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Non-fiction or fiction? Which genre do you prefer?


Double J

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By a show of hands (or, in this case, online responses), which genre do you prefer? Are you most engaged by fiction books, or are you partial to the non-fiction variety?

 

I fall into the latter group. Give me a book on psychology or history and you'll find me engrossed for hours on end. Those happen to be my two favorite subjects.

 

What about you guys?

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non fiction is where i'm at at the moment because i'm all for educating myself. however i find with non fiction i can read for awhile and then not come back to the book for a day or two. i love what i'm reading but theres no rush to finish it if you know what i mean.

when i read fiction i usually find it hard to put the book down, its like a movie- gotta watch till the end.

both are so enjoyable but in different ways!!

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This may sound a little silly of me, but I don't read books to find the truth in things, I read books as a means of escape. If I want the truth or I'm curious about a fact I either google it or I go ask a friend or specialist in that field. Although, lately, I have been finding psychology books a bit more appealing, a bit of outrageous fantasy is still a favorite for me personally.

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  • 4 months later...

I like a bit of both. I mainly read non fiction the likes of Koontz, King etc but if I see a non fiction book that grabs my attention then i'll buy it. I find I tend to be drawn to non fiction books that have a bit of mystery about them. The last non fiction I read was missing 411 about the unusual disappearances of people in the wilds of the US. It was quite a chilling read, very sad at times.

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  • 3 months later...

Fiction. I treat non-fiction like eating my vegetables. The only non-fiction writers I legitimately devour the work of are jack Kerouac, Larson, and David Sedaris. But even their stories have fictional elements. They may be talking about real life events but they write them like a fiction novel and really pick and choose how they tell and what they tell to craft a story.

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I go through spurts. Right now I'm into historical fiction (Ken Follett is my favorite author ever and I've recently picked him back up) and books from my childhood/teen fiction (strictly for nostalgia). I also have a large collection of what I call crappy romance novels, but more specifically Harlequin Special Edition books. I'm on a break from those though but have read over 100 in the last 5 or 6 years. Mostly I like fiction but I also love memoirs so I do enjoy nonfiction from time to time.

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I strongly prefer science fiction and fantasy. Being heavily involved in these communities where I got to meet authors and the fans made me realize that people belonging in them are one of the most creative and intelligent people I have met. Many of which who are not afraid to stand to their future and do something about it. They make the world a less dull place just by providing their insight. These communities have people who are both dreamers and realists who seek innovation. They are able to simply reflect the future strategically, our current progress in society and even demonstrate human capabilities. The science fiction and fantasy communities have helped me gain a in-depth perspective on humanity as well as a sense of enjoyment to learn about ourselves than what a non-fiction or fiction text can ever provide.

 

I also favor young adult series and do not believe they are kids novels. Harry Potter wasn't just marketed for children, and neither was Lord of the Rings or Enders Game. To quote Cassandra Clare:

To my mind, YA is a subset of adult fiction, not of children’s fiction, and should be considered as having an entry reading age rather than an age *range*. The entry level is probably 13 or 14, but there is no upper level because the books are also for adults. Saying YA is 13-21, or 13-18 or whatever misses the point, because it suggests that the books are not for older adults, whereas I would say that in fact the core audience of people reading YA (and YA SFF in particular) are in fact 16-35.

 

 

The only time I will read a non-fiction or fiction novel is of they provide me a window to a different culture. One of the books I plan to read over the summer is a recent book published by Malala, a girl who comes from a nation where women are treated worse than second-class citizens and bravely stood up against the Taliban for the sake of receiving an education to empower her future. I have high respect for authors who are able to get and move forward while emphasizing the importance to readers that the future should always be a consideration and your own actions and capabilities determine its outcomes.

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Either but until my current book, I had been on a big non-fiction kick. I probably slightly prefer non-fiction, just because I think the quote, "Truth is stranger than fiction" often applies. In non-fiction I gravitate to war and true crime because I'm a big time strategy geek and I like seeing how battles are planned and heinous criminals are caught.

 

But currently I'm reading Tom Clancy's 1998 fiction techno-thriller Rainbow Six. (For those who don't know, it's about a NATO multi-national counter-terrorism team that responds to terrorist attacks and hostage situations by sneaking in and laying waste to the terrorists.) I needed the escapism after reading some really non-fiction war books.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Both, but I don't really look for escapism from fiction. Most of the fiction I read is usually rather bleak and pessimistic. I just see it as a more abstract or symbolic way of examining and commenting on human nature and society that non-fiction would do in a more literal approach.

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Non-fiction every day. Though I am trying to focus on reading a few fictional books to teach myself to take learning from them as well.

 

I didn't even pick up a book by choice until my early 20's. How tables turn.

 

Psychology, Personal Finance, Stoicism, Personal Development, Spirituality - Love all those topics.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Favorite genres: history, biography, memoir, philosophy, literary classics and contemporary literary fiction (belles-lettres).

 

I also have a love/hate relationship with personal development and spirituality genres. There are some true gems in both categories, and I adamantly defend them in public even when people scoff. However, I do get why they scoff, you have to dig through quite a lot of trash to get to these gems.

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