What book got you into a new genre of literature and what is your favorite genre and what book got you out of it?
If you’ve been reading the news, it might not surprise you to learn that these titles are the Top 10 Banned Books of 2021. As you can see, most of the targeted books were by or about Black and L.G.B.T.Q. people. What is your reaction to that? According to the American Library Association, attempts to ban books in the United States surged last year to the highest level since the organization began tracking book challenges 20 years ago. And those fights only seem to be escalating in 2022: so far this year, there have been attempts to ban or restrict access to 1,651 different titles. In an article from July, “The Spread of Book Banning,” Claire Moses explains the increasing politicization of the book banning debate via a Q. and A. with two reporters, Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth Harris, who cover the publishing industry. In the short piece, she speaks to them about what is behind this trend:
Claire: How did book-banning efforts become so widespread? Alexandra: We’ve seen this going from a school or community issue to a really polarizing political issue. Before, parents might hear about a book because their child brought a copy home; now, complaints on social media about inappropriate material go viral, and that leads to more complaints in schools and libraries across the country. Elected officials are also turning book banning into another wedge issue in the culture wars. Last fall, a Republican representative in Texas put together a list of 850 books that he argued were inappropriate material in schools and included books about sexuality, racism and American history. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin campaigned on the issue by arguing that parents, not schools, should control what their children read. Democrats have also seized on the issue through congressional hearings about rising book bans.
And, sometimes, the disputes have spilled into something more menacing. The Proud Boys, the far-right group with a history of street fighting, showed up at a drag-queen-hosted story hour for families in a library in San Lorenzo, Calif.
Why do parents and conservatives want these bans?
Alexandra: For some parents, it’s about preventing kids from reading certain things. Others want to introduce certain topics — like L.G.B.T. rights or race — to their children themselves.
A lot of the people I’ve spoken to say they don’t consider the bans they want to be racist or bigoted. They say the books contain specific content that they feel isn’t appropriate for children, and they’ll sometimes point to explicit passages. But librarians we speak to say that the most challenged books around the country are basically all about Black or brown or L.G.B.T. characters. In Texas, residents sued a library after a library official took books off the shelves based on a list from an elected official. They weren’t all children’s books; the list included Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me” and “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi.
It’s hard to disentangle the banning surge from other conservative efforts to use the government to limit expression, including what critics call Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Those are all movements that have overlapped and spurred book-banning debates.
Elizabeth: Book banning is part of a wider political context right now, of extreme polarization, of heightened political tensions and the amplification of certain messages by the kinds of media — social or otherwise — that people consume.
Has any banning effort stood out to you?
Elizabeth: In Virginia Beach, a local politician sued Barnes & Noble over two books, “Gender Queer,” a memoir by Maia Kobabe, and “A Court of Mist and Fury,” a fantasy novel. This lawmaker wants Barnes & Noble to stop selling these titles to minors. The suit probably won’t succeed. But it’s an escalation: The issue went from people thinking their children shouldn’t read certain books to trying to stop other people’s children from reading certain books.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
What is your reaction to this article? How much of it was news to you?
What do you think about efforts across the nation to remove books — especially ones that address race, gender and sexuality — from classrooms and libraries?
According to the article, many believe that parents, not schools, should control what children read. But, as one of the reporters commented, “When people are trying to push a book out of the library, they’re making a decision for everyone, that nobody has access to a particular book.” Where do you stand on this question? Who should decide what young people read?
In your opinion, what makes a book “appropriate” or “inappropriate” for inclusion in a school, community or classroom library?
How do you think book bans like these affect students? Teachers and librarians?
Are there efforts to ban books where you live? Do you think the books in your school library represent a diverse range of perspectives and experiences? What subjects are adequately covered? What kinds of books would you like to see more of?
How, in your opinion, should schools handle a parent’s concern that a book taught in class or on school library shelves is inappropriate for their child? Why? What kind of books do you usually read? Why? I'm not asking for specific suggestions, I'm asking: what sort of trends do you see in fiction today, and what trends do you want to see? Like, I read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy, but it wears me out sometimes that these days, so many books in those genres go either totally dark and gritty, or they do the complete opposite and become consciously, weirdly comedic or ironic. Either way, I feel like a lot of modern SFF books are trying really hard to deconstruct old tropes, but I don't see a lot of construction of new tropes, if you follow me. I feel like it's been a long time since a new SFF book just swept me off my feet by the sheer novelty and strength of its imagination, without feeling like it was consciously riffing off of something that came before. Does that make any sense at all? What kind of books do you wish there were more of? Do you enjoy reading? Are you a 'book' person?
