Reddit discussion

Just wanting to a get a feel here for what most of you Redditors read.

Is there a specific Genre(s) that you mainly read? A specific subgenre?

Are you wanting to spread your horizons with the group and try different genres or just increase your knowledge of specific ones?

I tend to gravitate toward science fiction and fantasy, sometimes with dystopian and/or allegorical themes. I do have a streak of guilty pleasure with M/M romance, too.

I'm open to most genres really, it's more about quality of writing and depth of characters for me. I don't read a lot though...

I like science, mostly physics and cognitive science. History is great. Love fiction, but it's pretty broad and I don't believe I could really say I have a specific type of fiction I like.

You know, I wouldn't mind a non-fic read once in a while with this group...

Oh, hey I just noticed this topic ...

good idea, Ala.

I prefer sci-fi and fantasy. I've found over the last year that I have a MUCH higher tolerance for "hard" sci-fi than "high" fantasy (am I saying that right)?

I much prefer dytopian stories to anything, I think, and could easily live in that sphere most of the time.

I do enjoy non sci-fi, but I'm really lazy about taking the time to "get into" a non-genre book.

Thanks :)

Guess I should add mine:
Mostly just Fantasy and SciFi with maybe a bit of Historical Fic as well.

I love fantasy, young adult novels and autobiographical graphic novels. Currently, I have been getting into some steam punk fiction... and would appreciate some suggestions ;)!

All the responses are very interesting, great thread!

You know, I'd like some Steampunk tips as well.

I tried reading Leviathan but it was so, so sooooo boring.

My wife read Boneshaker but didn't love it. I know there are other Steampunk "classics" but I don't know WHAT they are.

I've really only read Sci-Fi my entire life, with a little Fantasy mixed in. One of my reasons for joining this book club was to expose me to other genres.

I need to branch out to other genres as well... but it's just so comfy here with these books i'm used to.

Bah, I got my degree in "literature that isn't sci fi" and look where that got me!

She's a cold mistress.

Though, I guess I do need the occasional non sci fi/fantasy palate cleanse.

Wally wrote: "I've really only read Sci-Fi my entire life, with a little Fantasy mixed in. One of my reasons for joining this book club was to expose me to other genres."

Have you considered audio books? I noticed your goal for 2011 is only 15 books. You could bolster that nicely by listening to an audio book in your spare time, while washing dishes, playing video games, driving, masturbating, etc. Sometimes all those at once. It's very convenient.

I love various books from all genres, particularly fantasy.

Yeahiknow3 wrote: "Have you considered audio books? I noticed your goal for 2011 is only 15 books. You could bolster that nicely by listening to an audio book in your spare time, while washing dishes, playing video games, driving, masturbating, etc. Sometimes all those at once. It's very convenient."

I haven't really looked into audio books. Not really sure if I would enjoy it as much and the process of reading. What I enjoy most about reading is the that I can't multitask while I'm reading (unless I'm in the bathroom). It's about the only break from multitasking I get in a day.

"What I enjoy most about reading is the that I can't multitask while I'm reading (unless I'm in the bathroom)."

I listen to audio books in the car and sometimes at the gym. I find that I actually need the same amount of concentration to listen and really absorb the story as I do with normal reading. Driving being rather automatic, and all. If I had a nice, comfy chair and a quiet room I could easily see myself getting absorbed in an audio book at home.

So, that, for what it's worth.

Wally wrote: "Not really sure if I would enjoy it as much as the process of reading."

You should try it. You have nothing to lose.

Mostly sci-fi and fantasy, with a dose of mystery thrown in for good measure. I tend to gravitate toward fluffier sci-fi rather than the hard stuff, but I do like a good Clarke or Asimov every now and then.

I'll look...but I won't touch.

- Speculative Fiction (science fiction, Horror, Fantasy);
- Suspense Fiction;
- Women's Fiction.

