SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

If I don't put some effort into diversifying my reading material, I'd end up reading one scifi book after another. I've forced myself to read a lot of the "big" classics, and enjoyed most of them immensely. Getting some non-fiction into the mix is hard for me, but I've found audio books are good for this.

Does anyone else struggle with this?

I agree completely! It's exactly the reason I joined the "1001 Books to Read Before you Die" group here at GoodReads. It will hopefully prod me into reading something other than fantasy or the occasional science fiction novel. That and seeing what other people are currently reading and adding to their to-be-read list also helps expand my literary horizons. :)

I'm pretty diverse; I tend to not be able to handle too many books of any one genre in a row. If I read too many fantasies in a row, my eyes end up glazing over at the idea of another. I read everything from scifi/fantasy to various mysteries (some hardboiled noir, some lighter), to horror to the classics to general "literary fiction" to courtroom dramas (less of those now that I'm a lawyer! I often wonder if other people feel this way about novels and movies revolving around their profession.) to a few nonfiction things I've found interesting.

Actually, what I DON'T read is probably more clearly defined - romance and chicklit!

Interesting on the short list of what you don't read - romance and chicklit - neither of which I read. I also tend to stay away from horror. While I used to read tons of it when I was younger, it just doesn't appeal to me any more.

I do love a good mystery or thriller, though. Trouble is most of them are so short! I can polish them off in an hour or two and I've usually figured them out way before I finish.

I've worked in the legal field for years (coming up on two decades now) and strangely I've never read courtroom dramas! But I love to watch them. While they don't normally represent what actually occurs in a courtroom, the drama can get very intense.

Shannon

I read a lot of different subject but tend to veer toward sf and fanstay if there is nothng else that appeals to me, but I have a very good library in town which enables me to get top notch regular fiction. My issues usually are that I get tired of fantasy authors or other novelist after a while (when they start to bottom up) so I constantly get new authors -- now I have so many that I feel that I cannot get all the books read that I want to. I do not read horrow and, while I will read a romance, its not very often. Everything else is fair game.

I do think that I try to read one or two serious works of fiction a year though to try to stay with the literary books, but I have a hard time reading old literary classics like the Mill on the Floss or the Mayor of Casterbridge.

There is so much available now that its easy to find something good to read. Typically I weed out the bad books before I start them.

While they don't normally represent what actually occurs in a courtroom, the drama can get very intense.

I'm always dying to see or read about lawyers like me, who do all the behind-the-scenes analysis and research and don't get to do the big, dramatic Compelling Closing Argument. I'm always amazed at how much they accomplish on television without doing any research! ;)

I can polish them off in an hour or two and I've usually figured them out way before I finish.

Length and predicability can be both pluses and minuses for me; sometimes the predictabilty comes from the author laying out clues very expertly, and sometimes it's just a lack of creativity that leaves me rolling my eyes. Although I will admit that I'm usually the last to pick up on the obvious outcome!

Mine is pretty diverse, but it's no longer a struggle. I used to read only fantasy by choice, but these days I can't read just one type of book constantly. There are some types of books I avoid: I absolutely loathe self-help books, and crime/detective/mystery/forensic science books tend to bore me, so I never read the popular generic kind and only occasionally read general fiction with a crime bent to them. At the moment I'm reading a great one called Three Bags Full, which is a sheep detective story! hilarious.

I don't read chicklit either, generally. I tried a Sophie Kinsella book once - The Undomesticated Goddess - and it was pretty awful: predictable, embarrassing, not very funny, full of cliched characters with little depth or development, and a pretty basic plot. I never bothered finishing it.

Jeffrey said: My issues usually are that I get tired of fantasy authors or other novelist after a while (when they start to bottom up) so I constantly get new authors -- now I have so many that I feel that I cannot get all the books read that I want to. I do not read horror and, while I will read a romance, its not very often. Everything else is fair game.

I agree, you can't read too many books by the same author all at once, and I try to read different books at the same time, or after each other. If I've just finished a fantasy book I won't read another one straight away. I used to but now I need more diversity. So I read YA, classics, lit/general fiction, and a bit of non-fiction. Oh and a bit of sci-fi!
I don't read horror either (I always forget that genre!) and I'm selective with romance. I love Georgette Heyer's Regency romances because they're clever and funny, and I read a lot of paranormal romance too - they often have a great blend of fantasy in them - but most romance is just too stupid to suspend my disbelief for!

