There is a saying.... well, maybe NOT really a saying, but something I have been told..... When it comes to reading, we gravitate towards reading what we lack in life. While it is hard to fathom that concept, lets do a little synopsis of what some of the various genres of books out there....
Lets begin with the two specific types of books.... Fiction and non-fiction and some of the genre specific areas....
Fiction: non-fact based stories that can range from the most various genres coming to mind.... Romance, Mystery, Suspense/Thriller, Comedies* (*which some are also found in non-fiction, which we will touch upon soon), Action/Sci-fi/Fantasy....
Non-Fiction: fact based books such as documentaries, biographies, and reference books about history and current events. While most non-fiction books are informative, there are some that offer comedic anecdotes in the writing. Self-help books are also considered non-fiction.
Now, what I would like to have you take note upon is the reason for the selection between Fiction and Non-Fiction books. The difference is purely based upon entertainment value. Some people find entertainment in knowledge of a specific topic or person and that is great. I just happen to be a person that chooses to opt for Fiction books purely on the ability for a mind to escape reality. There are a few times I have found a book that offers more knowledge than not just as enticing to read, but lately, my choices have been more genre specific in the Fiction realm and here is where I can give you some insight to how these vastly different genres can fulfill what we lack in real life.
Romance: Well, is there any doubt to why a person would gravitate towards this genre other than the need to fill the need for more "happy ever after" stories of love? It is the stuff that fills the mind and heart with false hope, but at least softens the blow that reality's harsh existence that nothing is as blissful as it seems.
Mystery: The suspense and all encompassing need to be a problem solver can definitely run amok and just being observant in the writing styles of a mystery writer can be what holds a person's attention span. Just to figure out "who did it" certainly offers entertainment... especially when the writing offers twists and turns to throw your solution based thought process for a loop. I have managed to read some books where even the most subtle suggestions were capable of shocking me to believe that nothing is ever what it seems.
Suspense/Thriller: Just what adrenaline junkies look for... the shock and awe of a writer's ability to expand the imagination and see things in a far than pretty light. Just tapping into the mind of someone that is so far off from who you happen to really be makes it so interesting and the need to understand why a person would think this way so strong.
Action/Sci-fi/Fantasy: While the stories are more far fetched, it offers another world of which the reader can escape to. It can offer a little of the three above genres, but the characters are not something you can possibly see walking down the street. Witches, Wizards, Warlocks, Knights in shining armor, damsels in distress and dragons or other mythical creatures is a definite recipe for a true escape from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life, but the premises of the stories not only offer other worlds to explore.... they speak in volumes of traits that the current society seems to lack.... Chivalry, bravery in the face of adversity, and adventure that you cannot find outside your door. Also, the travel to exotic places that nobody has ever set eyes upon seems to broaden the horizons of what we see from day to day and could possibly cause for appreciation in even the smallest of things and the tiniest of creatures.
What you can see is what a person can get from a certain genre of books. While I have managed to dabble in all of these genres, I have been stuck in the rut of needing to read about love and the happily ever after world of romance novels. Contrary to popular belief (and I am saying this because I was one of those people), romance novels are not all soft-core porn stories. While some do happen to fit that description, there is one basic premise that all these books offer and it is.... A story about boy meets girl, drama ensues (which is flat out denial about what their feelings are), the realization of those feelings, and the pursuit of being together forever. Yes, I can say that it is about false hope in finding "the one" that is the main topic of the book. While some books can be more steamy with sizzling sexual descriptive words, there is a fair amount of emotion that is placed before the reader. Some can be funny, some quite sad, some can make you scratch your head and wonder how it will work out, and some are more endearing of stories that take the reader on a journey of inner thought about their own lives. Now, I will admit that I am not a true romance novel fanatic because there are various types within the genre. I stray away from historical romance novels because the verbal usage of words from a time and place that I cannot connect with bothers me. I mean, being called a "wench" is not that big of a deal for that time period, but being called one in this time, age and location.... it means something completely different and not easily adaptable to me. What I tend to gravitate towards are characters that somehow resemble me, a woman with a sharp tongue and bad hair comes to mind, or a woman that has stopped believing in ever getting a "happily ever after"... you know a woman jaded from what life has thrown her way. Just reading about that happens to still offer false hope that everyone gets that happily ever after, but isn't that all what we tend to cling to if there is nothing else, right?
When this "genre jag" (that is what I am calling this) for romance novels started, I was reading a trilogy that has been coined as "mommy porn". It all started as a dare, but I became one of the many roped in by the hype. The writing was not the greatest, the characters unbelievable, the descriptive terms of sexual acts was a bit difficult to read without blushing, but the story offered an escape from what I have adapted to as the way things are. The switch to romantic comedy/chic-lit became more comforting to me. I still scratch my head over why I am so drawn to these books, but I have finally embraced the phrase... "You read what you lack in your live". With acknowledgement of that.... I wonder where I go from there. I cannot keep reading this genre forever! I am trying to get desensitized from all that feel good crap and return to what my life is really like, but I just can't seem to get enough. The only thing that this has desensitized me from is being upset that I will probably never get my own hope-filled happy ever after filled with love, lust, and adoration from the person that I married. He is a self-proclaimed non-romantic guy and will never venture into trying to be anything else regardless of my need for just a little. I will admit this, though..... My tomboy ways are slipping and the girly side of me is finally coming through.....
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