Difference between 好きだった and 好きになった

Question

In this sentences I am referring to a book:

１年前に読んで、本が好きだった。

１年前に読んで、本が好きになった。

Are both of them correct? What's the difference between だった and になった in this case? I would like to say "I read it one year ago and I liked the book"

Answer 1

• 好きだった is the past tense form of 好きだ.
• 好きになった is to have changed into 好き from other than 好き.

(1) １年前に読んで、本が好きだった。
(2) １年前に読んで、本が好きになった。

Both of (1) and (2) are unnatural for "I read it one year ago and I liked the book".

Literally, it would be like：

(3) それを１年前に読んだ、そして、その本を好{この}んだ（, 好｛この｝ましく思｛おも｝った or いいと思った）.

In this case, 好｛す｝きである or 好｛す｝きだ as the interpretation for "to like" is improper.

(3) would be more natural than (1) or (2), but その本 should be written earlier than それ like (4).

(4) その本を１年前に読んだ、そして、それをいいと思った。

You can say (4) like (5) without changing the meaning of (4).

(5) その本を１年前に読んで、いいと思った。

I think the last (5) is very natural.

So (5) is my final attempt for "I read it one year ago and I liked the book."

Answer 2

As far as grammar goes, you could say:

１年前に読んで、その本が好きになった。

(literally: "(I) read (it) one year ago, and became fond of the book.")

or:

１年前にその本を読んで、好きになった。

(literally: "(I) read the book one year ago, and became fond of (it).")

～になった means "became~~", and 好きになった here means you started to like the book when you read it. So these sentences express that the book has been your favorite ever since you read it one year ago.

_{１年前に読んで、その本が好きだった is a bit unnatural and unclear. It sounds like "I read the book one year ago, and (then/therefore) I was (already) fond of it (when I read it)", which doesn't make much sense.}

If you want to casually say "I read the book one year ago, and I liked/enjoyed it (in the sense 'it was good/interesting' 'I found it good/interesting')," you could say like:

１年前に読んだけど、その本、良かったよ。/ おもしろかったよ。
１年前にその本を読んだけど、良かったよ。/ おもしろかったよ。

etc...