I Read…Sunday Salon 6.06.10

I’m sure it is obvious that I love to read. I read whenever I get the chance. Now that I’m working full time again outside the home, reading time is not as frequent as before but I try to read daily even if it’s just a couple pages of my current book read (right now I’m reading Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow and One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare). My favorite reading spots include my reading chaise in my bedroom, outdoors in the sun, and of course when I get a moment of quietness, in a nice warm bath.

I remember my first love of books came from Dr. Seuss which then led to Nancy Drew mysteries (the originals) and the Sweet Valley Twins (the originals) in middle school. In high school the classics (don’t tell my English teachers!) and V.C Andrews (before she died) fascinated me and later I became entranced by the world of Stephen King (Misery was my favorite) and Anne Rice (the Mayfair Witches) in my early college days. As an adult I became hooked in the historical romance and paranormal romance genres.  I love a good story that transplants into a different place and time. I get so engaged sometimes I feel as if I’ve become the main heroine (of course I’d be the heroine!) and will often dream the scene again after reading.

I try to read a variety of books. Books that take me back to another time period or another world fascinate me, thrillers, adventure, and mystery get my heart pumping with excitement and have me solving a puzzling situation. Stories of struggle, discovery, and hope inspire me. And of course I’m a hopeless romantic so I love a good love story. We all know how it ends but the parts that get to that ending are filled with excitement and passion (at least the good ones are).

I’ve listed below some of my favorite genres that I found off Wikipedia (please note that NOTHING below are my own words)…

• Speculative fiction is an umbrella fiction genre generally encompassing the more specific genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history.

• Creative nonfiction (also known as literary or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.”Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, just like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction.”^[1] Forms within this genre include personal essays, memoir, travel writing, food writing, biography, literary journalism, and other hybridized essays.

• Historical romance is set before World War II.^[1] Many historical romances include contemporary attitudes, as, for example, the heroines often have far more education than was the norm in their time period.^[2]This subgenre includes a wide variety of other subgenres, including Regency romance.

• Inspirational fiction – Any good book can be an inspiration, but many of these books highlight people overcoming adversity or reaching new levels of understanding. Whether they pull themselves up by their own bootstraps or have help from a higher power, these books will uplift and entertain you.^[4]

• Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement.

• Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) investigates and solves a crime.

• Classical Literature refers to the great masterpieces of the Greek, Roman, and other ancient civilizations: Homer’s “Iliad,” Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” Virgil’s “Aeneid,” “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, along with works by other ancient writers in epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, pastoral, and other forms.

What’s your favorite genre? Do you like it all or do you have a higher preference for one?