I’m not sure what it is but every few years I seem to find myself stuck in a reading rut. It’s not even that I find myself stuck reading a particular genre but certain authors within that genre. I think that perhaps part of the issue is that I tend to read a lot of crime fiction and as a genre it is particularly notorious for long running series. With a new novel by Val McDermid or James Oswald released most years I don’t have a need to introduce myself to anything else, particularly in years where I don’t have time to read as much as I would like.
I suppose the other issue that plays a part is cost. Why would I risk spending my hard earned cash on something I might not like? I know that there are ways to get around the issue of cost, I could borrow books from the library or from friends. But again this seems like a lot of effort to go to for something I might not enjoy.
I do find myself wondering occasionally if I’m missing out on something incredible by always sticking to what I know so this year I’ve made a conscious decision to try and read more widely, to experience genres and new authors that I perhaps wouldn’t normally. I certainly feel more confident about it since I started blogging and discovered NetGalley, it gives me the opportunity to request something that I wouldn’t usually read without the worry of spending £20 on a hardback I don’t get past the first five chapters of.
What do you think? Do you find yourself getting stuck in a reading rut or do you always try to experience new genres and authors? If you do find yourself mainly reading the same authors time and again is this even a problem? If you’ve found something you like does it really matter if you stick to it and don’t experiment with other books? Let me know in the comments!
Sarah Withers Blogs 
FictionFan
Hmm… I do tend to stick to the genres I enjoy, but then there are quite a lot of them – crime, mystery, sci-fi, historical fiction, literary fiction, etc etc. So I guess I think a lot of variety stops any one genre from feeling stale, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to force myself to read a genre I’m not enthusiastic about – romances or westerns, for example…
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Sarah
That makes sense, but then you enjoy so many genres I wouldn’t really think of it as being stuck in a rut. I mean a couple of years in a row when I didn’t have that much time to read I literally only read books by the same four authors.
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FictionFan
Yes, it’s easy to stick with what feels comfortable, especially when we’re busy or stressed, but that’s OK, I think – reading doesn’t always need to be challenging, it should be relaxing too sometimes. 🙂
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Laura
I’ve definitely felt like this before! I tend to go through periods of just reading fantasy and historical fiction, because I’m pretty much guaranteed to like books in those genres. I really do need to branch out every once in a while though, because often whenever I read a science fiction book, or even a literary or contemporary fiction book I really enjoy it!
Great post! 🙂
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Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I tend to get into genre ruts, but I don’t read the same authors over and over—but I could definitely see how you might end up doing that when you read crime fiction. My husband listens to some of the audiobooks, and we’ve noticed that a lot of the series have over 20 books!
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jpschaper
I like so many genres and authors, I never have to read the same thing twice. I’m always trying new people. Then again, I LOVE my public library. Even if I can’t get there, I use the R.E.A.D.S to download books. Also, free books on Instafreebie, Amazon, and Nook help me find new authors. They’re free, so I don’t feel guilty if I don’t like them and delete them.
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