Reading Outside Your Genre

[Gonk the Insane]

I know a number of folks advocate reading widely outside your chosen genre(s), and I'm curious how broad other writers' reading tastes are. Most of my reading's done on kindle these days, and I group books by genre into Collections so checking my own wasn't too hard and should be reasonably accurate. I write mostly Fantasy though I dabble in Sci-Fi (not for a while, but I will do again) so my reading habit by genre over the last couple of years looks like this:

Fantasy: 62%*
Science Fiction: 31%
Everything else: 7%**

How much I venture outside the genre depends, I guess, on how you look at - as, all in all, I write in 2 genres, I don't read a huge amount outside of them. Also, if you consider Science Fiction and Fantasy together as Speculative Fiction, then the same is true - not much outside the genre.

So what genres do you write in, and how much of your reading is in other genres?


* Including Urban Fantasy etc. Sci-Fi/Fantasy crossovers just end up in whichever kindle collection feels most appropriate after reading (I like it simple).
** probably mostly adventure/thrillers but I don't read enough to break it down more accurately

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I don't have exact percentages bit I read more outside the genre than in. General fiction, chick-lit, Irish fiction, poetry, drama, some crime, all sorts.

 

[Ragandar]

I can't really give you any percentages, but I probably read a historical fiction/non-fiction book for every three fantasy books I read. I pick up a book about architecture every once in a while and I read approximately one romance novel a year when I really have nothing else to do.

I used to read a lot of academic papers on linguistics and literature, but I'm expecting I won't be reading those as much anymore now that I have my university degree.

 

[HareBrain]

Like Jo, more outside than in (very much so in terms of pages -- most of the SFF books I've started recently, I've failed to get far with). Recently I've read some music-related history, biography, and supernatural crime.

 

[The Judge]

I've been keeping a reading diary over the last few years, and at the end of 2014 and 2015 I looked at the year's stats, just to see how I was faring so far as genre was concerned -- ie SF and fantasy, both of which I write/have written. The figures were:

In 2014: 69 novels read of which 36 were genre, so 52%, and 7 collections of short stories, 2 of which were genre. I started but couldn't finish another 6 novels and 3 were genre.

In 2015: 80 novels read, of which 57 were genre, so 71%. I read a number of short story collections, and couldn't finish another 6 novels -- I didn't make notes of the splits there but I'd imagine about half of each were genre.

The non-genre are anything that catches my eye, with a distinct bent towards historical murder mysteries, but detective stories, classics, ordinary historical, some translations from Italian (ie Eco) and French, some literary (ie Eco...) and a good many non-easily-categorised. About the only ones I've not bothered with are westerns, romance, horror, and anything with a pastel-coloured cover. I also read a number of non-fiction books each year, and though most of those would be for research purposes for my fantasies -- on particular historical periods or specifics like the history of tea drinking -- there would be the odd book such as H is for Hawk, so if they were included in the stats, the genre percentage would drop further.

I tell myself I should read more genre books, particularly newly published ones, but I do think it's important to read outside the genre as well, aiming for a breadth as well as depth of reading.

 

[MWagner]

These days, my ratios are something like:

50 per cent non-fiction (mostly history)
20 per cent fantasy/sci-fi
20 per cent historical fiction
10 per cent other fiction

 

[The Big Peat]

At the moment, I write Military Sci-Fi and Fantasy Murder Mystery, so I suppose I write in three genres (counting Fantasy and Murder Mystery as separate).

I don't have accurate stats, but I'd say that probably 40pc of my reading is Fantasy and 25 pc of so Murder Mystery (trending towards historical). About the only Sci-Fi of any sort I read is works by friends - it might be 1pc of my reading output.

That means about a third of my reading is out of genre. I think we can probably split that third into non-fiction and fiction. The non-fiction tends to be history, comparative mythology and writing advice. Occasional leafs through cookery books. The rest of my fictional stuff is mainly historical with a few dabbles in literary fiction that I rarely finish. A lot of Le Carre, a bit of Clancy, a bit of Forsyth.

*pause* I've no idea where I stick reading RPG rule books in that. And I didn't stop to consider all the reading on sports opinion sites and wikipedia I do, which may or may not count.

Still. I'd say I read in a fairly narrow range most of which are, if not books within the genres I write, then kissing cousins thereof.

 

[Dave Barsby]

I have to admit I'm mostly in my genre when it comes to reading as all things sci-fi is what I love, but I'll watch any genre of movie if that counts (I suspect it doesn't). I do sometimes read a non-genre classic and anything that becomes massive largely so I can have discussions with people at work (but that has led me to reading Twilight and Fifty Shades, unfortunately). But overall, a good 90% genre as I've learned that expanding your horizons is all well and good, but doing what you enjoy is more important and you don't have time for both.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I manage perhaps six books a year, as I am a slow reader. I marvel at people who read books in one or two sittings and wonder if there's something wrong with me. After all I love reading.

