Another batch of questions about reading

I seem to keep on finding questions about reading. Could it be that readers are downright nosy curious creatures?

Which horror book did you find the scariest?

I tend to avoid the horror genre but read a couple via my old book club. From those I’d nominate a book written by the master’s son – Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son for those not in the know) – who is now an established horror genre author himself. I read his first novel Heart Shaped Box. While the story made me roll my eyes pretty much constantly, and I couldn’t summon up one iota of empathy for any of the characters, he absolutely mastered the scary bits. I found it downright creepy and it gave me the chills, so I was very happy to get to the end. I don’t know if its genetic or the King family told one another scary tales around the dining table, but it’s clear the mantle of creepy tales is in good hands with the next generation.

How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Being pretty darn old, I’m confident in my reading preferences. Nevertheless, from time-to-time I read outside of my comfort zone. I recently read my way through the Women’s Prize for Fiction contenders, which included a few literary romance offerings. I generally avoid anything from the romance genre, unless written by Marian Keyes as she manages to overlay her trademark Irish sense of humour and a serious topic over the romantic aspect. I found two or three 4-star reads, so while not a future read-along prospect, I will scan the contenders for my TBR.

Previous forays reading out of my comfort zone took me to Space Opera and to trying more American authors. Both were successful and have added authors to my regular schedule, so I will keep on dipping into new genres and sources, if no more frequently than once every couple of years.

Favourite biography?

Paul Kalanathi’s When Breath becomes Air is far and away the best I’ve read in a long time. Not only a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, but a wonderful writer. For anyone who’s not aware, it’s about his life and battle with stage IV metastatic lung cancer, which was published posthumously. While it may sound depressing, it’s beautifully written and surprisingly uplifting.

On a lighter note, Maggie O’Farrell’s I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death was an unusual take on a biography (or memoir) in terms of structure, as well as being an interesting and enjoyable read. Seriously, don’t be put off by the title, it’s tone is decidedly light-hearted throughout.

Favourite cookbook?

My first and long-time favourite cookbook was The Cookery Year from Readers Digest. With recipes built around seasonal availability of ingredients, basic methods as well as complex techniques, it was the perfect bible for a new cook.

These days, with the wealth of recipes online, I prefer cookbooks which can be read because they tell a story alongside the recipes, so have a number of books by cook (very much not chef) Nigel Slater, these being his forte. His Christmas Chronicles is a marvellous read to get into the festive mood, especially if you start in November as designed.

Do any tropes attract you or put you off?

I’m not aware of being attracted by any, although I’m likely too close to the wood to see the trees 😉 but there are those which put me off. Out-of-character or unrational behaviour causing suffering in romances, and the ghastly miscommunication trope being two which come to mind. I recently read The Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy where the entire storyline hung on miscommunication. This made me cross enough to give it only 2-stars on Goodreads (despite being a tough marker, I rarely give less than 3).

Has a book ever made you laugh out loud?

Yes. I read my first Marian Keyes offering travelling by train to Paris, and laughed out loud in a most annoying fashion (so my family tell me). I’ve written about her already, so will move on to the next couple. Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog is a wonderful tale of time-travelling mis-adventures, one strand of which takes place in Oxford at the time of Jerome K Jerome’s tale Three Men In A Boat (the sub-title of which is this book’s title). This is probably the book I’ve recommended most often. My earliest laugh-out-loud read was David Niven’s first volume of autobiography The Moon Is A Balloon, which is an absolute hoot.

Do you like knowing about the author’s life and how it might influence their writing?

I wouldn’t say I like it, but there are times when it adds an extra dimension to the reading experience.

Last year, I read Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagen, and was hugely disappointed because it felt like he was “phoning in” the depiction of Caledonian Road itself (it’s a part of London I know well). Then, out of the blue, there was a little snippet about a minor character missing her home in Scotland, which absolutely sung. This disparity made me wonder what was going on. Naturally, I consulted Google, to discover that O’Hagen lived in a different part of North London to the Caledonian Road – which explained why his depictions had the feel of someone who only went past it and didn’t live there, whereas he had grown up in the part of Scotland depicted in that little snippet. It didn’t make any difference to me as a reader, but it was most informative as a writer.

Do you take notes when you read fiction?

Not when reading for enjoyment – I’ve only done this was when studying. I guess I could take notes to use in my online reviews, but that makes it feel like homework, whereas I intend to keep on enjoying my reading.

Do you look up unfamiliar words while you’re reading?

In the past when I read real books, I’d not bother unless it rendered the sentence/paragraph nonsensical. Now that I read on a Kindle, it’s easy to highlight and look up words I don’t know, or even am just unsure of, so I do it all the time. With luck, it’s improving my vocabulary.

Despite not having had time to read for a few weeks, I’ve just bought a bunch more books! Nevertheless, do let me know what you’re reading, and/or answer any or as many of these questions as you’re moved to do 🙂

© Debs Carey, 2026