If you are, what genres, authors, etc. do you like to read? If not, could you give me any reasons why?
Personally, I'm very much a book person. Any author, any genre, fiction or non-fiction, as long as I have a book close to me. To me, not taking the time to read during the day or night is akin to skipping a meal. But in my own circle of acquaintances, as the bookworm, I'm very much the odd man out. Does anyone else also find themselves in a similar position?
I ask for no other reasons than my own curiosity. Differing opinions to my own won't be downvoted by me. What kind of books do you prefer for reading practice? Do you prefer reading books translated from another language that you’ve read before? Or do you prefer reading books written for a native speaking audience? Why? What makes you like reading books for leisure?
Hi everyone!
Bsically it's what the title says. When you are reading a book for leisure (non-informative or philosofical books. Books like thrillers, romances, fantasy books, etc) What makes you enjoy the activity? Is it the images you make in yours mind? Is it the concepts that the book introduces, or is it something else?
I'm curious because i've heard many people say that reading for leisure is all about the images you create in your head, but given not everyone sees anything (looking at people with aphantasia here) I think this rule isn't as universal as some make it out to be.
Sorry if this has been asked before What kinds of stories do you wish authors would write more of?
What things get you the most excited? When you can’t put a book down, why? Do you like uncommon points of view? Books that make you think? That seems to be what grabs me lately.
Also/instead, what kind of stories are you sick of reading? What plot elements ruin a story for you? I think it is safe to say vampires have run their course for now. But what about science fiction? Is there too much post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction? It’s personally my favorite genre but I could understand if others think it’s overdone.
I am genuinely interested in hearing what people are into these days. This is purely for discussion. :)
I really like different POVs. Recently read The Art of Racing in the Rain which is told from the POV of a very intelligent dog. Heart wrenching and thought provoking. Had to cuddle with my own dog afterward, as I was a snotty sobbing mess. I admittedly like easier reads, because I’m a slower reader, so books that are overly verbose I sometimes lose interest in. I’m not dumb, just easily bored sometimes. Life is so busy, I’m prone to stick to the books I can finish quicker. I have not read enough sci-fi but my favorite sub genre is probably time and/or space travel. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was an interesting audible listen and boggled my mind at times! It also taught me about Von-Neumann probes which helped me beat the r/paperclips game. If Interstellar were a book I would have read that too. Movie was phenomenal. Any book that makes me want to go look up something new on Wikipedia is a win! Plot elements that drive me bonkers are magically genius teen prodigies that outwit the greatest minds in society in battle. As a 31-year-old maybe I just want to read about heroes my own age. So maybe I should stop reading YA fiction XD What positive changes has reading books brought in your life?
I am not an avid reader. I mean I don't read many books but I surf the net a lot and read articles and news etc. I must have read about 35-40 books all my life ( I'm 23). Now I am planning to read books more and would like to know from the book lovers ( esp the hardcore ones), in what positive ways has reading books ( both good and bad) affected your life? If you hadn't read the books you have, in what way you'd have been different as a person? Does anyone read books just for entertainment? That is, not try to interpret the book?
I feel like I read books for the sake of enjoying a story. But back when I was in school, I hated reading books because class assignments forced me to interpret them and find meaning behind colors, motives, themes, etc.
Personally, for me it detracts from my experience if I do that.
Makes me wonder if and when I read 1984 I can enjoy it just for the story and not look into the time it was written, symbolism, etc.
Anyone else on my boat? What's your favorite genre and how often do you read outside of it?
I've only started to read books back to back (to back) for the past two years now. And I think damn near every book has been Scifi. Haha not that I'm complaining at all, but I feel like I should change it up a bit. But then again, I have like 5 more books on hold and 3 more waiting for release, so I doubt it'll happen any time soon.
So back to my original question I guess...how often do you read outside of your favorite genre? Or do you just bounce all over? What genres appeal most and least to you?
