Todays Musing Mondays asks us…
How has your reading changed over the years? Have you started reading more “meaty” books (books with more substance)? Or, have you gone to more “fluffy” reads? Perhaps you’ve done neither, and you’ve just always read the same type of thing! If that’s the case, why? Are you willing to step out of your reading ‘comfort zone’ and try something new? What would you recommend to someone who needed to “branch out”?
My reading has most definitely changed over the years. I used to be more interested in what I now call ‘fluff reads’ than I used to be and I used to like Harlequins and stuff like that-never read them now.
I’m not sure when my reading tastes changed. I think they did a lot when I joined my book club because people would suggest reads and I’d look them up and read them if they sounded good. Then I started hanging out reading reviews on online stores and that got me more interested in different books too. Now, with blogging, the sky is the limit. I get so many good recommendations that I can’t keep track of them anymore.
I’m always willing to leave my comfort zone for a book because I don’t think I really have a comfort zone. I enjoy so many different kinds of books-general fiction, historical/Biblical fiction, horrors and many others. I’m not keen on romance but at the same time I would give one a try. The only thing I won’t read and won’t change my mind on is self help type of books. I read a book to escape and enjoy and I just don’t find that those types of books do that for me at all.
So, what about you…have your reading tastes changed? What kinds of books are your favorites-are you willing to leave your comfort zone for a good read? Join in the fun and leave me a comment.
I’ve always been pretty good about reading across genres (well…certain ones anyway), but I agree with what you say about the sky’s the limit due to blogging. I’ve definitely stretched myself a lot in the past year.
Hey, there girl!
Mine have definitely changed. Like you, not as much fluff.
My fluff was chick lit, especially British chick lit. Though I still adore Becky Bloomwood and plan to finish the Shopaholic series when the mood strikes (I’ve read the first three and #4 is waiting on the shelves.)
I’ve really came to love and appreciate literary fiction.
I couldn’t read nothing but, I need some nice easy breathers in between, but I’d say that in the past 2-3 years it’s became my favorite genre.
I’m also back to reading historical fiction (thanks to Philippa Gregory) which is something I read in middle school and high school then spent 15 years away from.
Hey Dar…good Musing Mondays blog!
I have a very large span of interests. I like His. fiction, Travel, some Horror, fiction, Non Fiction, Chick Lit. Christian,
Not so much mysteries or Romance, and I really don’t like book that take place in Eng. but if someone recommended one that they thought I would like I would prob. try it. I rarely go out of my “comfort zone” unless someone really thought I would like it.
I have definitely broadened my reading horizons because of book blogging and school. I was a fluff/main stream readers as well. I still enjoy them completely because you can count on them being good.
I never read “fluff” books really…but in my twenties I was big on thrillers. Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I also enjoyed the classics..mostly because I was still in College getting my degree.
My taste in reading began to change once I had my first kid. I needed more substance and actually craved intellectual stimulation. I wanted books with a purpose. That is also when I joined my book group so that helped.
Now, I have very little patience for “simple” books. I want more complex characters and plot. Personally, I think for me it’s an age thing.
Trish, I know from reading your reviews that you dip into everything too-it makes reading so much more exciting.
Shana, my fluff is still chick lit. I do enjoy a good chick lit novel and when I’m looking for something lighter-that’s the direction I head for. I’ve been lucky with the last few historical fiction books-they’ve been good. I have another review going up today.
Hi Yasmin 🙂 Thanks for popping in.
Wendy, you read across a wide range also. I will read something recommended to me also if someone thought I’d really like it.
Bree, I agree and sometimes you just need something you know will be good.
Ti, I used to love Thrillers also and still do although I’m partial to Stephen King of years ago, not so much now. I agree with you on it being an age thing maybe for some people. I became the same, I wanted books that offered me more.
My percentage of fluff and meaty reads have stayed pretty constant over the years. I tend to read mainly literary fiction, but we all need a fluffy thriller every now and then!
Lenore, absolutely. I’ve been reading some pretty heavy ones of late so I’m reading one a bit lighter now or I hope it is anyway. lol.
I think my tastes have changed too. In a way I’ve always liked reading a bit of everything, but these days I am more likely to branch out. My favourite genre continues to be fantasy, but I also read lots of other things. And this year I was surprised with the realization that I really enjoy non-fiction.
Nymeth, that’s what I love so much about your blog-all the fantasy type reviews, they are always so great. You do read a wide range of books though.
I have definitely changed Dar. I read a lot of romance type best seller stuff in the 80’s and 90’s. But I have to say I am open to lighter reading…. oh but I always feel the need to have a balance of classics, modern, and what not…This had been a bad year for reading for me… I battle with reading over knitting and vice versa.. thank goodness for audio books. 🙂
Toni, that’s where I’ve done ok this year. With not being able to knit, I’m reading more. I do miss the knitting and crocheting though. You read a really good mix.
My choices have flip-flopped all over the place during the years. I’ve been through different stages of concentration – light mystery, romance (which I do not care for very much now), thrillers, then Christian books of all sorts, and back to thrillers – which leads me to now where I have tried to branch out and take a taste of everything (thanks mainly to book clubs and blogging). I still have my favorite genres, but I’m more well-rounded now and it’s easier to venture out of my comfort zone. Unlike you, I do like self-help books, but I don’t read them like I read a novel. I read them over a month or longer – little bits at a time.
I’ve always read different genres, but since I’ve started reviewing books, I’m more open to trying something different. I just read my first urban fantasy. Not a genre I prefer, but it wasn’t a bad experience. I still can’t read Harlequin romances. I got my fill of them in my early teens. That’s all that was in my gram’s house to read!
–Anna
http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com
Anna, that urban fantasy book you read would definitely be out of my comfort zone. As for the Harlequins they used to be the rage when I was young. I admit to reading a lot of them then because my mom had a pile of them at home all the time.