite place to read?
On the top bunk in the afternoon in the sunshine (if the bed is made which it almost never is).
What is the worst part of reading?
Books end and there is so much more to know. I also want to see what happens after the end of the action. Also, if it’s an author’s first book sometimes the writing is not quite as polished and that’s a bummer but not that bad—imagination helps fill in the gaps. Bad writing knocks you out of the flow.
Are you going to write a book?
Yes but it’s really hard because the words I write never match the images in my head. Every time I try the feelings and images in my head don’t turn into the right words on paper. I don’t think I’ll be a writer because I want to play soccer and I want to be a therapist to help other people feel better and because I’m good at analyzing things.
What would you choose over reading?
Soccer and being with my friends and, depending on the show, TV. I couldn’t write a screenplay because I would need to produce, direct and act in the movie for it to be right. In writing a book, it’s all you: the world the characters, how things look, etc.
What are you reading now?
Iron Heart Criers War by Nina Varela and I just got Kingsbane by Claire Legrand which is the 2nd in a series. I just read the first. It’s very scary. At this point in the series, the bad guys are winning so I don’t want to start it.