Although, being any one of those things would be wicked cool . . . except for maybe Anne Boleyn. Definitely not a Happily Ever After for that one.
I guess as you can see, I have a tendency to be a little over the map when it comes to my reading (though I will give a definitive edge to paranormal/urban fantasy), but I prefer it that way. I know some people, however, are diehards for one genre and one genre only.
Personally, I think the more widely you read, the better you can round out and strengthen your writing within your genre. For instance, I'm totally digging romantic suspense these days. And if it's romantic suspense with a fantasy element to it. Sign. Me. Up.
Those sub-genres had to get started somewhere, right?
But I can also see how, for some, it can be hard to pull yourself away from what you enjoy most to give others a try.
So, I'm curious to get an idea for what kind of reader you are. Do you like a little of everything? Do you like to stick to one (maybe two) genre only? Do you not typically read at all? (Promise I won't holler at you, but I may give some gentle nudging on this last one).
Anyway, after you leave your thoughts here, please swing over to the left and answer the poll. It'll help guide me when I select a story for February's Forever Endeavor Online Book Club selection.
Seriously, so glad you guys like the idea, and I can't wait to get it started. Yay for "low pressure" book clubs! :D
Confession: I'm totally not feeling Monday right now . . .
20 witty remarks:
I'm so winking at Garfield, right now!! Grr...to this Monday. I got a massively late start.
I agree with you about reading for a broader perspective. It broadens the mind.
I used to read only YA (well, at least for the past 3 years). But I've stared to read romantic suspense, and boy am I sold on reading outside your genre. Now I alternate between the two. This week it's romantic suspense. :D
Romance! Romance! Romance!
Umm...I think that covers it. ;-)
Seriously, though. I've recently started to venture out into other pastures. And it's scary! I haven't found anything I loved yet, and I'm afraid to read things that might not have that mushy happy-ever-after. I think that's why I stick to romance so much.
~JD
Psh, I read everything under the sun, and I really think that's the way to go. I made a big blog post analogy about this once, likening different genres to different kinds of food. Nobody wants to eat just broccoli for the rest of their life, even if they love broccoli.
Just on my TBR stack that will let me finish the rest of the books that I own and haven't read I have everything from urban fantasy to literary western and a lot of weird stuff in-between. You never know what can light inspiration--I got a great idea for my sci-fi novel from watching The Tudors.
I don't often read. But when I do I prefer dos equis.
I like suspense/thrillers, but I'll read anything that isn't about people who love vampires or 17th century noble women who aren't quite sure who they love.
I used to be a die-hard Fantasy lover, and I still am, but I'm not as stringent about my delivery system as I once was. I'm in love with LOTR and Tolkien, so its always hard for me to find a book that I feel lives up to it, but my standards for "good storytelling" are more lax now. And thank goodness for it, otherwise I would have missed out on some great literature.
By the way, great blog! :)
It used to be ALL fantasy, but now books like Anna and the French Kiss and Before I Fall have me gaga for anything YA.
I'm all over the place. A good book is a good book. :) I voted, have a good week.
I mostly read YA these days, but sometimes I crave a good adult literary fiction or history. I love biographies of queens like Anne Boleyn :)
I hate Mondays too. Bleh.
I prefer to stick to a certain genre but will read outside of it if it intrigues me.
Voted! I'm open to trying new things that people recommend. But if left to my own devices, I usually always pick YA. Voted too! Exciting!!
I mostly read the classics but I'll read anything if it is supposed to be great. A great book transcends genre.
Team urban fantasy! That's my fave at least. But I am pretty well rounded... I love a lot of my son's MG books, and I read some YA (though mostly UF), I try to read a classic here and there, and the occasional thriller or adventure type. I've even read romance, but it's a little OC for me most of the time :)
Fantasy is my genre of choice. That being said. I love paranormal, crime, thriller, horror, romance, historical fiction (particularly in the tudor era but I'm open to others) and I'm starting to get more interested in contemporary YA and some non-fiction stuff. I totally agree with you that a wider reading area is going to improve how you write in your given genre.
Book club? I MISSED SOMETHING! I need to check that out!
Excellent post.
I'm stuck somewhere between fantasy (Epic Fantasy or Urban Fantasy) and adventure novels...
Maybe another analogy is "You Are What You Write." Wait, then I still stuck somewhere between Epic Fantasy or Urban Fantasy/Horror.
But seriously I've noticed that ALL of my protagonists in whatever genre I'm writing in seems to be the hard-donep-by loner. Hmmm, am I a hard-done-by loner?
Maybe
I love so many genres, but I tend to read in cycles...one genre at a time. I've been on a YA kick for a while. Before that it was all MG. I've been on Christian non-fiction kicks and horror kicks and Janet Evanovich kicks...
Voted!
I'm definitely pushing myself to read different genres from what I like to write, which is MG and YA.
me--i think id have to go with YA--and within it, contemporary. i think its the fact that despite the novels being so like your own life, its so much fun getting lost in the protag's problems and figuring out life along with them. kind of why i write in that genre, too. plus, the adorable love interests--*swoon*
but that doesnt mean i dont read other genres. any YA thats well written appeals to me. any adult that's well written, ill read. but im more for chick-lit in that genre, though.
nice post! :)
I read all sorts of stuff, fantasy, historical, memoir, whatever's on sale at Borders! Lately I noticed I'm trending toward edgy male protags though. Hmmm...
I like all kinds of things, but I love love lurv the YA genre. sigh. I just do! :D
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