I suppose this could apply to all media and probably does for most, but I find that my feels about genre are stronger with literature, especially with fiction, because I have to sort of inhabit the places I'm reading about. I probably most like horror fiction, particularly Lovecraftian horror fiction, though I also like Fantasy a lot. I seriously dislike westerns and have no taste of detective style fiction. I'm really curious to see what other people like and dislike and if there is any trends. I've started treating reading recent releases in my genre more like a job, and I find that while I somewhat like or respect some aspects/books/techniques writers are using, they aren't really hitting like I'd prefer them to. Many of them are/would be DNFs for me, and it's not really for any reason other than me just feeling "meh" about them. At the same time, I read enough in general to understand that the topics I'm writing would fit in the same genre, and every now and then there's something that really hits me like "yes! I wish I could have written this"/I really like this etc.) but those moments are few and far between. Or for somewhat older books. Is my lack of excitement for these works a sign that I'm in the wrong genre entirely? What is a book you like from a genre you don't typically read?
I started thinking about it when someone asked about favorite books. While I can't name a single favorite book (too many), I tend to stick with sci fi or historical fiction, or histories when I read. I guess one of my favorites from a genre I typically don't like and don't read is Lonesome Dove. I don't like Westerns, but that's an awesome book. Discovering your favorite book genre?
I used to believe my favorite genre was fantasy and Sci fi because that is what I grew up reading. But then I looked at my diverse set of books in my shelf and discovered the only genre I never DNF was crime fiction. Even if it was cheesy and predictable I'd read until the end and enjoy myself. Fantasy and sci-fi I seemed to have grown out of (though I still read it), as I grew more and more frustrated with certain elements inherent to the genre. It's like if you were irritated with relationship problems in a romance novel, big red flag you are the problem not the book. It was a cool realization and one I was curious to hear of anyone else had this experience? What genre do you think produces the best books?
Do you think think some genres produce more thought provoking or interesting stories then others? What genres' do you think have the weakest stories? Who are the best genre authors in your opinion? I have always loved reader no fantasy novels like Dragonlance, Song of Ice and Fire, Harry Potter, etc and other genre books like Stephen King for horror and Agatha Christie...however I know these are all beach reads. I would really like to discuss whether all genre books fall not this trip of just being basically beach reads. Is it important to read outside of your preferred genre from time to time?
As someone who reads mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy (more Fantasy than Sci-Fi), I've been told that I should read outside my preferred genre all the time. The same thing happens to some of my acquaintances who read predominantly romance novels. I'm not opposed to the idea, but right now I'm just more into the big names in fantasy. IE Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchet, ect. Now of course, nobody should force people to read books that they don't like, nor should anyone continue to read books that they don't gel with. However, is there some importance to reading outside preferred genres? Are people who suggest this just being elitist toward the "less scholarly" genres? How do you find your genre?
I recently got back to reading after many years. I don't really know where to start to find my genre of books. I feel like I can enjoy all sorts right now except biographies, war histories, and political books. Last book I read was The Good Earth and I really enjoyed it. I am currently reading Catch 22 and really enjoying it. But I go to the library or Barnes and Noble and I don't know what to look for. Please help. Name a genre you don't normally like to read with a short explanation of why. Fans of the genre, can you recommend a book that you think will defy the commenter's expectations and possibly change their mind? Do you usually focus on one particular genre or try to read as many different ones as possible?
When I was younger, in my late teens and early 20s, I was pretty set in my ways in terms of my reading habits, and preferred mostly sci fi, fantasy and action thrillers. Now that I'm a little bit older, over the last few years I've tried to expand my tastes as much as possible and finding that I'm enjoying reading a lot more now when I'm not locked into my comfort zone.
In particular, I've started to read a lot more classics and non-fiction, as well as more, I guess, "high-brow" literature - books that I probably would've found boring or not been able to appreciate when I was younger. I still devour a ton of sci fi, fantasy and airplane-paperback style thrillers, but now every new book I read, I try to cycle between different genres - e.g. I'll start with a sci-fi, follow up with a classic for a change of pace, then switch to a fantasy again, and then continue with a contemporary lit book followed by a thriller/mystery and then end with a non-fiction and start the cycle again. really enjoying this as there's always something new stylistically and thematically coming my way for the next book. There are, of course, hits and misses, but overall it's been pretty great. Anybody else prefer this method, or would you rather stick with what you know you'll love? What's a genre you love to read but you will never be able to adequately write? Why?
