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What reading genre is the most interesting to you and why?

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Layla Nahar

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Hard SF was my first love, but the good stuff has gotten rarer and rarer over time. On the other hand, I think fantasy written for the adult reader has gotten better over time, so that's what I read now.
 

blacbird

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Hard SF was my first love, but the good stuff has gotten rarer and rarer over time. On the other hand, I think fantasy written for the adult reader has gotten better over time, so that's what I read now.

Astute comment, and I think you are basically correct. SF, especially "hard" SF, has been deep-sixed to a great degree by actual SCIENCE. Exploration of the solar system by spacecraft, and the phenomenal expansion of our knowledge of the distant cosmos through satellite and telescopic techology has rendered that sector of fiction difficult to make work. Sorry, Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs, but ain't nobody living on Mars or Venus.

Fantasy, on the other hand, hey, ya makes some magicky stuff happen, ya gots a story. Some pretty good writers have ventured there and done pretty good work.

caw
 

rwm4768

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Fantasy and science fiction. I like escapism.
 

Dreity

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I try to read a bit of everything nowadays, but secondary world fantasy has always been my favorite. The conflicts and characters tend to resonate with me better than stuff set in the real, modern world. From the time I was seven I've interacted with online fantasy worlds more than my meatspace peers, so in a sad way fantasy better reflects my reality. :tongue In fact, my husband and I first met in Azeroth, a continent in World of Warcraft.

I also like how fantasy, when at its best, can both provide an escape and an opportunity to explore real life ideas and controversies without being heavyhanded.
 
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Morri

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I've been stuck on fantasy for a while. I'm not as interested in contemporary or urban, but I love epic/high and secondary world fantasy.
 

Sticks

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Crime, mystery, suspense, gothic, horror, especially with a literary bent. Historical fiction. Erotica, classic and contemporary. I also love autobiographies, biographies, and non-fiction books about history and art.
 

shadowwalker

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Another 'everything' reader - although I do find hard SF at the bottom of the list (mainly because of all the tech-speak I think). But I'm a 'binge reader' - I'll stick with one genre for a few weeks, then switch to some other (usually quite different) for a while. Can't seem to mix them up very often. The length of the binges probably defines my preferences, with thriller, action/adventure, and mysteries being at the very top.
 

JJsmiles

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I enjoy historical fiction and romance. I haven't read mystery in a long time but I have enjoyed it in the past.
 

Aimless Lady

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Non-fiction: Autobiographies, biographies, and books on history.
Fiction: Mystery (historical) and romance (historical or contemporary).
 

Shadow_Ferret

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Depends on where my ADD is pushing me. I'll get into a Sci-Fi kick, then suddenly I lose interest and I'm on a mystery kick, then over to fantasy, then to literature, then westerns, then back to Sci-Fi, then pulps, then thrillers, then who knows?
 

DocMac

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I used to read fantasy and science fantasy only. Then I discovered paranormal romance! I've since branched out to romantic suspense and a little contemporary romance and light mystery. My job is the biggest thing that drives my reading choices. I do a lot of heavy science reading and it can be a pretty emotionally draining career. So when I get home I want something light and happy. When I pick up a romance, I know I'm going to get that happy ending.
 

LadyDae

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Right now I'm on a YA Contemporary kick, along with some YA dystopia. People say YA's not a genre and really it's not. However, specifically in Contemporary YA, there's just something universal about reading about a teenager who thinks they have the world all figured out only to find out they don't. I think we all can relate to that and it's less taboo in YA because we expect adults to generally have things figured out, otherwise they're childish (unless it's a mystery or thriller or something). But in YA, it's okay to be confused, it's okay not to have all the answers, it's okay to have an identity crisis, and it's okay not to know where you've been and where you're going. That JMHO of course. Feel free to disagree.
 

Buffysquirrel

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You also wanted to know why. Well, I blame John Brunner. I read his Telepathist as a child and I've been searching ever since for a book that would amaze me in the same way. Occasionally, I find one--and not always in SF, either.
 

Andrea Rittschof

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Oh, wow, I have to choose? I love mystery and fantasy is very close to my heart. The Narnia books spoiled me and made me dream of other worlds, even within our own. I like Sci-fi as long as it is mixed with good characters. Too much technology will bog it down for me. And selectively romance
 

Lilfairy

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I've been trying to read a little of everything but I tend to gravitate towards fantasy, westerns and the odd historical romance.

I also find that if I finish reading a book with an ending that I didn't like, I'm more likely to pick up a romance afterwards.
 
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ishtar'sgate

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For many years the genre I read almost exclusively was mystery. I loved solving puzzles. I still love a good mystery but now my reading choices are pretty eclectic and about the only genre I don't read is romance.
 

Squids

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Fantasy/horror. I love me some non-fiction too. Mostly historical stuff.
 

Kalliopaea

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My current favorite genre is the series romance from Harlequin Presents. For now. But my bookshelves are full to overflowing with books of every genre. Horror/thriller (Stephen King), romance, suspense (John Grisham), action/adventure (including Count of Monte Cristo and Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas), classics like Rebecca and Gone with the Wind, and even nonfiction (mostly biographies of Al Capone and the Chicago Gangsters if the Roaring Twenties).
 

KellyAssauer

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Mainstream, contemporary and literary, because I enjoy the modern settings and issues. I don't read much genre fiction, but I have read some science fiction, mystery and romance.
 

dolores haze

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I like 'em all. I'm kind of a binge reader. I read nothing but contemporary romance for a month, followed by six thrillers in a row, then two historicals, and am now on a fantasy kick. Gearing up for a non-fiction splurge.
 

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Either true crime or autobiography. I'm much more of a non-fiction reader and always have been. These are probably my two favorites but I don't know if I have a good answer to why other than I enjoy reading them.
 

Darron

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Right now, I find myself torn between fantasy and westerns.

If your viewing tastes match your reading preference then I imagine the show Firefly is right up your alley.

I'm into the fantasy stuff myself, but I prefer it to all take place on one world, and I want to know everything about it. The more details the better and that messes with my own writing. I know not to give a giant info dump, but sewing it in here and there is just so hard because I want to say, "But that's not all! ..."
 
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