Hello, and welcome back to my passion blog for this week! I appreciate the comments that you guys left on my last post. I have to say, I’m not incredibly surprised by the fact that both of you read Percy Jackson when you were younger as well, just because it was such a popular book series. Nevertheless, it’s nice to learn about our shared experiences!
I’m just going to jump right in this week. As the title suggests, this post will be about me branching out to reading other books by other authors besides Rick Riordan. You see, fourth grade me loved Percy Jackson and the Olympians. When I finished the series, I was heartbroken that it was over. However, I got over this heartbreak soon enough when I learned that there was a follow up series (thank you Hank for introducing this in your comment), The Heroes of Olympus. I jumped on that series right away, as I saw an opportunity for me to be reunited with Percy and all of his friends. And, while that didn’t happen immediately, everything seemed to come together in the third book of the series, The Mark of Athena. I read through that book in no time… and then there was nothing. I finished The Mark of Athena in the spring of 4th grade, but the ensuing book wasn’t going to be released until the fall of 5th grade. I was left with nowhere to go.
So what did I do? The natural progression of events would be that I realized that I wouldn’t get another book by Rick Riordan for a little while, so I would instead read some other book or series by a different author. That would be logical. Instead, I did something completely illogical: I read The Mark of Athena again. When I finished, I read it again, and again, and again, until finally I had read the book SEVEN consecutive times. I think back on this memory and I laugh and I cringe a little, but I think I know what was going on in my 10 year old brain: I had just read an entire book series plus by the same author, with the same cast of characters and the same general premise in each book. I knew that I liked it, so I figured I should keep reading the same book over and over because I liked it, instead of reading a different book and having to get to know a new set of characters and a new plot and writing style. It seemed exhausting, and a little frightening, so I just kept reading the book I knew I liked.
Of course, that’s not the punchline. Today, I read books from a variety of authors in a variety of subjects. I don’t just confine myself to one author or series. What book changed my mind? The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins. While both Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games were meant for young adults, that’s about where the similarities end between the two books. Yet, while reading The Hunger Games, I was still enthralled. The creativity and world building involved in creating this narrative fascinated me, and it left me wanting more and more. It was different, but it was good, perhaps in part because it was different. No longer did I have to think that only one author could write a book that could appeal to me. Nor did I have to think that only one genre applied to me. The Hunger Games expanded my horizons and made me an even more eager reader to this day.
That’s HILARIOUS that you read the book seven times. I’m trying to think if I ever did anything of that sort when I was in fourth grade, and if anything, it was probably that I played the same song on Guitar Hero 3 almost everyday for at least 2 months. Not exactly the same, sure, but I just wanted to share because little kid me was pretty stupid. Also isn’t one definition of insanity trying to do the same thing expecting a different result? It’s great, though, that you found another book series to branch out to another author eventually. Looking back, I kind of had a reverse experience you had, where I read the Gregor the Overlander series as well as the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins before branching out to other authors like Riordan. It’s hard to make the jump to read another author because I remember it being confusing at first, as I was unexperienced with a different tone, pace, and point-of-view. However, I’m glad I did, as it ultimately led to a better understanding of books and getting to experience a new, exciting story.
Wow, you and me have really similar reading habits. My favorite book series as a young adult was definitely The Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan. It’s an 11 book series that has been followed up with a new sequel series that I have yet to read. It’s actually pretty good, I’d say I recommend you read it, it is only a YA series, but I still find it quite entertaining to reread to this day. Anyways, when I read that series, the 12th book (first book of the sequel series) had not yet been released. Rather than read a different book series, I reread the 10th book, and the 4th book, my favorite two, five times each. I did also eventually read some other YA novels though, several of which I no longer remember the name of. I feel like this is a really relatable post though so I’m glad you shared. Some other YA novel series I can recall reading were Cirque du Freak, Skullduggery Pleasant, a series I can’t remember the name of about superhumans, and a series I can’t remember the name of about a cannibalistic apocalypse. Honestly, good times. YA novels might just be the peak of fiction.