For me, I'd say classic war novels. All quiet on the western front and now reading A Farewell To Arms. I absolutely adore their cynical romanticism of the war, the camaraderie et cetera.... But I don't think I'll ever be able to write a war novel. What are your least favourite genre to read, and why?
I personally can't stand to read romance novels, I find them cliché, boring and at times even repulsive. I enjoy angst, and psychological torture, so, I can only enjoy romantic subplots in crime thrillers, if they are dark and twisted and end with someone being brutally murdered. Fluff frankly disgusts me, there's something about reading so much of other people's happiness that makes me feel intrusive. What about you? What genre of books do you absolutely detest?
For me, it would be self care books. My reasoning behind this is that, they don’t really teach you anything, it’s just way too much validation and encouragement, which doesn’t really fit if I’m trying to better myself, the last thing I need to be told is that I’m doing fine when I’m not. But I do understand if someone needs that kind of validation if they are feeling down, it’s just not for me. Another point, although anecdotal, is that many of the people I’ve met who are fans of this genre, tend to be highly narcissistic and exude boastfulness. Do you think it's a bad thing to only read one genre of books?
I've noticed that I've only read science fiction/fantasy books over the past few years. In the past, I used to read many different types of genres. I'm starting to wonder if this is a bad thing, to only be reading on genre. A book genre you just couldn’t get into.
Have you ever had a book genre you just couldn’t get into, no matter how many times you tried. It could be horror, crime, sci fi anything.
For me it’s got to be any kind of fantasy. I just couldn’t get with the ten book series and the thousands of pages and the numerous characters with odd names you had to keep track off. Not to mention the many subplots. But what about you guys? Some questions to people who read just one genre
Disclaimer: I'm not attacking you, mocking you, trying to change you. I just want to understand you because I love reading various types of books and I can't imagine reading just one kind.
Is reading only one kind of books your conscious decision or something that just happened?
Do you ever get curious about other genres?
Have you always had such a strong preference towards one genre or evolved that way with time?
Do you plan to try reading other genres in the future or rather keep it the way it is now?
Do you think you might be gaining or losing something by reading only one genre?
You don't have to answer all that questions of course, these are just some things which are most interesting to me, you can write about other aspects too, but I would especially love to know your answers to #5, please. What are your favorite genres, and which books got you into them? What book got you into a new genre of literature?
Claire: How did book-banning efforts become so widespread? Alexandra: We’ve seen this going from a school or community issue to a really polarizing political issue. Before, parents might hear about a book because their child brought a copy home; now, complaints on social media about inappropriate material go viral, and that leads to more complaints in schools and libraries across the country. Elected officials are also turning book banning into another wedge issue in the culture wars. Last fall, a Republican representative in Texas put together a list of 850 books that he argued were inappropriate material in schools and included books about sexuality, racism and American history. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin campaigned on the issue by arguing that parents, not schools, should control what their children read. Democrats have also seized on the issue through congressional hearings about rising book bans.
And, sometimes, the disputes have spilled into something more menacing. The Proud Boys, the far-right group with a history of street fighting, showed up at a drag-queen-hosted story hour for families in a library in San Lorenzo, Calif.
Why do parents and conservatives want these bans?
Alexandra: For some parents, it’s about preventing kids from reading certain things. Others want to introduce certain topics — like L.G.B.T. rights or race — to their children themselves.
A lot of the people I’ve spoken to say they don’t consider the bans they want to be racist or bigoted. They say the books contain specific content that they feel isn’t appropriate for children, and they’ll sometimes point to explicit passages. But librarians we speak to say that the most challenged books around the country are basically all about Black or brown or L.G.B.T. characters. In Texas, residents sued a library after a library official took books off the shelves based on a list from an elected official. They weren’t all children’s books; the list included Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me” and “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi.
It’s hard to disentangle the banning surge from other conservative efforts to use the government to limit expression, including what critics call Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Those are all movements that have overlapped and spurred book-banning debates.
Elizabeth: Book banning is part of a wider political context right now, of extreme polarization, of heightened political tensions and the amplification of certain messages by the kinds of media — social or otherwise — that people consume.
