Why Did You Choose That?

I don't know why, but when I got home from watching the O's snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again last night (seriously, 1-7. Not good. Not good at all) I started going through my To Be Read pile.

It currently sits somewhere in the low thirties range. I will say this, it is an eclectic hodge-podge of paranormal romance, historical fiction (I may, or may not, be mildly obsessed with The Tudors), young adult -- heck, I even have a sci-fi in there and that's a genre I typically don't care for much.

I'm proud of this diversity, because there was a point where if you weren't Stephen King, Anne Rice or Dean Koontz I had no intention of reading you -- granted I was much younger then, but still. How very narrow minded. Bad Tracy!!

So then I started wondering how I grew out of that and became so cultured. (For the record, I don't really think I'm all that cultured, but it makes me sound more sophisticated so I roll with it) I will admit that, in the beginning at least, I never had any intention to expand.

But sometimes we stumble upon the good stuff. Here's a couple I found in the past year -- completely by accident.

I'll be honest and admit that until recently I'd never been all that into straight romance. (And I mean that in a, if it didn't involve a fantasy element like vampires I'm not interested, sort of way) I had the stereotypes of the old historical romances -- ones where cheesy phrases like "throbbing love muscle" could be found -- stuck in my head. Then I picked up Jami Alden's Unleashed, which is a romantic suspense -- and the third book in a series.

I'll admit, the only reason I picked this book off the shelf in the first place was because I thought "Hot dayum, he is a cutie!". Yeah, I'm boy crazy, tell me something I don't know. So it was a book cover that got me, but I'm so glad it did, because when I was finished with Unleashed, I worked my way backwards through the series & now I *heart* romantic suspense!

The day I found my new favorite author I was in the store looking for a book by another author. They didn't have it in stock, but the crafty young associate led me over to the YA section & talked me into checking out the "Vampire Academy" series. Richelle Mead was having a book signing later that week and, of course, they were pimping her work.

Well, I'm glad they did, because not only did I adore the VA series - much grittier and plot based than Twilight - but it led me to Richelle's adult works as well. She has a paranormal romance series about a heroine who's a succubus. Great stuff!!

So, as much as I'm always on the look out for new & interesting things. It seems that some of my favorite things found ME, rather than the other way around.

What about you all? What makes you pick up a new book or branch in a new direction? Or do you find yourself unable to enjoy a book outside of your "zone"?