It has been a while since I partook in this particular meme, so I thought would pop over and see what was happening.
This weeks question:
Do you ever feel like you’re in a reading rut? That you don’t read enough variety? That you need to branch out, spread your literary wings and explore other genres, flavors, styles?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Funnily enough I felt I was in a self inflicted rut because of too much choice recently. In terms of not reading enough variety, I have certainly felt like that, I went through a stage in my late teens early twenties of reading ‘aga sagas’ by the bucket load and would consume them, despite the fact that some blended into others and I was not sure really where I was.
After a break from reading after being at university, I discovered it again after about 9 months and was reading quite a lot of chic lit! Then all of a sudden, my tastes suddenly changed to eclectic and variety was the name of the game. A lot more crime novels than I have ever read before, I still like chick lit and aga sagas, but they are spattered few and far between amongst my reading nowadays. Sharing a love of books and reading with my mum and her collection of Agatha Christie’s and her love for du Maurier plus us both having a kindle has taken variety to another level! That what would probably be her answer to the question. Further variety is gathered from having a book blog and following others, so yet again I am reading books I know I would certainly have simply ignored in the past.
The only thing I really do need to spread my wings and branch out to is more classical books, I have tried many years ago to tackle some, but perhaps I was not in the right place to be reading them, now might be another time to try. I talk the talk but will I read the book……
Fancy taking part? Pop over to Booking Through Thursday, and leave a comment and link to your post and let us know whether you are stuck in a genre rut!
The Book Jotter 
I go through phases where I only read one genre but I would like to read more of a variety of books.
Sally.
http://theelifylop.blogspot.com/2011/05/booking-through-thursday-19.html
Hi Jo,
I understand what you are saying..it can become a rut when reading the same genre over and over.
I used to have a rule that I would alternate genres but recently it has mostly been Chicklit and historical romance.
At the moment I am ok with that because I have enjoyed all the books I have read.
carol
Great post Jo,
I know exactly hoe you feel. I often find myself in this predicament. Thanks for giving me a link to this great blog too. I hadn’t heard of it till now 🙂
I think I’ve got to that stage in life when I know what I like and tend to stick to it. I once tried sci-fi and didn’t like it and I’m easily scared so don’t touch the horror genre. I like good (and by that I mean well-written) sagas such as those currently being written by Kate Morton, and the historical/contemporary mix being written by Rachel Hore. For historical fiction, I have yet to find anything I like better than the novels of Katharine McMahon, and for historical crime, then I read Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs books (and anything that comes close in that genre, i.e. the books of the mother & son writint duo, Charles Todd, plus the historical crime by Charles Finch.) New in this genre for me, i.e. historical crime, is Elizabeth Speller and I have very much enjoyed her first two Laurence Bartram books; simply wonderful.
When I want comfort reading, something easy, I turn to the novels of Mary Stewart which have recently been reissued with such lovely covers (although the covers look more late 1940s than early to mid 1960s when most of the books were written.) When not reading fiction in these particular genres – intelligent, mainly female fiction – I read non-fiction: history and social history, travel (for I’m very much an arm-chair traveller), fine arts, architecture, gardening, history of fashion, and so forth. So, yes, I might well be in a reading rut, but it’s one I’m happy to remain in.