My problem is that there are too many books I want to read. I have nearly 300 at home that I haven't read yet, and I constantly see more thanks to GR and in-shop browsing! I'm becoming a bit of a book-buying addict.

Shannon,

I forgot about self-help books. I've taken a peek at some of the more recent ones that were very popular and they all seem like they're filled with general, vague statements that sound positive but really mean nothing by themselves. And I have to add memoirs - I hate memoirs.

My problem is that there are too many books I want to read. I have nearly 300 at home that I haven't read yet, and I constantly see more thanks to GR and in-shop browsing! I'm becoming a bit of a book-buying addict.

I go to the library twice a week, and if I'm just stopping in to pick up a book that came in from another branch, I still end up wandering the shelves and picking a few more to add the stack I already have at home. I think it's become a sickness.

I think the worst thing that happened to me was moving into a new building with a library branch on the first floor! I have between 8-10 books checked out all the time and I have several on hold or coming in via interlibrary loan.

It is a disease and I've got it in spades! :)

I am very diverse in my reading... I love to read all kinds of things. I don't like self help books though. I have tried to read them... recently I tried reading both Eat, Pray, Love.. and A New Earth. I love Oprah.. and both I heard about on her show. But those type of books just bore me to death. It's not like they're bad books... they are just boring. I haven't tried to read many biographies yet and would like to try one of those soon. Any good suggestions?

Angie -
Are you looking for biographies or memoirs? I can't really recommend much in the way of biography - unless you want children's books - but I have surprised myself in the last few years by reading and enjoying several memoirs.

I mostly read fantasy, children's books, and regency romance novels (unless you count technical/professional reading which includes math, physics, engineering, education, parenting, psychology, etc.) I went through a phase a few years ago where I read suspense and mystery novels. And I had a Dan Brown and a Tom Clancy phase. And I've been reading more general fiction and classics over the last year or so.

I will read nearly anything. I really like mysteries and classics, and I went on a nonfiction bender not too long ago. I'll even read chicklit and romance on occasion *blush*. I'm new to Sci-fi and Fantasy reading, and loving that now. I get a few books a week at the library and try to get a variety (which isn't too hard since my to read list is soooo long.)

As for biographies, I haven't read that many, but I read a great one about Queen Victoria a while ago. Her Little Majesty by Carolly Erickson. And I liked Gene Wilder's autobiography Kiss Me Like A Stranger.

My reading is fairly diverse and I tend to read multiple books in multiple genres at a time. I like genre fiction. So I read romance, mystery, scifi, fantasy and horror indiscriminately. I like sf/fant the most, though.

I also like graphic novels and African-American fiction.

I don't generally read non-fiction, but when I do it tends to be film theory and history or biographies.

This past year, my reading hasn't been very diverse at all. Before that, I read quite a bit of church history. And, nutrition, workout and fashion books. As a lit major, I did read a lot of the classics. I love Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood.

I tend to be really leery of popular fiction. Whether or not a best-selling, very popular book is any good is often a crap shoot. I avoid anything recommended by Oprah. (I read "Beloved" years before Oprah started her book club.)

Oh, and I've been reading quite a few young adult books lately because of my son.

This past year I too have been forcing myself to stray from the scifi/genre to read some of the great modern literature that's been coming out. (See how I averted the popular fiction!) I don't know what's happened to me - that I have to consciously focus on choosing something other than scifi/fantasy! Sometimes I wonder if I'm losing my edge with all this veering toward escape!

On the other hand, I do find the scifi scene exploding with what I would definitely call literature - exploration of the human psyche in all its manifestation placed in a world different from what we know. What do we take with us? It's a great setting for commentary on what's happening in reality.

My main reading has always been novels of all types except horror, mystery, romance, most thrillers (I do like the good ones alot), and chiclit. Occasionally I'll stray to non-fiction. I don't tend to read pop fiction. I admit I'm a snob - I was an English major! I think the reason I stay away from stuff like that is that I get very bored with predictability. That includes plot and writing.

Writing the above makes me realize I'm pretty narrow which I never realized before!

I find the gender bias in this thread fascinating, and I mean that in a purely academic, non-judgmental way. It riffs on someone's comment in the thread about the relative popularity of fantasy and science fiction. This person (it may have been Shannon) noted that something like 80% of fiction is read/bought by women. It certainly looks like the posters in this thread, who are predominantly women, read fiction almost exclusively.

