Genres I Dig

I can go all over the place. I prefer good, literary works where the focus is on character development, but sometimes literary works can get dull. The plots go nowhere, so it takes a deft writer to pull it off. But I loooove when high-quality writers steal plotting from genre fiction: David Mitchell is a master of this.

Some excellent examples of this genre/ literary blending include The Lovely Bones by Alice Siebold, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.

But I also read my fair share of science fiction, probably my favorite genre. The Expanse series by Corey is a fave. As is anything by William Gibson, the Dune books, Iain Banks's Culture series, etc.

I used to read fantasy, but it got old. During college, I realized I'd outgrown it. Though I confess to having read EVERY SINGLE Discworld book by Terry Pratchett and loving their satire. And, of course, I've read the Harry Potter books.

That said, I've recently been introduced to urban fantasy through Neil Gaiman, whom I love. A lot of urban fantasy is YA... and I'm WAY older than YA... but I have found some stuff that I like a lot. Writers like Patricia Briggs and Jim Butcher... whom I enjoyed but stopped reading after he creeped my out by hyper-sexualizing a 15-year-old character.

I also read a lot of crime fiction, preferring cozy mysteries and whodunnits over action. adventure.

That said, when I write, I tend to stick to that magical realist mode. It forces me to focus on character and real, human emotions, but it allows me to bring in genre-driven plote elements like zombies, witchcraft and vengeful spirits. Though I steer clear of "epic quests" and other tropes and use these elements symbolically.

Hope this helps.