Friday, March 24, 2017

Through The Years: How My Genre Preferences Have Changed


When I look back on my reading habits over the last 5, 10, and even 15 years, I can easily see that I'm not the same reader I used to be, and the biggest change has been in the genres I read.

When I was in high school, I somehow came across a list of 100 or so classic novels, and I became obsessed with reading my way through it.  I don't have the list anymore, but I know I read a fair number of them.  I even still own most of those books, although I haven't read them in years.  Of course, there are some classics that I still haven't read, but I'm glad that at least at one point in my life, I was exposed to these important works beyond what was required in my classes and enjoyed them.  Even to this day, Jane Eyre is still one of my favorite books.

During my college years, my time for fun reading was drastically reduced.  Between my courses and extracurriculars, there wasn't a lot of free time.  However, I do recall spending some Friday nights in the student center, reading Anna Karenina on one of the couches, so I guess my love of the classics was still going strong at that point.  I also remember reading The Pillars of the Earth, a novel about the construction of a cathedral in the Middle Ages, for a course on medieval Europe.  It was a nice change from our somewhat dry textbooks to read historical fiction.  I still own the copy I bought for my class and reread it from time to time.

After college, I moved out on my own for the first time and realized there are a lot of hours to fill when you live by yourself.  I still loved history, reading and learning about it, so sometimes I read nonfiction.  I discovered author Erik Larson, who writes amazingly readable but thoroughly researched nonfiction.  I also read a lot of historical fiction; Philippa Gregory became one of my favorite authors.  In addition, my love of smart chick lit began, Emily Giffin and Lauren Weisberger in particular.

Now that I'm in my early 30s, I find myself branching out in terms of what genres I read.  I still read a lot of historical fiction and chick lit, but I've also added contemporary fiction and YA to the mix.  Mystery/thriller is yet another genre that I am constantly reading.  Basically, these days, I'm open to trying most things at least once; if it looks interesting, I'll give it a shot. 


What are your favorite genres to read?  Have your tastes changed over the years?



22 comments:

  1. My tastes have definitely changed. I think more I have branched out more to some non-fiction - especially memoirs, some sci-fi and fantasy. Still I love my go to genres of women's fiction, YA and suspense/thrillers.

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    1. Yes, I definitely have must-read genres as well, but I'm more open to trying new things!

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  2. When I was a teenager, I pretty much only read adult horror and wilderness survival stories. I still read those, but I’ve branched out. Now I read a lot of nonfiction, literary fiction, classics, children’s books, and YA.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. You are such a well-rounded reader! I should try to read more classics. I reread Jane Eyre and Gone with the Wind a lot, but I really should read others.

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  3. My three favorite genres are historical fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. But up until maybe 3 years ago the most I read was YA. Mostly YA fantasy but a whole lot less than I used to. And I've been reading nonfiction more also. :)

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    1. I love historical fiction as well. I've been wanting to branch out more in terms of non-fiction, but I can be so picky about it! Like, memoirs are really hit-or-miss for me.

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  4. I've been getting into the classics too, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Good Night Moon.

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  5. I'm much more into Fantasy and Sci-Fi. At first I only read thrillers/detectives

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    1. There are so many great books out there, it's awesome to branch out and try new things because we might be missing something amazing!

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  6. I was always fantasy/ SF growing up but I've branched into mysteries/ thrillers and YA, even contemporaries and an occasional cozy mystery. I also read historical non fiction for a while but I haven't lately. I still like fantasy/ SF but my tastes have definitely changed over the years...

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    1. It definitely seems like a lot of people start to branch out as they get older!

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  7. My tastes have definitely changed a lot. When I first started reviewing books, it was all thrillers and then I went to all contemporary romance...and now I'm trying to be a little bit better about mixing it up. I read romances, Young Adult, Thrillers, Fantasy, etc.

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    1. Mixing it up is a great way to appeal to a broader market of readers! I read a lot of thrillers, but sometimes they are so hard to review because I don't want to give too much away!

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  8. I don't think my tastes have changed so much? I've always been drawn towards fantasy and science fiction since I was a kid ..Mysteries have always been there too but not as prominent as SFF..I need to start reading some contemporaries actually! I haven't read many..Also my cousin has a copy of Pillars of the Earth and I couldn't get past the first chapter..Would you say it gets better? Should I give it a go again? (I'm going to start watching the TV series)And I also heard it has a sequel?

    Great post Angela :)

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    1. Pillars of the Earth does get better, but it's definitely a commitment - it's very long and takes place over decades! There is a sequel, it takes place a couple hundred years later, I believe - none of the same characters, but the setting is the same. The miniseries was pretty good!

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  9. I've never been a nonfiction person and also never much of a classics person. In middle and high school I had pretty varied taste as far as fiction went though. In the past few years, I've really narrowed down to pretty much just sci-fi/fantasy, though I find my tastes within those genres, like subgenres and whatnot, changing and expanding constantly!

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  10. for years I read classics, literary fiction, some hard sci-fi and fantasy. As an English major my leisure reading time was greatly reduced and pretty much only had time for assigned texts. I remember stumbling across MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews and thought it sounded really clever. Urban Fantasy was a totally foreign genre to me but I fell in love with it instantly. Fast forward a few years and I read a larger variety of genres, but I have to say the UF is definitely the favorite.

    Inkling's latest: What are you're Comfort Reads?

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    1. I love finding a new genre - it opens up a whole new world of books I never even knew existed!

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  11. My tastes have definitely changed as well! I think I read in phases - I've had a romance phase, a thriller/horror phase, a dystopian phase and now I'm pretty much in a fantasy with a bit of contemporary phase. With a different genre thrown in every so often :) Curious to see how my tastes will still evolve!

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    1. I know, right? I wonder what I'll be reading in 5 years!

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!