I meet with a small group of reader friends about once a month. We talk about books we’ve read, books on our TBR list, anything and everything to do with books. We call ourselves the Bookmooks. Don’t ask how we came up with the name. I think we decided on it because it caused the most laughter. We’ve had an ongoing debate concerning readers and I figured I’d bring the question to all of you to help settle it.
Do genre readers read only one genre? Some in the group believe that romance readers read only romance or mystery readers read only mystery and specific ones at that. They believe that historical romance readers don’t read contemporaries or cozy mystery readers don’t read hard-core mysteries. Not that any of the group feels there’s anything wrong with that; you read what you like.
But others argue that readers are readers and will read almost anything, though the majority thinks that die-hard, non-fiction readers don’t bother to read fiction.
So here’s your chance to chime in and give your opinion which would be greatly appreciated and just might help settle the debate. 🙂
Also the Bookmooks were wondering if you would like them to recommend a book or two a month… any genre … for me to post on my blog.
So please share your opinion the Bookmooks can’t wait to hear from you and some of them can’t wait to say I told-you-so. 🙂
I read romance, any type of romance (paranormal, historical, suspense, contemporary, sci/fi). It doesn’t matter what kind of romance as long as the story is well written and there is a happily ever after.
If your book club is into paranormal romance – Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, for historical, if not one of your books, then maybe an old Julie Garwood (Ransom, The Secret, or maybe Saving Grace, for contemporary – most anything by Nora Roberts works for me.
I’ll be interested to see if people cross over.
Thanks for the recommends, Lisa, I’ll be sure to share them with my group and that you read all kinds of romances.
After I saw this post I looked through my library both on my nook and my hard covers and I realized something… What I thought I liked and read was only a small portion of what I do actually like and read, and I realized that my favorite books cross many genres.
I used to only read fiction or mystery books and the occasional Steven King, but now my favorite books are extremely varied. I was very rigid in books that I thought I would like and read. Then I read my first “paranormal” which was Charlaine Harris, which lead to other paranormal, then to paranormal romance etc. My first true “romance” novel was “The Irish Devil” and I now own all available ebooks. Since then I realized not to look at the genre, but what the story actually is. Many books these days do not fit in one particular genre, but blend many.
Books that I would recommend for a book club are:
The Goddess Of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Books to read not necessarily for a book club would be:
Any of the Lilly Bard Mysteries or Aurora Teagarden Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, I know her Sookie Stackhouse series is more popular, but these books really are great
Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson or Alpha and Omega series are also wonderful.
I could actually go on and on… so I am going to stop..
Thanks, Megan. My group will find it interesting to know that you pick a book by what’s it’s about rather then genres.
We read the Discovery of Witches and we all found it a great read. I’ll share your other recommends with my group.
You might enjoy The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. It had a little bit of everything. Very interesting.
I would be one of those people that falls into focusing on one genre, romance, and I would say I have a very exact style I enjoy as well.
Don’t get me wrong, I have read other genre’s before and enjoyed them but my passion is romance. While I am open to trying different types of it, at the end of the day I find myself always falling back to romances with a historical setting though a little mystery, suspense, and the paranormal within the setting really peeks my interest. I have NEVER been able to EVER really get into contemporary romances. I have enjoyed romances set in modern day with some time traveling, but full 100% contemporary? Never could grab my interest.
I totally agree and fell the same with Amber. My book shelf is all historical romance. With the exception of Janet Chapman.