I've always noticed that non-fiction sections at bookstores and libraries are much bigger than the fiction sections. I also think that men, in general, don't read as much as women. So are the non-fiction sections bigger because there are fewer copies of more titles? For example, B&N only sells one or two copies of a new science book but they move dozens of Grisham novels?

Sorry for getting off topic, but it's an interesting paradox.

I generally read a decent mix of genres. My most read genres are sci-fi, fantasy, some young adult, children [for my son], manga/graphic novels, true crime, historical non-fiction, dark fiction/horror which seems to not appeal to many people at all.

My love for fantasy is also why I get burnt out and that is the never ending series, or the [explicit here] author that can't seem to finish or follow through in a timely manner, a series he/she has started. I enjoy it because it's old world ways of doing things and the subtleties that goes with it that really appeal to me.

But I don't ready any self-help. I've got romance in my life so I don't need to read about anyone else's. I work at a hospital so the genric 'drama' has no appeal to me what so ever. Working with doctor's, administrators and nurses is enough drama for me. But I try to keep an open mind about new authors and genres.

phil:

Your "ponderings" are interesting. It's been established by the American Publishers' Association that the most read genre is romantic fiction. And of course, women are the group most attracted to romantic fiction.

You can't call it "romance" anymore, because although there are still a lot of straight romances written, most of the time now they are mixed genre: supernatural romances, romantic suspense, romantic mysteries, romantic westerns, spec fic with romantic elements (e.g., Chatherine Asaro), romantic fantasy, and I could go on. Some of these authors are incredibly good and the stories are solid and exciting.

On the other hand, reading fiction doesn't exclude reading non-fiction. The difference is category vs. genre, IMO. I can say I love spec fic or romance or mystery. I'll rarely say I read strictly cookbooks or craft books, or those books for Dummies, etc. I buy non-fiction books in many categories, but not enough in each that I can start a thread about a category of book, especially that there are categories within categories (consider cookbooks or self-help books, for instance). Even true crime books have sub-categories. In many cases as well, the category is more important than the author -- an exception to that would be the science vulgarization books with the Goulds and Hawkinses.

As for men reading less than women, that's definitely a fact if we're talking books, although I'm not sure if that applies to newspapers and magazines.

I can be very ADD when it comes to picking my next book. I love all types of books and am constantly putting a ton on reserve at the library, finding more browsing the library shelves and that is before you add in book stores both used and new.

I will get in a certain kind of mood every once in a while where only a certain type of novel or book will scratch that itch. Or if something new comes out by a favorite author that I'm eager to read.

I think there is such a plethora of great stuff out there..and that doesn't even get into all the cool podiobooks available for free.

I believe as long as you have something on your to be read list, you won't die. At this rate, I will live forever. ;)

I must be in the minority here it seems, for I read political non-fiction about as much as I read fiction these days. I also love books on science and history. As for fiction other than fantasy/sci-fi, I especially love historical fiction and detective fiction. I tend to avoid so-called 'chick lit', straight romances, and 'literary fiction'.

I will read just about anything. I grew up with an English teacher for a mother and a psychologist for a father. Both are heavy readers and encouraged me to read everything. Fantasy/scifi has always been a favorite genre for me, but for every book in that genre, I probably read 2 or 3 outside of it, both fiction and nonfiction. Unlike you though Leslie, I just can't bring myself to read political nonfiction. I'm very interested in politics, I just can't commit to a book about it. It's too ever-present in my daily news reading.

Phil, just to respond to your musing aloud (and yes, that was me you quoted from the other thread), I think it might simply because there are so many different non-fiction topics to write about, though your idea that fiction flies off the shelves faster is a good one, I hadn't thought of it that way before.

I do know (another useless fact) that the biggest selling type of book is in fact the cook book. Sells more than romance, would you believe. And the number 1 bestseller every year is the Bible - in North America, anyway.

I like non-fiction but I find it harder to read because my attention is more likely to wander; plus it does involve more concentration on my part. I love learning things but I'm wary of individual books out of fear of "dry prose" such as it is - so many dry and painful history books I had to read while at uni left me with a fear of non-fiction. It's a lot better these days but the sad fact is, an academic can be incredibly knowledgeable in their field, but that doesn't mean they can write well. Or write, full stop.

