I like to tell people that working in a bookstore for me is like being a kid in a candy shop. Surrounded by the unmistakable smell of new books, alluring covers, sprayed edges, and book-loving merchandise, it’s a miracle I don’t spend my entire paycheck inside the stacks each week.
But what I do is learn about more books I want to read, and lately, I’ve noticed my tastes in literature evolving. For example, let’s see if you can spot a theme in some of my favorite reads from the past year.
The Correspondent-This epistolary novel shares the story of 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp, a highly-educated but brusque widow who has always made it a practice to correspond with her friends and family through weekly writing sessions. Through her letters the reader discovers Sybil’s tough demeanor hides a vulnerability, devastating loss, and complicated family history many of us can relate to.
Theo of Golden-When a kind but mysterious 86-year-old man named Theo appears in the fictional Georgia town of Golden, the townspeople aren’t quite sure what to make of him. But when he begins purchasing the hand-drawn portraits of local residents from a coffee shop and gifting them to their owners, he bridges connections between himself and people he never would have expected.
The Uncool-This memoir by screenwriter and rock journalist Cameron Crowe reads like a who’s who of music history. As Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies, I was inspired by the real story of how the writer first broke into Rolling Stone magazine before he could even drive. Expect to learn about interviews with legends such as David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Jim Groce, Greg Allman, and more.
And now I’m a few chapters into Whistler by Ann Patchett. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never read any of this author’s books before, but we can’t keep this one in stock at the store and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. When I first read the premise, a 53-year-old woman encounters the man who was her stepfather for two years during her childhood in a museum, I wasn’t sure it would interest me. Was I wrong. As a middle-aged woman who had a complicated relationship with both my biological father and stepfather, I feel like Ann and I could be kindred spirits.
I have a few younger co-workers at the bookstore that have looked at me sideways and wondered why these books have been some of my recent favorites. They learn more towards romance, nonfiction, fantasy, and romantasy. But the employees that are closer to my age align with my reading taste. While in my 30s I read a lot of young adult because I was trying to learn how to write in that genre, I find myself exploring more books about family relationships, aging parents, and parenting young adults. I think that probably happens with us all, but these books are also helping me think about new topics I want to explore in my own writing.
On my TBR pile now is a new book by Anna Johnston, who also penned one of my favorite books set in a nursing home, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. I can’t wait!
Have you found that your reading tastes have changed as you get older? I’d love to know what you’re reading now.
Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also hosts the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. In her spare time, she works at an independent bookstore in North Carolina.
