Friday, December 9, 2016

Book Blogger Hop No. 78: Reading Genres


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hosted by Billy @


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This Week's Question

 What is your best guess that you
won't be changing the genres
you're currently reading?

(submitted  by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)



My Answer

While it might sound great to read outside one's comfort zone(s), I really don't see myself doing that. There are genres that I simply love to read, and will never abandon, while there are others that, quite frankly, just literally turn my stomach.

There are two genres that I will always stay away from, no matter what. The first one is the horror genre. Although I do enjoy reading about vampires, werewolves, and other paranormal creatures, I still don't like to read horror. So I enjoy reading about these creatures in paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Furthermore, most of the time these books turn out to be in the Young Adult Fiction genre, as well. But real, hardcore horror? No, thank you! I don't enjoy being scared, or reading about gross massacres described in all their gory details. I will happily pass on these things!

The other genre you'll never catch me reading is erotica. Yes, I do love to read romance, especially of the paranormal and urban fantasy type, of course. And I don't mind sex scenes. What I do mind, though, is reading about kinky sex. Not my cup of tea at all! Besides, these novels are usually full of such 'goodies' as 'the F bomb', and other types of profanity. I know, because I have indeed attempted to read such novels in the past. I haven't been able to get enthused about them, not even the littlest bit.

As for the genres I love, and will always continue to read, they are: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. I also love YA, of course!! Also, I love to read all of the above genres in their adult and YA versions (as long as I don't come across any profanity).

I also love classics and literary fiction, but I feature these genres in my other blog, MindSpirit Book Journeys. That blog also features nonfiction. In contrast, A Night's Dream of Books is mostly dedicated to YA, although I do review adult books on it, as well. I have stopped featuring nonfiction  though, as I've noticed that most, if not all, of my readers much prefer fiction.

As for mysteries and thrillers, I don't usually read those. The only detective I'm interested in reading about is Sherlock Holmes. I might try reading about Hercule Poirot, the famous hero of Agatha Christie's novels, but Holmes will always remain my all-time favorite!

Thrillers are also not very appealing to me. I do enjoy some suspense, but, in the case of thrillers, that suspense can sometimes border on horror. However, I might be interested in one of these novels from time to time.

At this time of year, I also love to read Christmas romances! These types of books always lift my spirits, and bring me a lot of sweet, romantic, reading moments, not to mention touching ones.

In conclusion, I have to say that I really don't foresee a change in my reading tastes.  Books are supposed to bring one enjoyment, information, and the pleasures of the imagination. So, why would I read any genre that would either put me to sleep, make me want to throw the book at the wall, gross me out, or force me to run screaming from the room? Life is too short for me to torture myself with books that make me cringe for one reason or another, in my honest opinion. Just bring on the books I can dive into and have a hard time crawling out of! For me, these books are in the genres mentioned above.

If any of you readers and bloggers out there enjoy the very genres I can't stand, well, more power to you! There are genres for every reading taste!

Happy Reading to all!!! (And to all a good night!)       



  
 
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10 comments:

  1. Great posy Maria.

    The concept of genres is so interesting. It is a concept that seems to be getting more and more important as reading seems to be getting more and more segmented.

    I often say that a great book is a great book and genre is not so important. Yet there are genres that I also cannot imagine reading, erotica being one of them. On the positive I will always have a special place in my heart for science fiction.

    I hope that you and your family have a great weekend Maria!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Brian!

      Yes, the concept of genres seems to have gotten much more important in recent years. And the YA genre has certainly become very popular, even among adult readers!

      I like this quote from your comment: "I often say that a great book is a great book and genre is not so important." I certainly agree! When I come across an awesome book which is not in one of my favorite genres, I will certainly acknowledge that it is indeed awesome -- well, except if it happens to be in one of my two detested genres. Lol.

      As for erotica, I think most men would not be really into it. It does seem to appeal mainly to women, although why this should be so is totally beyond me. In my opinion, it's just literary porn, and demeans women just as much as visual porn. As you know, I especially HATE "Fifty Shades of Grey"!

      I LOVE science fiction, too, although sadly, I'm not reading much of it at present....but I do want to go back to it. I remember reading a lot of SF books when I was in my early twenties. That was before falling in love for the first time switched my attention to romance novels, lol. I have fond memories of devouring issues of "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction", for instance.

      Thanks for the AWESOME comment!! Sure hope you and your family have a great weekend, as well!! :) :) :)

      Delete
  2. I don't read erotica either, but I do read horror. :) I also read a lot of the genres you do when I am in the mood. :) Great post.

    Stormi
    Friday Memes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Stormi!

      Yeah, erotica just doesn't appeal to me at all. As for horror, you're very brave to read it! Lol.

      Glad to hear you also like most of the other genres I enjoy reading.

      Thanks for the compliment, and the nice comment!! Have a great weekend!! :)

      Delete
  3. I normally don't read erotica either. There's only so much I can take with sex scenes before it goes overboard with it.


    Here’s my Book Blogger Hop!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Ronyell!

      Yeah, erotica is not enjoyable at all for me, either. When sex gets TOO graphic, and kinkiness comes into the picture, all the romance is gone for me!

      Thanks for commenting!! Have a great weekend!! :)

      Delete
  4. I'm not a huge erotica fan either though Stormi does has me interested in horror! I'm not much of a YA fan but I have read some in the last year that were fantastic and I'm hoping to expand on that next year! While I might do some expanding I definitely won't be abandoning any of my genres anytime soon. Love my mysteries and my romances!
    PS If you do read and of Christie's Poirot books I recommend Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile or Appointment. Those are some of my favorites!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Katherine!

      I'm glad that those who have commented so far agree on erotica. As I stated in my reply to Brian, I just don't see the appeal of it. Nor do I see the appeal of the horror genre. But well, there are all kinds of reading tastes out there.

      As you know, I LOVE the YA genre!! There are many TERRIFIC books in this broad category. If you prefer realistic fiction, you can find that in the YA genre, as well.

      I think that most readers prefer to stick with their favorite genres. They might be willing to expand a bit every now and then, but will always return to what they know and love best.

      As for Agatha Christie, I am indeed planning to start with "Murder on the Orient Express", which I know is her most famous novel. Thanks for recommending this one, as well as the other two!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! Hope you have a great weekend!! :)

      Delete
  5. There is definitely something to be said for reading what you enjoy most, especially since we can't exactly spend ALL our time reading. We have to draw the line somewhere, right?

    I find the line between genres to be very thin in a lot of what I read. I enjoy a wide variety and hope that doesn't change any time soon.

    I hope you have a great week, Maria!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Wendy!

      Oh, ABSOLUTELY!! I really don't see the point of torturing myself by reading something I don't enjoy, especially when there are other things to be done as well, as you have pointed out.

      You know, you've made an excellent point about the blurring of genre lines. I think this is becoming more and more common nowadays. Personally, I think it's great, as long as these blurred genres do not include my hated genres! Lol.

      Hope you have a great week, as well! Thanks for dropping by and leaving such an insightful comment!! <3 :)

      Delete

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