Has any banning effort stood out to you?
Elizabeth: In Virginia Beach, a local politician sued Barnes & Noble over two books, “Gender Queer,” a memoir by Maia Kobabe, and “A Court of Mist and Fury,” a fantasy novel. This lawmaker wants Barnes & Noble to stop selling these titles to minors. The suit probably won’t succeed. But it’s an escalation: The issue went from people thinking their children shouldn’t read certain books to trying to stop other people’s children from reading certain books.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
What is your reaction to this article? How much of it was news to you?
What do you think about efforts across the nation to remove books — especially ones that address race, gender and sexuality — from classrooms and libraries?
According to the article, many believe that parents, not schools, should control what children read. But, as one of the reporters commented, “When people are trying to push a book out of the library, they’re making a decision for everyone, that nobody has access to a particular book.” Where do you stand on this question? Who should decide what young people read?
In your opinion, what makes a book “appropriate” or “inappropriate” for inclusion in a school, community or classroom library?
How do you think book bans like these affect students? Teachers and librarians?
Are there efforts to ban books where you live? Do you think the books in your school library represent a diverse range of perspectives and experiences? What subjects are adequately covered? What kinds of books would you like to see more of?
How, in your opinion, should schools handle a parent’s concern that a book taught in class or on school library shelves is inappropriate for their child? Why? What kind of books do you usually read? Why? I'm not asking for specific suggestions, I'm asking: what sort of trends do you see in fiction today, and what trends do you want to see? Like, I read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy, but it wears me out sometimes that these days, so many books in those genres go either totally dark and gritty, or they do the complete opposite and become consciously, weirdly comedic or ironic. Either way, I feel like a lot of modern SFF books are trying really hard to deconstruct old tropes, but I don't see a lot of construction of new tropes, if you follow me. I feel like it's been a long time since a new SFF book just swept me off my feet by the sheer novelty and strength of its imagination, without feeling like it was consciously riffing off of something that came before. Does that make any sense at all? What kind of books do you wish there were more of? Do you enjoy reading? Are you a 'book' person?
If you are, what genres, authors, etc. do you like to read? If not, could you give me any reasons why?
Personally, I'm very much a book person. Any author, any genre, fiction or non-fiction, as long as I have a book close to me. To me, not taking the time to read during the day or night is akin to skipping a meal. But in my own circle of acquaintances, as the bookworm, I'm very much the odd man out. Does anyone else also find themselves in a similar position?
I ask for no other reasons than my own curiosity. Differing opinions to my own won't be downvoted by me. What kind of books do you prefer for reading practice? Do you prefer reading books translated from another language that you’ve read before? Or do you prefer reading books written for a native speaking audience? Why? What makes you like reading books for leisure?
Hi everyone!
Bsically it's what the title says. When you are reading a book for leisure (non-informative or philosofical books. Books like thrillers, romances, fantasy books, etc) What makes you enjoy the activity? Is it the images you make in yours mind? Is it the concepts that the book introduces, or is it something else?
I'm curious because i've heard many people say that reading for leisure is all about the images you create in your head, but given not everyone sees anything (looking at people with aphantasia here) I think this rule isn't as universal as some make it out to be.
Sorry if this has been asked before What kinds of stories do you wish authors would write more of?
What things get you the most excited? When you can’t put a book down, why? Do you like uncommon points of view? Books that make you think? That seems to be what grabs me lately.
Also/instead, what kind of stories are you sick of reading? What plot elements ruin a story for you? I think it is safe to say vampires have run their course for now. But what about science fiction? Is there too much post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction? It’s personally my favorite genre but I could understand if others think it’s overdone.
I am genuinely interested in hearing what people are into these days. This is purely for discussion. :)
I really like different POVs. Recently read The Art of Racing in the Rain which is told from the POV of a very intelligent dog. Heart wrenching and thought provoking. Had to cuddle with my own dog afterward, as I was a snotty sobbing mess. I admittedly like easier reads, because I’m a slower reader, so books that are overly verbose I sometimes lose interest in. I’m not dumb, just easily bored sometimes. Life is so busy, I’m prone to stick to the books I can finish quicker. I have not read enough sci-fi but my favorite sub genre is probably time and/or space travel. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was an interesting audible listen and boggled my mind at times! It also taught me about Von-Neumann probes which helped me beat the r/paperclips game. If Interstellar were a book I would have read that too. Movie was phenomenal. Any book that makes me want to go look up something new on Wikipedia is a win! Plot elements that drive me bonkers are magically genius teen prodigies that outwit the greatest minds in society in battle. As a 31-year-old maybe I just want to read about heroes my own age. So maybe I should stop reading YA fiction XD What positive changes has reading books brought in your life?
