Question #45676 of questions that never fail to stump me: What's your favorite genre? (its right up there with "what music do you listen to?") I use to say something like, "Everything" or "I don't have one," but then I realized how short and conversation-ending it was, so here is my answer: My favorite genre is whatever genre I am reading at the moment. I like to call myself a "Mood Reader," for lack of a better term. Not the kind of person that can see auras or a mood ring-esque reader, but someone who lets their mood carry their interests. This has led me down some pretty interesting paths. A couple of years ago, I did a library series of programs on Death: I hosted Death Cafes, featured an art historian to talk about Death in art, Dia De Los Muertos and other death celebrations. My reading habits followed. I read all of Caitlin Doughty's books and binged her Youtube videos (most may know her my her channel, "Ask A Mortician"). I delved into her group, The Order of the Good Death and read books by her fellows, such as Dark Archives and Rest in Pieces. During my Epic Fantasy Mood, I binge read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and David Eddings' Belgariad books. Weird Science Mood: I was obsessed with Pandora's Lab: Seven Instances of Science Gone Wrong, Gory Details, and The Icepick Surgeon (I had to wait for this one to come out after I finished the other two!). Beneath the Tamarind Tree set me on my path to seeking books relating to Islam and the Middle East (The Underground Girls of Kabul, The Bookseller of Kabul and A Woman Is No Man). This was never the case when I was younger. I stuck pretty much to Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) and Horror for much of my my life with a bit of coming-of-age titles thrown in (I think every young girl has read at least one Sarah Dessen book). It wasn't until I started working at a public library and took on the duties of a Readers Advisory and Collection Development librarian that I started to explore other genres-- Amish/Inspirational, Erotica, Mysteries, Romance, International, etc. With that being said, the next question that always seems to follow around writers is: Do you write what you read/read what you write? For some writers, yes. I can't tell you exactly how many, because I don't know. But for me personally, my reason for writing is much the same as my reason for reading. Through books, I can escape to places I've never been. I am different people experiencing different things. I am learning. Don't get me wrong, some genres are more fun to write in than others (like SF/F, for example). Some genres allow me to explore emotions and feelings I don't typically explore (literary and romance as other examples). In the end, though my reasons for writing and reading overlap across all genres, what I write is quite different (see my earlier blog post on Core Stories). Current Mood (if you haven't guessed from last week): |
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