Community Chat

[Honeybit]

I read for pleasure and entertainment for my brain and not for keeping up with whoever deems "you must read this to be considered well-read." (I always had trouble just finding somebody who was interested in talking about books, much less who had any concept of being "well-read" !) I enjoy a variety of fiction -- historical, science-fiction/fantasy, some Westerns, some mystery-suspense, humor, sagas -- but turn immediately away from anything that says on the flyleaf it's about "dark family secrets" or other sorts of really dark and painful realities and violence. Like SydneyH, I can enjoy almost anything that's well written and that's peopled with characters who really come alive on the page and aren't just cardboard cutouts shoved around by the author to meet the needs of the plot. Mostly I find that I'm more drawn to older books and seldom enjoy the books that turn up on the best seller lists or "new and hot" tables at the book store. I joined a Book Club about four years ago to share interests with other book lovers; I was surprised to find that it's rare that the books most of them really love appeal to me and was even more surprised that they automatically reject long books. Given a choice, I'll pick a long book over a short one every time -- if the author has something to say and I enjoy the company of the characters, I like having a long time to spend with them.

[sunala]

No, I don't read just anything. There are certain books I won't even consider reading. I'm also influenced by the cover, I'm ashamed to say.

I won't open a book if I see:

Teeth dripping blood

A knife dripping blood (I guess anything dripping blood lol)

Books described as a "sweeping saga"

Books about mental illness

Books about drug addiction

Bodice-rippers

Books about zombies

Books over about 600 pages.

There are many others but this is all I can think of now.

Good topic!

[esmerelda]

I don't like horror. I've read Swan Song and The Stand and others with that level of "horror"...they're about as scary as I care to read. I don't "get" the attraction to vampires and zombies. I don't like super sweet, predictable romances.

I like stories about relationships, friendships, multi-generational sagas. One of my all-time favorite books is "...And Ladies of the Club." I read it when it was new and I still count it among my favorites.

There are other categories I don't like and do like. Can't think to include all of them here, now.

If I read (somewhere...back of the book, inside flap, review, etc.) that a story is set in Ireland or Scotland, for sure, maybe England, I don't even open it. Not sure why...maybe I had a bad experience there in a previous life.

I enjoy the occasional non-fiction true-crime, science or political book, too.

[walkingal]

I tend to read the same type of genres. Last year I got hooked on Anne Tyler and Jodi Picoult. My father passed away last year, and their books (and other authors whose books were about grief, loss of a parent, loneliness, etc) really spoke to me. I also enjoy from time to time Romance and Mysteries. I also discovered Daniel Silva last year after reading The English Girl. I've started reading his Gabriel Allon series. Love them. And I have a huge crush on Gabriel! lol!

[RINGER]

No way!! There are far too many choices out there and I am very selective so some books just by virtue of their titles or what they are about, I can and do pass easily!

[Sooner]

I mostly avoid those "Oprah Books" like the plague--those sort of sad-sack "women"s" stories she likes. I mostly don't care for Sci Fi, Romance, or a lot of popular fiction.

I like history, biographies (mostly NOT of movie stars), the classics in literature, and great writing. Most often for me it is about the writing. I like the "getting there" more than then story! I want to read something that makes me think but can't abide pop philosophy or authors of the "self-help" genre.

Mysteries and police novels are an occasional diversion, and even some cozy mysteries once in awhile. I like Southern novels if good--Pat Conroy, Dorothea Benton Frank's funny little books, and a few of the Anne Rivers Siddons wild tales! Conroy's Beach Music was one of my favorite books ever!!!! Wish there were more like it!

[Honeybit]

I am right there with sunala except for the "books over about 600+ pages" -- as I said, given a choice of two books, I'll try the larger one every time. Thanks, qualitygal, for starting this topic. It's really fun to see what all the other book lovers have to say.

[depglass]

I joined a book club at our library just to broaden my horizons. I tend to read mysteries and political books only. Romance, absolutely not. Science fiction, absolutely not. I get a lot of good book reviews from Jon Stewart. Last night he had Bob Gates and "Duty."

[abbalulu]

I must say that I will read most anything but I tend for the most part toward fiction of all kinds. I like mysteries, suspense, historical fiction, medical and legal thrillers, science fiction anything that I find to have a good story or interesting characters. I will also read biographies sometimes. I don't usually read any straight history or science books or other books with lots of facts. I guess I like my reading to be make believe. I don't tend to read self help books because most of that stuff is a rehashing of stuff we already know in our own hearts-sometimes it's just a matter of motivating ourselves to make needed changes and that has to come from within not from a book. My mother used to say if there was nothing else to read my brother and I would read the back of a cereal box-so I guess I would read just about anything.

[joannecha]

I'm trying to broaden my horizons as I now work PT in my local library. Non-fiction was always a no-no in the past, but I'm trying to dig into some of it so that I can recommend to my patrons. As for fiction, in the past, I would read mysteries of any kind, but what I do now is go to B&N or the Amazon web site & look for recommendations. I've found this past year, after finding books on the best seller list that had many glowing recommendations, that I absolutely hated those books. We get a magazine @ the library called, "Book Page" and I go through that every month to look for recommendations also. I also look over books that are being returned @ work & read the jacket to see if it appeals to me. I have to say, I tend to stay away from vampire/zombie tales, which seem to be so popular now, westerns, sci fi (used to love it in my 20's), and what we call "back-bender" or bodice-ripper romances (note the pictures on the front cover).