Lately this has been exacerbated by reading research focused non fiction but I also have the strange habit of reading the same books again and again (as I also do with certain TV shows).

Although I lean towards supernatural horror (I abhor gornography, vampires and werewolves), I enjoy all sorts of fiction. The only fantasy I've read is His Dark Materials and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen so I couldn't do a percentage thing.

I could admit to multiple reads as follows:

The Elementals - 9 times
It - 4 times
The Dyason Trilogy - 3 times
The Dark Tower series - twice
Duma Key - 4 times

so I suppose horror is top heavy. But then I also love African literature - it has an indescribable ethereal quality - and classics from EM Forster (Howard's End in particular appeals because of the theme of the modern world impinging on the natural) and pretty much every Samuel Beckett play.

Whenever I read the truism of authors should be widely read, I feel I come up (very) short.

pH

 

[Brian G Turner]

So what genres do you write in, and how much of your reading is in other genres?

Although writing epic fantasy, so far this year I've read from the following genres:

- fantasy
- science fiction
- historical fiction
- young adult fiction
- horror
- thrillers
- romance
- western

I've been keeping a tally of my reading here:
2016 Reading List | SFF Chronicles

At the moment I'm reading more thrillers than any other genre, probably because it's still new to me so I'm discovering authors.

In part it's always researching - being able to know something about what everyone else is writing, and how. But also it's about finding books and authors to simply relax with, which I'm finding essential to get around reading exhaustion.

 

[The Big Peat]

But then I also love African literature - it has an indescribable ethereal quality

Any recommendations?

 

[Phyrebrat]

Definitely- Moses, Citizen and Me by Deliah Jarrett Macauley. Technically she's a Sierra Leonean Brit but the bush scenes with the kids are magical.

Can We Talk and other short stories by Shimmer Chinodya.

And on a more depressing but compelling side, the African-American perspective in Richard Wright's tragic Native Son.

Goodreads has a group called 'African Reads' which is good if you're looking for more recommendations. Personally I'd steer clear of historical accounts like An Ordinary Man (Hotel Rwanda) by Paul Rusesabagina as it's a more factual story, and doesn't have the shamanic feel. Botswana, west Africa, are great. Esp anything dealing with the practice of vodun (voodoo) around Togo, Ivory Coast and the Ewe (tribe) of Ghana's Volta region.

pH

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I've never been a genre specific reader. I'll read most things except romances with vampires or zombies (I'm relaxed about most things but sex with the dead I generally find weird). A book requires a great character, good plot etc beyond that I don't care. Possibly I gravitate more towards detective stories than anything else but it's not a big percentage more than anything else.

I have a story set in Africa on my reading list: A Dance Called Africa by Isabella Bleszynski
I haven't read it yet but it looks good. It's a fantasy though.

 

[Vaz]

I read quite a lot, although I also have the habit of rereading - Salem's Lot and The Road are books I always enjoy reading again, this year I've read mostly:

Fantasy.
Horror.
Literary.
Thrillers.

 

[Toby Frost]

As time has gone on, I've read less and less SFF. I don't read as much as I'd like to, but at the moment I read quite a lot of historical books. It tends to be authors with me rather than genres. Books I have enjoyed recently have included Raymond Chandler's crime novels and John le Carre's early and middle-period books (the more recent ones are, I think, weaker). I'm also more willing to re-read novels these days, and more wary of trying new SFF.

 

[Cory Swanson]

I probably read over 80% non fiction. The rest is legit literature and then some science fiction. But only good sci-fi. Can't stand pulp in any genre. For a long time I would only read classics, Steinbeck being the favorite.

 

[Elventine]

Oh I read a bit of this and a bit of that... My main genre is Fantasy, it is the genre I write and the genre that I first started reading. Then I also read, Historical-Fiction, Crime/mystery, Fiction, Sci-fi, Humour/Comedy, Action/Adventure some none fiction but not that much as it is normally boring.

I read because I love all those genres but also because good writing is good writing and you can always learn from a good book about how to write better.

 

[StuartBurchell]

Writing military sci-fi WIP and horror short stories and started an Arthurian short with a Greek myth element to it...

but I read a lot of crime thriller, a fair bit of fantasy, some SF, some historical, some horror and some non-fiction...

Books I am most looking forward to are Winds of Winter by George RR Martin (still a long wait, I'm sure) and Shadow of Victory by David Weber (out in October), his latest Honor Harrington novel.

 

[Elventine]

I think that it will be a long long long wait for The Winds of Winter . In fact I think that I am glad that I gave up on the series half way through!

 

[Steven Sorrels]

Not sure about the specific numbers, but probably something like:

50% Fantasy
20% Suspense/Thriller
20% Sci-Fi
10% assorted other genres including Non-fiction

Of course, there is a lot of crossover between those genres (such as most of Stephen King's work). I haven't been able to read as much recently, what with being busy at work and trying to focus on my current WIP.