You can't be that huge of a fantasy fan, given your comments about quality and repetitiveness. There's a lot of good work in the genre, and a lot of diversity. Sounds more like you're a huge fan of consistently reading the same type of relatively low-quality, derivative fantasy novels. Like you have a shelf full of Forgotten Realms novels or something.
That's a little rude. I'm well aware the genre has diversity--that's why I love it. I meant that the mainstream presentation of fantasy is pretty narrow-thus it's a pleasant surprise to find so many people have looked beyond that. I can't shop in (chain) bookstores much because they often only carry the derivative stuff. But perhaps it's just my location. (Though I'm inclined to think it's more than that--when I've mentioned to people in the publishing industry that it's my favorite genre, they look at me like I'm worthless.) Edit: I do see my wording was tangled in my first post. Sorry about that.
I love regular YA I guess as well as those with a paranormal twist ( novels by Meg Cabot especially) and also romance and chick lit , but with characters of college age, between 18-23, because I'm 21 and reading about thirty year old career driven woman who wants a husband is not really something I can relate to at my age, even if sometimes I'll read books like that. I also like anything with paranormal in it. Oh and historical romances or just historical novels in general.
I wish we could choose more than one genre. Fantasy is always the top choice for me but I like horror stories a lot too. actually I prefer fantasies that have an element of horror in them. I also enjoy Science fiction and crime novels, hell I'm even thinking about exploring erotica as well.
I always find myself drawn to Transgressive fiction books. That and horror. I suppose I just like flawed characters and dark stories.
I read just about everything. I love reading. I suppose fiction is my favorite broad genre. I can't narrow it down anymore than that. I like stories that engage my emotions and take me to the world in which it is written.
Fantasy is my favorite by far, but I also like classics (which vary in genre, yet I think of them as one genre) a lot. I read other genre's as well, just not as often.
I read fantasy the most but I also like science fiction, crime/thriller, horror, romance and western. And I occasionally read non-fiction as well.
I started reading the beginning of this thread, way back in ...2006, was it? Interesting to compare the early posts with more recent ones. Fantasy still seems to dominate the favourites list, but there is a lot more diversity in the later posts. I wonder if this means our forum is more diverse than it was when it started? I'd like to think so. Me? Well, I am usually drawn first to Historical fiction, especially the kind that involves characters who live in a particular time period that is realistically portrayed, rather than a story about famous people from the past (although I do like some of this as well.) I have a few favourite historical periods, but if the story and characters are strong, I'll read historical fiction from any period. I'm very fond of realistic stories about the American West (NOT genre shootemup Westerns, which I don't like, unless the author's name is Elmer Kelton) and my favourite authors who wrote about that period are James Welch, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and AB Guthrie. I also love Sci-Fi when it makes me think about either 'what's out there' or 'how do we get out there' or 'what will life be like centuries from now.' I do subscribe to the adage that the best sci-fi is about Earth, though. Somewhere in my favourite sci-fi, there are always human beings. I don't read Romance, but I'm a sucker for a good love story within any book that I read. I have always been a big fan of Mary Stewart, who, technically, was a Romance/Mystery writer who was a bestselling author in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Her ability to create atmosphere and extremely likeable characters is one I've always wanted to emulate. However, her best books, in my opinion, are the ones she wrote featuring the man who might have been the real Merlin, back in the Dark Ages. In the same vein, I'm a fan of Rosemary Sutcliff. In general, what makes me love any book are the characters. If they are memorable and believable, and their interactions are fascinating, then you've got me. I read occasional Fantasy, but I'm very VERY picky. It's got to be non-derivative and groundbreaking for me to really enjoy it, and I'm not a huge fan of the supernatural in my stories. I loved LOTR when I read it as a teenager, but so much fantasy that came afterwards was an attempt to recreate it. Mistake. My current favourite Fantasy writer is Joe Abercrombie, who turns most fantasy tropes on their little pointed heads. I was also a big fan of His Dark Materials, by Phillip Pullman—mainly because the POV characters were so well developed, and it was impossible to guess what would happen next. And of course I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett, but he's not exactly fantasy, unless you'd call Gulliver's Travels fantasy. I also have a huge collection of folk tales from around the world. I've loved these since I was a very young child, and they continue to fascinate me. So much basic wisdom contained in these superficially simple stories. Not a fan of Thrillers, Horror, Mystery, etc. In fact, I don't read them. I used to read Agatha Christie mysteries when I was young and still living in the USA, but it was the Britishness of the setting that appealed to me. I never gave a hoot who the murderer was.
I wish I'd seen this poll before I raised the thread 'Westerns - Dead or Alive' this week. Oh well...
I'd say fantasy, but I honestly don't enjoy a lot of the fantasy novels I read. I think I've come to realize I like a lot of genres with fantastical elements.
I'm a sucker for romance. I love it. I love a happy ending. However, I do depend upon trials and tribulations along the way, that's what keeps me hooked. I read a book recently where the female character died from cancer (Cheery, I know) and the love of her life killed himself to be with her. It was not your typical ending and often these types of outcomes are frowned upon but for some reason, itworked, it made sense to me, in a twisted, yet desperately sad kind of way. I don't know, maybe I'm not well. I have tried reading fantasy but unless it has a great love story, bubbling away in the background, I can't allow it into my world of hugs, kisses and damn right happiness.
Hist fic all the way! I think when I was little it might have been fantasy. I'm not quite sure what happened since then.
Hm... I go through phases upon my reading preferences. Sometimes I need mystery and I don't stop searching and reading mystery books until I get the "right one", sometimes crime, etc. I like fantasy but it's so so damn hard to find a fulfilling one. I like historical fiction too, but mostly set on ancient times. Adventure stuff. I read whatever genre. The longest phase I've gone through though was about a decade ago, when I was fixed on gothic. I only read gothic, I breathed gothic, I dreamed gothic. Funny thing is that I never was into the Gothic trend culture. (Meaning, I was never a Goth). I only liked the books.
I did the same with respect to literature. I also like goth-type music (of various genres), but I've never been into adopting the trappings of goth subculture. My ex-gf was a DJ at a goth club, so she was all into it, but I'd just show up at the club as my usual self, which is nothing exciting. The community were all very nice, I have to say.
I like reading general fiction but also books based on real events, sometimes biographies too... And even though in the past I loved to read science fiction and fantasy, lately I'm not too much into it.
I dread this question; so I'll go with the most books I have of a particular genre- Psychological Murder Mysteries
