This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:
Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?
I wouldn't say that my tastes have changed all that much over the years, but I have broadened my reading considerably. For one thing, I have made a conscious effort to include more non-fiction in my reading. I love to lose myself in novels and other fiction, and have since I was a kid. In fact, reading was always my best and favorite way of comforting myself, and escaping from reality. So I have to force myself to read some non-fiction--though I'm always interested in good non-fiction of many types, I will often choose to read a novel instead, because know I don't get that great feeling of being swept away by non-fiction, or at least not nearly as often.As a teenager I used to read romance novels, and some mysteries, and I find that I don't read either of those genres any more. I'll occasionally read a mystery, like Kate Atkinson's Case Histories--and I'm looking forward to reading John Banville's most recent detective novel The Silver Swan (written as Benjamin Black), but I haven't read a genre romance in a long time.
But other than those two genres, I would say that the trend in my reading is that my interests are widening over time. Some of this is definitely due to my becoming acquainted with book blogs, which have really inspired me to branch out in my reading. Book blogs have also reinforced many of my reading choices, and have led me to re-examine some old favorite authors and books.
How about you? Have your reading tastes changed or remained the same?
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9 comments:
I guess I've branched out a little; I'm more open to nonfiction now.
Yes, I think I've also broadened my tastes, but I don't think that fundamentally they've changed. I really enjoyed Case Histories, by the way!
bybee--that's probably my main way of branching out, too. You'll notice it was the only new area of my reading I could really point to :)
litlove--I would agree, I read more widely, but still like essentially the same things! I really liked Case Histories, too, but keep trying to start One Good Turn and haven't been able to get into it. My favorite of hers, however, was Behind the Scenes at the Museum!
I wouldn't say they've changed, but broadened and developed over time. I do read a lot more non-fiction than I used to when I was younger.
Oh I love John Banville, although his writing can be very challenge especially with all the difficult vocabulary. I'll have to look for the new book you mention. My reading taste hasn't changed much at all and I'm still reading much more fiction than non-fiction. I like to be taken away from reality and dive into the imaginable world of the characters, whom I can relate and identify as being real.
lesley--the addition of non-fiction is my biggest change, too. Though I wish I read more of it!
matt--I'm really looking forward to reading some Banville, and I hear his mysteries are a little more accessible ;)
I like to lose myself in fiction, too!
I have definitely braodened my tastes, especially since joining the blogging community. Now I can't keep up with all these great recommendations!
When I was a teenager I read a lot of romance. In fact, it was about 90% of everything I read. These days, my romance reading is about in the 10% range, and even that's when I'm doing what I call "emergency romance" reading. i.e. reading to make myself feel better. Romance still does the trick better than anything else.
I never read nonfiction before. Now it's about half and half, which I still find surprising.
And I've pretty much fallen in love with short stories, something I had no patience with before.
j.s. peyton--I've rediscovered short stories of late. They were a passion of mine when I was younger, and now I'm finding them appealing again, after a hiatus of some years :)
And by the way, I completely understand the "emergency romance" read, lol!
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