Now, I usually say I read across genres and categories but when I looked back at the books I'd read so far this year, I realized this isn't as true as I thought. My go-to genres are historical fiction and mystery/suspense/thriller, in adult and YA/MG categories, and these dominated my choices by far.
After reading an excellent post over at Writer Unboxed - Learning from Reading: Change Up Your Patterns to Gain More by Annie Neugebauer - I realized I'd fallen into a reading rut.
"So my suggestion for writers today is this: change up your reading habits.... If you always read within your writing genre, bust out. If you stick to literary or commercial fiction, try swapping them. Try mixing them. Risk reading a few things you may hate, because that’s also how you find brand new things you love. (And even things we hate have things to teach us.)
Switch up not only the types of books you’re reading, but the format. Always read paperback? Get an e-reader. Always read digital? Try listening to an audiobook...."
Excellent ideas! So, while I've read - and enjoyed! - a few novels outside my usual genres, like Abby Fabiashi's I Liked My Life (women's fiction/contemporary fiction) and Alex George's Setting Free the Kites (literary fiction/contemporary fiction,) I'm going to make a more concentrated effort to try new genres and formats."Experiment with what you’re reading together, too. For years I was utterly convinced that I could only read one book at a time.... Nowadays I routinely have 3-4 books going at once: a paperback novel or collection of shorts, an audiobook, a book of poetry, and a nonfiction book (usually writing craft or research). This strange assortment has inspired some of my finest ideas."
Every once in awhile, I'll add a nonfiction title or a story collection to the novel I'm reading but I usually stick with flipping through magazines. But nothing says I can't settle in with a poem or two instead, right?
Ms. Neugebauer's post has lots of other ideas - too many to mention here! - and I recommend giving it a read. And, in case you can't decide which of her tricks to try, take heart:
"I admit to my stubbornness and foibles here because each time I settled into a pattern, I was convinced I’d found the right one. I realize now, looking at it with a wider lens, that that’s because it was the act of switching up my pattern that sparked the good stuff. Every single reading method, practice, format, and habit is valid and valuable – but none so much as trying them all."
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Are you ready to shake up your reading habits? What will you do first? Anything you'd like to recommend - author, title, format?
I read some in my favorite genres and some of my blogger buddies' books, so I do get a variety.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good system to me!
DeleteI used to do audio books when I traveled, but I'm no longer on the road as much.
ReplyDeleteAlthough most of my reading seems to be digital, there's nothing quite as cozy as reading a paper book, complete with a pillow at my back and a sofa throw over my legs.
I usually have trouble concentrating on audio books, but I'm going to reconsider, try them again.
DeleteAnd I LOVE curling up with a physical book, all cozy. :)
I like to switch up what I read but I do tend to prefer whatever genre I'm writing at the moment. It helps motivate me to write more.
ReplyDeleteSome people say we shouldn't read in the genre we're writing in. I'm no expert, but I'm more into read everything, read widely. :)
DeleteI've made an effort over the past year to read books in different genres and I've been surprised at the ones I've really enjoyed. It's great to shake things up from time to time.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good reminder. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction/women's fiction, but I LOVED the book I mentioned above - I LIKED MY LIFE.
DeleteI like this discussion. My daughter and I had an on again and off again discussion yesterday about which books make us cry. We figured it out by genre. It was interesting. I'm still trying to figure out how it fits into my writing. I think you just gave me the idea for my next blog post.
ReplyDeleteI remember sobbing through ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes (contemporary/women's fiction.) And I pretty much read all of Jeff Zentner's THE SERPENT KING (YA contemporary fiction) with a lump in my throat. So, so good!
DeleteI look forward to reading your post! :)
My tastes in reading are similar to yours, Madeline. I do like to shake it up occasionally. Just finished THE SLEEPWALKER in a day. A friend recently recommended, and sent me a copy of the biography of KICK KENNEDY, so that's a bit out of my comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteWas it THE SLEEPWALKER by Chris Bohjalian? If so, I read it and enjoyed it, too. :)
DeleteI don't read many biographies. Maybe something to consider!
I enjoy paranormal so that's what I read the most of, but I will try something different and it's always refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI'm making more of an effort to try some new things. I recently read a middle-grade contemporary that was just wonderful.
DeleteI bounce around a lot in my reading, mixing non-fiction in with a variety of genres. Like you, I get cranky if I don't get my reading time in. I prefer early morning while I drink my coffee...and that's easy for me since the cat gets me up around 5:30.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to start adding in some more nonfiction.
DeleteI like reading early, too, cup of coffee in hand. :)
Is it wrong to be okay with my rut? Cuz, I am. I'm so okay I can't change. hehehe
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
You do what works for you!
DeleteFor me, shaking things up sometimes - within reason, let's not get crazy! - helps my creativity.
I like to shake up my reading habits now and then. I recently read a Regency Romance. I don't usually go to that genre because it's too tame and proper for me, but I really liked the book. It was light and sweet. Exactly what my brain needed at the time. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't usually read romance, but I have a few books on my list where romance is a bigger part of the story, like romantic suspense.
DeleteI hear you about our brains craving something different now and then. :)
I'm happy with most of my reading habits, but I did add a few differences this year and the end of last year. I've been trying thrillers more regularly, I've added back comic books (I stopped reading them regularly in college), I've read some graphic novels meant for kids because I wanted to see what my youngest cousin is reading (The Amulet series), and I've been reading more bits and jots of non-fiction. I always mix up novel reading with short story reading because I love both.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading, Madeline!
Awhile back, I asked my young nephew what he was reading, then I went ahead and read a few books in the series. I think he liked that. :)
Deletei've broadened my genre horizons by reading writer friends' books =)
ReplyDeleteif you want to try one of my books, i'll give you an e copy for a review! i think each format has its pros & cons, mostly pros!
You're right about the pros and cons of the different formats.
DeleteI was going to say the exact same thing as Tara above - I've tried science fiction and fantasy that I would normally stay away from, because writer friends have written them... and enjoyed them greatly!
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely a lot of great talent around the blogosphere!
DeleteAs I review books across genres, I read all kinds of books from fiction to nonfiction, from MG to Young Adult and thrillers.
ReplyDeleteI bet you're never in a reading rut. :)
DeleteI'm a total fiction junkie, so it always pleases me to find an excellent non-fiction story. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown knocked my socks off. It's not for everyone though as it covers the infamous Donner Party disaster.
ReplyDeleteI think my husband read that one and enjoyed it as well. He reads way more nonfiction than I do. I like nonfiction when it reads like fiction and not a textbook. :)
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