Monday, January 28, 2013

What's your preferred genre?

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is an avid YA reader. She asked me what my favourite YA genre is, and then proceeded to tell me her top three genres and her top ten books in each genre.

I was kind of in awe.

I tried to answer her... I really did, but I was too busy doing this....

 
 
I had no idea what to say. I don't know what genre I firmly sit in. I just....read.

Okay I don't much like straight romance novels, but for the most part I don't stick to a particular genre. I like the book for the book and I don't want to box myself into reading just dystopian, or just steampunk, historical or sci-fi.

I choose books by hearing titles being thrown around, seeing people rave over a particular book, or if I like the sound of the book based on the plot summary. I like to read widely and I want each book I read to be dramatically different from the last, so I'll rarely read two books in the same genre one after the other. It keeps it interesting, keeps me reading. 

At the moment I'm nearing the end of a twelve book series. I've been reading it for two months, and to be honest, I can't wait to get to the end. I'm sick of it and want to read something completely different. I can see the finish line, I just wish I could read a little faster. Only problem is, I'm not motivated to read faster because it's starting to become a chore. I love the series, I love the story (albeit it's a little bit like a soap opera) but I'm wanting something new, fresh and different now.

Am I the only one who doesn't have a set preferred genre? Does anyone else just blow around like the wind? Like a non-committed village bicycle who can't decide which genre to settle down in? If you do have a preferred genre, what is yours?









 

10 comments:

  1. There are certain genres that I avoid (e.g., erotica), and some I'm generally not interested in (e.g., romance). But for the most part, I'm like you: if the premise intrigues me, or I like the author's work, or it is highly recommended by people whose literary judgment I trust, I'll read it. YA or not YA, whatever the genre. So if someone were to ask me the same question, I'd probably have a similar reaction. I just read books looking for a great story.

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    1. Exactly, because that's the joy of reading right? Finding different stories to amuse us? I wouldn't want to stick to one genre!

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  2. I tend to read across the board, but I mostly stick to YA (despite having a friend who keeps trying to push adult reads on me). I love contemporary, sci-fi, fantasy, historical... pretty much all of it. :)

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    1. I'm the same. I'll read a few adult books but for the most part I stick to YA and read all different genres within YA. I figure it's the type of story and writing style I like, but I still get a huge variety

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  3. I'm like you, with that look on my face and all. I read just about anything as long as it's good, with a few exceptions.

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  4. I read a wide variety of genres and it really depends what I'm in the mood for. I mostly read YA, although I like to toss in a classic or two once in a while, some middle grade, and there are a few adult authors I like. Along the lines of what Jaime said, it's more fun to mix sci-fi and historical and fantasy and contemporary, rather than limit myself to one particular genre. I think I'd get bored if I did that.

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    1. I agree! Reading within the same genre all the time gets very much the same, and I definitely get bored at that!

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  5. I tend to gravitate toward fantasy and dystopian - romance almost always a must - but I'll read just about anything if the premise sounds interesting.

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    1. I LOVE dystopian but I like to add some variety in there to keep things interesting!

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