Every Sunday I try to find a bookish topic and discuss. Have an idea for a discussion post? Let me know in the comments below or email me at christinathebookreader@gmail.com
Today I want to discuss reading things out of your comfort zone.
For me, my comfort zone is YA fantasy. I will read most anything in this genre - high fantasy, fae, urban fantasy, dystopian fantasy, etc. I have a few other genres that I really like as well, but let's say for now that I mostly love fantasy. And that is really evident when you look at my shelves.
I never used to read anything except what I picked for myself. Getting review requests and being on social media has really helped me open my eyes to the bookish world lately. I have read more paranormal (which I used to be totally opposed to) and a lot more contemporary. Before, I used to read some classics, but never any contemporary YA. And I have found some wonderful books this way.
I have also noticed that reading broader gives me more insight when I write my reviews, and it helps my creative process when writing my own books. Is my preference still fantasy? Of course. But I'm willing to try most anything now. Is my preference YA? Yes. But that is mainly because of chapter lengths, book length, pages not having so many words they hurt my already blind eyes, etc.
So when I'm looking on goodreads for new books (because we all need more books, even if we have 200 on our TBR already...) I try to keep an open mind. Does the story sound interesting? Does it have good reviews?
Do you read outside your comfort zone at all?
This year I discovered several new genres because I was reading outside my comfort zone. One that's particularly affected my reading is science fiction. I've always liked it, but never on the epic level that I've been finding myself enjoying. Space operas, for example, are totally drawing me in and I never thought they would.
ReplyDelete