I like non-fiction but I find it harder to read because my attention is more likely to wander

Same for me. This is why I tend to listen to non-fiction audio books. If my mind wanders a bit, no big deal. A good narrator really helps, too.

Shannon, thanks for the interesting statistics. Cookbooks, if my own collection is any indication, may be bought frequently, but they're used much less frequently. I cook all the time, but out of 43 on my shelf, there are only two (The Joy of Cooking and The Bread Baker's Apprentice) that I use with any regularity, and only perhaps a half dozen more that I refer to more than once each year (or two).

By the same token, the Bible may be the #1 selling book every year, but most of those spend more time on shelves than in hands. Bibles and cookbooks are things we buy because we think we should have them (or, more to the point, because we think someone else should have them). I wonder if there are statistics on what the most READ books are?

Oh, and I realized that I never answered the real question (I've been so swamped irl that I've had a hard time keeping up with much of anything on-line). I read "literature" professionally (I'm an English teacher), and of course I read fantasy (and, to a lesser extent, sci-fi). The non-fiction genre I read the most of might best be called cultural commentary--books that examine an idea or practice or thing: usually the examination is in part historical, but is primarily looking at its social effect (Neil Postman's work comes to mind as an exemplar of this type of non-fiction). For obvious reasons, I am particularly attracted to such books when the topic is relevant to education, though as often as not the subject isn't about education. I read some history and some science, though not as much of either as I'd like to say I read.

In some ways, I think my ideal is Roger Zelazny, who was known to read roughly 16 books at a time, including not only sf and fantasy, but also history, science, life science, biography, poetry, mythology, and mainstream fiction.

I wonder if there are statistics on what the most READ books are?

John, I'd love to know what the most read book would be! But I doubt it's possible to get that kind of statistic. And I think you're right - people love to have cookbooks but they hardly ever use them.

Ben, I'm hesitant to try audio books because, when you read a book and you don't get something, you can backtrack and re-read a bit whenever you like, but with audio books ... Still, I'd like to try one. When people review them I kinda wish they'd mention the quality of the narration etc., that would help.

I understand your hesitation on audio books. I was the same way until I realized that I can get an hour or more of "reading" time otherwise unavailable. There are limitations, though. I suck a remembering names, in real life and in books. This is made worse in audio books because I can't go back and figure out who is who. However, I've become accustomed to it a bit and try to stick with audio books that are easier to listen to. Non-fiction, especially history and biographies, has worked pretty well. I also let my mind wander a bit, so I do rewind sometime when I realize I haven't been paying attention. On the whole though, it lets me get through at least one more book a week.

I can imagine that Pratchett's books would work really well as audio books. Thanks for that rec Bunny.

Non-fiction audio books would be good too - a bit like listening to docs on the radio maybe? Especially those ones written by columnists - they're all the rage these days, they've all got their own books I've noticed! They have a more personable style I suppose, more humour too maybe.

Ben, I have the same problems with names and often flip back to check!

It's the same in movies, sometimes I think there's something wrong with my recognition of faces, and then matching the face to the name. I put it down to senioritis. But that's a lame excuse!

I'm the exact same way. I think I'm mildly retarded or something. I can't remember names or faces at all. I'm pretty annoying to watch a movie with. I'm always asking my wife who that person is and if we've already seen them before, etc.

LOL! Senioritis! Is that a bit like CRS Disease(Can't Remember Sh*t)?!

I used to listen to audio books when I had to commute a long distance to my job, but now, my drives are much shorter. One of my all-time faves was 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' written and read by the late, great Douglas Adams. He did an amazing job reading his own work, and could have easily had a great career as a voiceover artist.

Yes, Ben, it's awful!

I recently read an article on an elementary school child who suffers from this rare but diagnosed disease, which is the inability to recognize faces - I think he's finally able to make out his immediate family. While I was reading it I wondered if I suffered from a mild form of it.

"I've worked in the legal field for years (coming up on two decades now) and strangely I've never read courtroom dramas! But I love to watch them. While they don't normally represent what actually occurs in a courtroom, the drama can get very intense.
"

Oh, drat! Another fantasy down the tubes. I really thought the best drama was true life. I love watching courtroom dramas as well, especially the wind up speeches. Remember JFK? That one made me cry. I really like to think these sorts of oratory are out there.

