What is Your Reading Taste?

Is it important to know your reading taste?
What are the benefits of knowing your reading taste?
Is your reading taste unique to you?
There is NO right or wrong when it comes to reading preferences.
Whatever, you enjoy is the right reading preference for you.

Today, I’m reflecting on the reading life. Why do you read? What are your reading tastes? Let’s consider ten questions to identify your reading tastes. Can you answer these questions?

I’m also linking up today with the 2024 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links or contains links to reviews that contain affiliate links.

1. Why do you read?

• Escape? Relaxation? Information? Armchair Travel? Book Club? Curiosity? Diversity? Boredom? Connection With Other Readers?

There are many reasons to read and I probably read for all the above reasons. I’m an incorrigible mood reader. Sometimes I’m in the mood for gentle “uplit” and at other times, an engaging pageturner. One week I might look for a romance and the next a mystery. One of my strongest motivations for reading is to talk about books with others. I want to know what you are reading now and your favorite reads in the past. I love talking about books and connecting with others who also love talking about books.

2. Nonfiction or Fiction? What is your preferred category or genre/subgenre?

I KNOW I LOVE historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, some literary fiction, and certain memoirs. I dabble in a few other genres and avoid others (no horror, true crime, crime fiction, occult, paranormal, or explicit violence or abuse for me). I don’t particularly enjoy stories of sad people living sad lives. I appreciate literary fiction if it has enough plot to balance out character and/or setting descriptions. Although I love memoirs, I steer clear of most celebrity memoirs (Finding Me is an exception!). If I hadn’t been open to science fiction, I would have missed Project Hail Mary, one of my favorite 2022 audiobook reads. Even in the genres I love, I’m still very picky. You might enjoy my post about being a stubborn reader.

I love narrative nonfiction (nonfiction that reads like a story). My favorites include The Woman They Could Not Silence, The Day the World Came to Town, The Boys in the Boat, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Favorite memoirs include An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth and Finding Me. One self-improvement I enjoyed is Atomic Habits.

If you enjoy historical fiction, what era do you prefer?

Or do you prefer contemporary fiction?

If you enjoy romance, what are your favorite tropes?

Do you have favorite settings? (quaint villages, seaside locations, rural, small towns, etc.)

Do you enjoy realistic fiction or fantasy?

Classics, backlist, or new releases?

Have you identified your preferred genres or subgenres?

3. Are you a HSP? (highly sensitive person)

I KNOW I can’t read explicit violence or abuse (domestic or child). I’m very susceptible to nightmares. On occasion, I can read books that have a gentle side of thriller (The Nature of Fragile Things or Rose Code for example). I prefer not to read overwhelmingly sad or emotional books. Hamnet is the exception. I’m annoyed by some authors who try to manipulate me to “ugly cry” and I’ve learned to avoid them.

Is there certain content that you can’t read?

4. Do you prefer Plot-driven or Character-driven?

I’ve discussed both of these styles in this post. While some readers exclusively prefer page-turning, plot-driven fiction and others prefer more reflective character-driven work, I prefer a BALANCE. I love character development, reflection, and a strong sense of place, but I also NEED action to drive the story. I’m easily bored.

Do you prefer likable or unlikable characters?

How about reliable or unreliable narrators? The Good Sister is an example of an unreliable narrator.

Do you prefer plot-driven or character-driven or a balance?

5. Do you prefer a series or a stand-alone?

I must confess that I fall hard for a good series and I will likely binge-read them. When I do read a book in a series, I like it to read as a stand-alone. In a series, I don’t enjoy lots of “catching the reader up” filler (unless it includes new information); I can also do without cliffhangers (what if I have to wait a year for the next installment?!). Fredrick Backman handles all this expertly in his Beartown series. So, I guess my answer is STAND-ALONE because I also like books in a series to read as stand-alones.

Which do you prefer? A series or a stand-alone?

6. Do you seek out diverse reads?

Do you look for diversity in your reading life? Do you deliberately seek out and promote authors of color? Do you love books from different cultures? Locations? Perspectives? Two recent favorites include Lady Tan’s Circle of Women and All We Were Promised.

What is your last diverse read?

7. Do you enjoy retellings or reimaginings?

I’m not a huge fan, but I will read them selectively. Although some are clever, I prefer original stories.

Do you have a favorite retelling or reimagining?

8. Do you have Pet Peeves?

One of my biggest pet peeves is heavily agenda-driven work. Authors, please let me do my own thinking! Edit out your snide political remarks and anti-religious sentiments. I have DNFed many books and have a list of “authors to avoid” for agenda-driven books. Even if I might agree with or sympathize with the agenda, I don’t appreciate the intrusion of an author’s bias. I wish they would write a nonfiction book on the subject if they feel that strongly.

My list of pet peeves is quite lengthy! Another one is the excessive use of profanity, especially profanity of a religious nature. I’m usually one-and-done with these authors.

What is your number one pet peeve?

9. Are you open to reading out of your comfort zone?

Although I have a few definite genres/categories I will not read, I’m open to trying something out of my comfort zone (especially if it is a recommendation from someone I trust). I say I don’t read sci-fi but I’m thrilled that I took a chance on Project Hail Mary (audio) because now it’s on my lifetime favorites list.

Do you read Middle Grade or Young Adult?

10. Which format or structures do you prefer?

Physical books, electronic books, or audiobooks? I switched from physical to digital a few years ago and rehomed my physical library. Audiobooks are challenging for me….although I have read a few books on audio which I can’t imagine having enjoyed as much in print. One reading tip I have for you is to try switching formats before giving up on a book.

Do you enjoy dual timelines and multiple perspectives?

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QOTD:

Were you able to answer all ten questions?
Do you think identifying your reading taste matters?

It’s my opinion that knowing your reading tastes leads to a more satisfying reading life. More books are available than any one reader can read in a lifetime. Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying. For example, if you don’t enjoy reading about WWII, it’s easy to skip over those by checking book blurbs/summaries

Do you have a book twin?

A book twin is someone whose tastes closely match your own and whose recommendations you trust.

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Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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