What's Your Favorite Genre?

I've been wondering what most of the readers of Coconut Library like to read. I have a feeling there is a mixture of favorite genres considering this site has a mixture of reviews. But I'm still curious. 

So, whatcha reading, people? Would you take a minute to vote on your favorite out of the genres listed below? (If you have a favorite that I didn't include in the poll, feel free to let me know in the comments section.) Thanks!

(Click the circle next to your favorite genre, then click on "vote" at the bottom)

Comments

[Carin B.]

My favorite is actually fantasy, but since that wasn't an option I chose mystery/thriller. :)

[Madigan]

Yes, another vote for fantasy/sci-fi, here. I do like to read YA and kidslit.

[Coconut Library]

oooh, good to know... I need to add Fantasy and YA to the next one! Thanks for telling me.

[Amanda]

I like horror, speculative, and scifi, which also weren't options, so I didn't vote! Don't want to mess up the poll. ;-)

[Zoe]

I voted for literary fiction because that is probably the majority of what I read, but I also love fantasy/sci-fi and mystery/thriller.

[Coconut Library]

Very good to know, I'll make a more extensive poll for later. Thanks for the information... this helps me!

[Carin B.]

It's always hard to hit all the genres. I did a poll like that awhile back and forgot lots of categories. It's impossible to hit them all! That's what the comments are good for! :)

[Coconut Library]

Thanks Carin... too true!

So I'm not as familiar with the genres that I didn't put on the poll: SciFi, Horror, Fantasy (did I miss one? Speculative just means the ones I wrote already, right Amanda?).

What are some of the titles you recommend in those genres?

Would Harry Potter and Hunger Games be fantasy?

I used to read Christopher Pike when I was younger (and loved him but would be way too scared to read him now)... would he be considered horror?

[Zoe]

HP I would consider fantasy, Hunger Games sci-fi/ fantasy. I really like Orson Scott Card and Terry Goodkind for sci-fi/fantasy, and Stephen King and Chelsea Cain for horror/ thriller

[Amanda]

Speculative *can* be considered to be an umbrella term for scifi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic fiction, but it's usually used for stories that are dystopian or utopian, whereas there are absolutely scifi stories that are not dystopian. Confusing, I know! It's just coming into vogue as a term, so I wouldn't sweat it if you don't use it.

Harry Potter would be fantasy. Hunger Games would be scifi. I know some people say scifi/fantasy, but I wouldn't list them together as a genre, because I know many readers who will only read fantasy but not scifi and vice versa.

Think of fantasy as magic and scifi as science. Scifi attempts to explain the extraordinary things happening scientifically, whereas fantasy uses magic. Michael Crichton is an excellent example of scifi that is often also horror. Lots of books count as multiple genres!

I haven't read Christopher Pike, but wikipedia lists him as a thriller author, and thriller is different from horror. Thriller is about having chills but not necessarily being scared. Horror is more like The Human Centipede (movie).

Speaking as a librarian, the big genres that are generally used are: romance, western, mystery, scifi, fantasy, horror, thriller, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and classics. Each of those of course has its own subgenre.

If you want to poll again, you could just do a comment poll to make it easy on yourself!

[Amanda]

Oh, duh, I forgot to include graphic novels. Mustn't forget them as a genre!

[Zoe]

Have you seen The Human Centipede Amanda?

[Coconut Library]

Thanks! Awesome explanation. And that leads me to what I've been meaning to ask you... would you do a guest post for me? Now I know exactly what topic I hope you'll write for me! :)

[Amanda]

Aw *blush* of course! Email me with more details about what you're looking for.
opinionsofawolf (at) gmail (dot) com

[Amanda]

Alas, it's not available in Netflix yet! Although, it is waiting in my queue, and I have seen the trailer at least 3 times.

Have you seen it?

[Zoe]

I have. It's very...ummm...interesting. In a disturbing way. What really cracks me up is thinking about how the guy who thought up the idea for the movie pitched it to the investors!