Shucks! You just burst my bubble!

Sorry about bursting your bubble!

I've been a juror a couple of times, but I've more often worked in the background doing trial preparation. By the time it gets to the courtroom, most of the surprises have been discovered and it's a carefully orchestrated "drama" to deliver the right "facts" to the jury.

The closing statements are always great to watch, but they are the culmination of months of work, by many, many team members.

I actually dread it when I'm asked to sit in on a trial and take notes for the lead litigators to review later; it gets really boring, especially when the expert witnesses come in!

I definitely find that I listen to different things on audiobook than what I read, though I can't categorize precisely. I suppose books that I really *care* about reading, I want to read, while stuff that I just want to have read, I'm fine with listening to.

Mostly I only listen on long trips, but last year with my iPod I started listening on my walk to and from work each day. It was only 10 or 15 minutes each trip, which made the whole task of holding it all together a bit difficult.

Which is why I ended up listening to fewer audiobooks and more podcasts.

I mostly read fantasy and a little of sci fi. Maybe because I start reading those two geners rather late. My first love were classic writers, I still love Emile Zola, Gogolj etc...And I hate those so-called 'chick lit' as Leslie named them. I must confess I'm quite narrow-minded when selecting books and genres.

I confess that I read fantasy and sci-fi most of the time although I love to read the classics and I have a personal goal of reading all the pulitzer prize winnng novels. I love short stories as well.

I like the idea of audio books but it seems to only apply to popular authors. Being one of the few dark fiction/horror fans in this group I'm hard pressed to find any audio book that is something I want to listen too or haven't actually read already. But the sad fact is I will probably never find an audio book of say Conrad Williams or other great, lesser know dark fiction writers.

I have tried audio books, but they don't always hold me attention unless I am driving on a road trip. I do wish I could get into them because I hear some are fantastic.

I agree that road trips are the best setting for audio books. I also do pretty when doing things like mowing the yard, doing the dishes, and just cleaning around the house.

I love audio books! In fact, audio books are the reason why I don't weight 500 pounds and live in filth (not that there is anything wrong with that). I absolutely despise exercise and cleaning the house. So, in order to get over myself and do the things I know I am suppose to do, I listen to an audio book.

Exercising to an audio book is the best! I go for an hour long walk every morning and I actually look forward to it because I get to listen to my books.

And when I find myself not doing the dishes for days on end because I just can't 'bear' it, if I bring an audio book into play the dishes are done in no time and I don't even remember how horrible it was.

Audio books are the ultimate escapism. :)

I love audio books. My Job and life put me on the road all the time. I just wish I could play them at a higher speed. I don't mind Alvin telling me a story I just hate the slow casual drone of some of the people they have read these books.

I also prefer if they have two readers for male vs female dialoge. Some of the readers can not pull of the gender change well, and it can be hard to follow a dialoge heavy book.

I listen to all my audio books on an iPod at "faster" speed. Once you get used to "faster", you can't go back. It sounds like they are speaking in slow motion.

I don't mind someone reading the other gender in a flat voice, but there are few things as irritating as an old male actor pretending to be young woman by whispering strangely.

LOL. Come on. All young women whisper strangely when they talk. They're such sirens, always so breathless and stuff.

Though I may pick-up general fiction and non-fiction books from time to time I mostly read fantasy books. I think 80% of all the books I have read belong to the fantasy genre.

I am very diverse in my genre and authors that i read. Or atlest i try to be. I found that if i read to much of one genre or author I get burnt out really easily. Then I can't stand to read that type of book for a very long time.

I don't read sci-fi soley. I enjoy reading food books (even skimming cookbooks or watching foodnetwork 5 min. food videos even for recipies I don't intend to cook!). Also I like reading bios of musicians, writers, artists, architects (and the like). I'd like to make time to read more magazines (obits are cool tho I don't mean to be grim). The books I've been buying but not reading are like self-improvement and business politics books (hah! no wonder I feel like a laggard). On a tangent, Oliver Sacks is an author I admire who does nonfiction but a writer who I can relate to at some emotional/psychological level nevertheless. I feel the opposite and sometimes wish I read more exclusively in one area (that's how you develop a cool library I guess) but I don't think that is my style.

Carly,

I think a cool library is filled with books that mean something to you. Whether or not they are all books others will admire you for having is unimportant. Being well rounded is very cool.