I am not an avid reader. I mean I don't read many books but I surf the net a lot and read articles and news etc. I must have read about 35-40 books all my life ( I'm 23). Now I am planning to read books more and would like to know from the book lovers ( esp the hardcore ones), in what positive ways has reading books ( both good and bad) affected your life? If you hadn't read the books you have, in what way you'd have been different as a person? Does anyone read books just for entertainment? That is, not try to interpret the book?
I feel like I read books for the sake of enjoying a story. But back when I was in school, I hated reading books because class assignments forced me to interpret them and find meaning behind colors, motives, themes, etc.
Personally, for me it detracts from my experience if I do that.
Makes me wonder if and when I read 1984 I can enjoy it just for the story and not look into the time it was written, symbolism, etc.
Anyone else on my boat? What's your favorite genre and how often do you read outside of it?
I've only started to read books back to back (to back) for the past two years now. And I think damn near every book has been Scifi. Haha not that I'm complaining at all, but I feel like I should change it up a bit. But then again, I have like 5 more books on hold and 3 more waiting for release, so I doubt it'll happen any time soon.
So back to my original question I guess...how often do you read outside of your favorite genre? Or do you just bounce all over? What genres appeal most and least to you?
I suppose this could apply to all media and probably does for most, but I find that my feels about genre are stronger with literature, especially with fiction, because I have to sort of inhabit the places I'm reading about. I probably most like horror fiction, particularly Lovecraftian horror fiction, though I also like Fantasy a lot. I seriously dislike westerns and have no taste of detective style fiction. I'm really curious to see what other people like and dislike and if there is any trends. I've started treating reading recent releases in my genre more like a job, and I find that while I somewhat like or respect some aspects/books/techniques writers are using, they aren't really hitting like I'd prefer them to. Many of them are/would be DNFs for me, and it's not really for any reason other than me just feeling "meh" about them. At the same time, I read enough in general to understand that the topics I'm writing would fit in the same genre, and every now and then there's something that really hits me like "yes! I wish I could have written this"/I really like this etc.) but those moments are few and far between. Or for somewhat older books. Is my lack of excitement for these works a sign that I'm in the wrong genre entirely? What is a book you like from a genre you don't typically read?
I started thinking about it when someone asked about favorite books. While I can't name a single favorite book (too many), I tend to stick with sci fi or historical fiction, or histories when I read. I guess one of my favorites from a genre I typically don't like and don't read is Lonesome Dove. I don't like Westerns, but that's an awesome book. Discovering your favorite book genre?
I used to believe my favorite genre was fantasy and Sci fi because that is what I grew up reading. But then I looked at my diverse set of books in my shelf and discovered the only genre I never DNF was crime fiction. Even if it was cheesy and predictable I'd read until the end and enjoy myself. Fantasy and sci-fi I seemed to have grown out of (though I still read it), as I grew more and more frustrated with certain elements inherent to the genre. It's like if you were irritated with relationship problems in a romance novel, big red flag you are the problem not the book. It was a cool realization and one I was curious to hear of anyone else had this experience? What genre do you think produces the best books?
Do you think think some genres produce more thought provoking or interesting stories then others? What genres' do you think have the weakest stories? Who are the best genre authors in your opinion? I have always loved reader no fantasy novels like Dragonlance, Song of Ice and Fire, Harry Potter, etc and other genre books like Stephen King for horror and Agatha Christie...however I know these are all beach reads. I would really like to discuss whether all genre books fall not this trip of just being basically beach reads. Is it important to read outside of your preferred genre from time to time?
