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Have your genre preferences changed over the years? Or have you always favored certain genres over others?

I used to be a sci fi chick, but I’ve become less of a genre reader over the years. There’s just so much great fiction outside the boarders of genre now...

I, too, used to read sci fi almost exclusively - especially in my teens and twenties. I read alot of old classics (i.e. Dickens, Austen etc.) for a number of years, too. Now, I'm more interested in a much wider mix of genres and styles. There's so much out there that I haven't explored yet.

I've always been pretty omnivorous with my reading. I like everything to some extent, but literary fiction can bug me sometimes. I am sick of unhappy family stories or male coming of age/midlife crisis stuff.

Yes, I feel like “teenage anti-hero overcomes post-apocalyptic scenario�� has been done more than a few times lately.

Adelaide wrote: "I've always been pretty omnivorous with my reading. I like everything to some extent, but literary fiction can bug me sometimes. I am sick of unhappy family stories or male coming of age/midlife cr..."

Adelaide,

I agree about literary fiction. I rarely read it. Usually it's depressing - alot of unhappy families.

Sarah wrote: "Yes, I feel like “teenage anti-hero overcomes post-apocalyptic scenario�� has been done more than a few times lately."

There seems to be so many YA novels with this exact same plot. I've read a few, but now look for more variety in my YA reading.

In my younger years, I was addicted to fantasy and romance novels. Some sci-fi and horror mixed in, but I think I read every fantasy novel in my high school library, along with every book of collected fairy tails. Now that I'm old, I still read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, but very very little romance, other than writers that I just enjoy their books (Nora Roberts, especially as J.D. Robb, for example). Same with horror, to be honest. I read everything Stephen King comes out with, but mostly I skip that genre (though I'm going to read his son's books at some point - he's on my massive 'to read' list!). I'm a bit more eclectic about what I read now, but I also find I'm a lot more picky than I was back then!

Right now I'm going through classics I never read, re-reading series that I love, still a lot of fantasy, toss in some mystery, tons of history and historical fiction (still picky, though), and very little literary fiction. I'm getting more into books written by foreign authors, too. I'll still read most genres, including YA, but I really find myself with no tolerance for poor writing, dull characterizations, and 'jumping on the latest cash cow' band wagon books.

I haven't read for years. So, I guess not, I do enjoy some genres more than others or maybe it all just depends on the book itself. I love them all!

I read a lot of horror when I was young. At my age, though, there's not much that scares me anymore, so horror doesn't work like it used to. Especially with the current trends taking the focus off supernatural entities in favor of pyscho stalker/serial killer/hillbilly cannibal/slasher clown bad guys. I will still read ghost stories and haunted house themes, cosmic horror, stuff like that.

I've never been a big fan of sci-fi, just some light stuff, like Michael Crichton's Timeline and Jurassic Park.

The only mysteries I've ever been able to get into were the Dick Francis and Rita Mae Brown novels. Apparently I only like the mysteries that involve horses in some way.

I've been reading a lot of fantasy lately, mostly 20th century novels, but also some older classics by Lord Dunsany and William Morris.

I also side with the group members who don't care for depressing and melodramatic literary fiction. And, if I see one more YA novel where young people battle the forces of evil to save the world........I just may come down with a bad case of the vapors.

Georgina wrote: "I read a lot of horror when I was young. At my age, though, there's not much that scares me anymore, so horror doesn't work like it used to. Especially with the current trends taking the focus off ..."

If you like animals and mysteries, definitely give Carole Nelson Douglas' Midnight Louie books. At least the first few. I have a tendency to get bored with series that just never end, so I think she stretched them out way too far, but Louie is such a cool cat!

Also, give Kat Richardson's Greywalker series a try. Terrific paranormal/occult spooky stuff mysteries, and the world is well built and the mechanics of it are well done and interesting takes on an overused genre. Strong female heroine who isn't an idiot, too. :)