Yeahiknow3 wrote: "Have you considered audio books? I noticed your goal for 2011 is only 15 books. You could bolster that nicely by listening to an audio book in your spare time, while washing dishes, playing video games, driving, masturbating, etc. Sometimes all those at once. It's very convenient."
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I completely agree with the above, sans the masturbating part O-O. More than half of my reading is done by audiobooks while driving, walking my dog etc etc....Love it!

I have gone through a lot of fantasy, as well as sci-fi. Branching off into other genres now, while also trying some non-fiction. Only genre that I usually stay away from is your regular mystery crime novels.

I've never tried an audio book. I really like the whole scenario around reading a book - the way you can read faster when you're getting exited about the story and so on...
But I think I'll give it a try since it seems better for multitasking!

Filipa wrote: "I've never tried an audio book. I really like the whole scenario around reading a book - the way you can read faster when you're getting exited about the story and so on...
But I think I'll give it..."

For the legal way, www.audible.com is awesome!

YeahIKnow actually posted a great way of getting free books from there. You should give it a shot.

I read a lot of young adult urban fantasy lately, but I try to branch out and read a little bit of everything including biography, science fiction, historical romance and classics as well as other genres.

I don't typically read mystery novels, and I don't like horror or thriller so I avoid those types.

I wasn't a reader for a long time so I feel like now I'm playing catch up. There are so many books I want to read but only so much time.

Ala wrote: "YeahIKnow actually posted a great way of getting free books from there. You should give it a shot."

Where's your post? Looked at the Reddit group posts, but couldn't find it.

Huh, weird. It's gone now.

Send him a pm, he should be able to give you the info.

What are you looking for? Ohhh, the audible post. I deleted it. Haha. Yes, there is a way to get lots of free audio books, but the service is fantastic, and you'll soon feel guilty enough to actually pay Audible money.

Most audio books can be found as torrents, but if you can afford it, I would really just go with audible, since even getting free stuff from them still promotes the authors you're choosing.

How to get 5 audiobooks free from Audible.



1. Go to Audible.com and sign up for the free trial. This will give you 2 credits.

2. Go to your account settings, and disable email notifications of any kind.

3. Go to audible.com/freecredit, and sign back up for emails. This is another free credit.

Step 3 is actually a limited offer

4. I recommend getting the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, this is 2 credits for 3 books. You now have 1 credit left. Get a book with it.

You have 4 books so far.

5. Cancel your audible account. They will offer you a 20 dollar coupon. Take this coupon.

Now get a book with it (if you choose something on sale, you can actually get 2 books for 20 dollars - last week, many bestsellers were 5 dollars each for members).

You now have 5 books.

6. Cancel your audible account.

Do not cancel before you spend your 20 dollars, or you will not be able to take advantage of any sales or deals that are members only.

7. Create a new audible account, and repeat.

Please actually sign up with audible eventually (perhaps don't cancel the second time, if you can afford it), because they are quite awesome, and by far the best place for audiobooks. They're also owned by Amazon, and can link your accounts together. If you do this, you'll be able to download audio books directly to your Kindle. :)

Note: Your audio books will be saved permanently to your account, from whence they can be streamed to any smartphone, ipod, etc. The quality is also quite wonderful.

However if you end up listening to an audio book that you hate, simply call Audible, and they will refund the money/credit to you immediately.

I've bought roughly 300 books from audible (across 5 accounts), and I returned about a dozen books at one point (that I had purchased over the course of 4 years - yes, amazon customer service is that awesome).

PPS: Not all audio books are affordable. James Clavell's Asian Saga, for instance, is so gargantuan that each book costs 2 credits. Also, Shogun happened to be narrated by Frederich Davidson who really sucks. You don't want to be buying that (although Tai Pan and Noble House are sweet).

Audio Books that are well produced: A Song of Ice and Fire, Millennium Trilogy, Vorkosigan Saga, etc. You'll soon learn which narrators are awesome (the narrator is important!)

Great share. I have around 180 books through Audible since 2005, and they literally have saved me from feeling like my commute is anything but a waste, so I won't be cancelling my account. The return note though, was something I didn't know, and make take advantage of to get rid of some lemons.