As someone who reads mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy (more Fantasy than Sci-Fi), I've been told that I should read outside my preferred genre all the time. The same thing happens to some of my acquaintances who read predominantly romance novels. I'm not opposed to the idea, but right now I'm just more into the big names in fantasy. IE Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchet, ect. Now of course, nobody should force people to read books that they don't like, nor should anyone continue to read books that they don't gel with. However, is there some importance to reading outside preferred genres? Are people who suggest this just being elitist toward the "less scholarly" genres? How do you find your genre?
I recently got back to reading after many years. I don't really know where to start to find my genre of books. I feel like I can enjoy all sorts right now except biographies, war histories, and political books. Last book I read was The Good Earth and I really enjoyed it. I am currently reading Catch 22 and really enjoying it. But I go to the library or Barnes and Noble and I don't know what to look for. Please help. Name a genre you don't normally like to read with a short explanation of why. Fans of the genre, can you recommend a book that you think will defy the commenter's expectations and possibly change their mind? Do you usually focus on one particular genre or try to read as many different ones as possible?
When I was younger, in my late teens and early 20s, I was pretty set in my ways in terms of my reading habits, and preferred mostly sci fi, fantasy and action thrillers. Now that I'm a little bit older, over the last few years I've tried to expand my tastes as much as possible and finding that I'm enjoying reading a lot more now when I'm not locked into my comfort zone.
In particular, I've started to read a lot more classics and non-fiction, as well as more, I guess, "high-brow" literature - books that I probably would've found boring or not been able to appreciate when I was younger. I still devour a ton of sci fi, fantasy and airplane-paperback style thrillers, but now every new book I read, I try to cycle between different genres - e.g. I'll start with a sci-fi, follow up with a classic for a change of pace, then switch to a fantasy again, and then continue with a contemporary lit book followed by a thriller/mystery and then end with a non-fiction and start the cycle again. really enjoying this as there's always something new stylistically and thematically coming my way for the next book. There are, of course, hits and misses, but overall it's been pretty great. Anybody else prefer this method, or would you rather stick with what you know you'll love? What's a genre you love to read but you will never be able to adequately write? Why?
For me, I'd say classic war novels. All quiet on the western front and now reading A Farewell To Arms. I absolutely adore their cynical romanticism of the war, the camaraderie et cetera.... But I don't think I'll ever be able to write a war novel. What are your least favourite genre to read, and why?
I personally can't stand to read romance novels, I find them cliché, boring and at times even repulsive. I enjoy angst, and psychological torture, so, I can only enjoy romantic subplots in crime thrillers, if they are dark and twisted and end with someone being brutally murdered. Fluff frankly disgusts me, there's something about reading so much of other people's happiness that makes me feel intrusive. What about you? What genre of books do you absolutely detest?
For me, it would be self care books. My reasoning behind this is that, they don’t really teach you anything, it’s just way too much validation and encouragement, which doesn’t really fit if I’m trying to better myself, the last thing I need to be told is that I’m doing fine when I’m not. But I do understand if someone needs that kind of validation if they are feeling down, it’s just not for me. Another point, although anecdotal, is that many of the people I’ve met who are fans of this genre, tend to be highly narcissistic and exude boastfulness. Do you think it's a bad thing to only read one genre of books?
I've noticed that I've only read science fiction/fantasy books over the past few years. In the past, I used to read many different types of genres. I'm starting to wonder if this is a bad thing, to only be reading on genre. A book genre you just couldn’t get into.
Have you ever had a book genre you just couldn’t get into, no matter how many times you tried. It could be horror, crime, sci fi anything.
For me it’s got to be any kind of fantasy. I just couldn’t get with the ten book series and the thousands of pages and the numerous characters with odd names you had to keep track off. Not to mention the many subplots. But what about you guys? Some questions to people who read just one genre
Disclaimer: I'm not attacking you, mocking you, trying to change you. I just want to understand you because I love reading various types of books and I can't imagine reading just one kind.
Is reading only one kind of books your conscious decision or something that just happened?
Do you ever get curious about other genres?
Have you always had such a strong preference towards one genre or evolved that way with time?
Do you plan to try reading other genres in the future or rather keep it the way it is now?
Do you think you might be gaining or losing something by reading only one genre?
You don't have to answer all that questions of course, these are just some things which are most interesting to me, you can write about other aspects too, but I would especially love to know your answers to #5, please. What are your favorite genres, and which books got you into them? What book got you into a new genre of literature?
