Reading Preferences

Writers often find it easier to describe their fiction or creative non-fiction genres by telling you about their reading preferences. You will find mine on Goodreads, but here are the kinds of books I read (or avoid) and excuse me if my interpretation of genres isn’t entirely accurate—I’m certainly not a scholar of literature.

1. Most of all, I love original, well-crafted stories and characters. That could be any genre, but my preference is mostly for the unconventional. I like atmospheric stories and extra points if there is a touch of the bizarre, a sprinkling of the macabre, or some dark humour. Character-driven stories appeal to me, especially if they take place on the periphery of mainstream society. And magical realism is something I am drawn to.

2. I enjoy the macabre. I’m a fan of Edgar Allan Poe or Guy de Maupassant. Shirley Jackson and Priya Sharma (some Stephen King). I am not keen on what you may call true horror, books where horror is the main aim … too disturbing for me. And I’m never drawn to transgressive fiction, where being transgressive is the aim.

3. Speculative fiction? I’m not entirely sure I know what it is, but I often find myself liking books labelled as such, because of the mystery and slightly magical elements.

4. I like mystery, thriller and crime when it’s off-centre, like the screenplay Fargo, or when the suspense is well-crafted like in Thomas Harris’s books.

5. In contrast I don’t like the flood of crime novels where the detective is of the hard-boiled kind with a drinking problem, problematic relationships and a love interest that never works out. There always exceptions … I found the detective series with Tennison (series Prime Suspect) compelling, but maybe she wasn’t that kind of policeperson. And it’s so well-written.

6. Sci Fi can be fun but it’s not my first choice.

7. I’m not mad about general fantasy with dragons, weird worlds, etc. But I did like the Harry Potter movies once my nephew explained them to me! And I do read stories that become dreamy, surreal, have the odd ghost or creature from another world 😊.

8. Memoirs … not usually, but I know what a difficult genre this is to write. If they about celebrities or politicians….I rarely find that interesting. But if it’s someone who has a worthwhile story to tell, especially if they on the periphery of organised society, I’m all ears. And as for autobiographies, almost never.

9. Romance, where it gets in the way of a story, is some of my worst. I can’t remember if I ever read a ‘romance’ novel where romance was at the centre. I’m talking about modern ‘romcom’, ‘romantasy’, or erotica type genres. Would ‘Jane Eyre’ be a romance novel? I loved reading it a couple of years ago and I wouldn’t call it romance, but maybe a literature expert would say it’s a romance sub-genre of literary fiction. Whatever. And I wouldn’t say “Call Me By Your Name” is a plain romance novel either.

10. The genre that least appeals to me is … self-help. To be fair, there are some worthwhile reads. But they’re rare and certainly not self-indulgent. I’m averse to reading or listening to self-importance. I’d rather unblock a toilet.