Do you ever wonder about the kinds of books you’re reading? Or even which reviews catch your interest? I read books mainly in the young adult category, but I’ve noticed that I immensly prefer some genres of writing over others (this is not to say I read those genres exclusively. I do go outside my comfort zone…there’s good stuff outside there!); usually fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, dystopian and post-apocalyptic (and any combination of them is always wicked).
Have you ever stopped to think about why you prefer one genre over another? Why you might not like another at all? I hadn’t, not really. What is about certain storylines that draw us in and catch our interest? I figured out my reason:
Escapism.
I live in the normal world all day, every day. When I escape into a book, I don’t want to be reminded of everyday worries and problems, or normal high school (or life) issues. I want magic, brooding misunderstood male characters, powerful and clever female characters and mass amounts of magical creatures. A fight between good and evil is always welcome, a quest is usually a good time and you know you’re in for a treat with an unknown heritage/destiny/falling down the rabbit hole. I think the idea of the supernatural – of magic, in some form or another – appeals to the ever-present kid in me. It’s a form of escapism, yes, but it also works my imagination and think of “what if?” and “could there be?”
Princesses, fairies, dragons, witches, wizards, werewolves, vampires, zombies…I love it all. Fantasy gives me something I can’t get in real life, and that’s why I like it. Same with science fiction. Aliens, other planets, alternate realities, robots, cyborgs, artificial intelligences, time travel, really cool technology…it’s amazing. It always sets my mind soaring and wishing we had, or could do, it all now, and that it isn’t all just speculation. I’d love to be able to fly out into space and discover alien races; to beam from one place to another; to have the internet directly wired to my brain or a whole host of other things that I can’t even begin to think of until I read it in a good book (of course, science fiction often gives that nice danger element to a story that gets your blood racing).
Dystopia and post-apocalypse, on the other hand, aren’t so good for escapism, but they are good for giving me a shivery, creepy, hopeful feeling. I enjoy reading about different ways authors can think up to end the world, or to make when/where we live now seem better than anything we might get in the future. I love seeing their ideas of a perfect society, and then the underlying causes that make that society not so ideal (and throwing together a post-apocalyptic dystopia is a sure way to guarantee a read from me). I think these genres are a way for me to appreciate what I have, and that it could be so much worse. But also, it scares me. I’d rather worry about where the world could end up in 50 or 100 years than about the crazy chainsaw slasher guy living down the street.
So, I know my reasons for reading certain genres and what attracts me to them, but what about you? What’s your genre (or genres) and why? (or do you not stick to a certain genre?)
Bookshelf Bites 
The fantasy and supernatural genres are perfect for escapism. I don’t have a particular genre, although I do go through cycles. Some months I want nothing but horror, others historical fiction, or I crave strange nonfiction for stretches at a time.
That’s a good way to go about it – read a large chunk in one genre at a time and then move on for a bit. That way you get a taste of anything (is there any genre you won’t read at all?).
I genre cycled back in middle and high school. There was one year I read nothing but fantasy (I devoured the Sword of Truth, Wheel of Time, Belgeriad/Mellorean, Chronicles of Amber, etc), and then one summer I was addicted to Harlequin Romances. I’ve done a chick lit stage and a paranormal romance stage, too.