Favourite Genres

For the longest time I've answered 'fantasy' whenever someone asked me what my favourite genre of book is. Now, however, I've started to doubt whether this is true or not...

Don't get me wrong, I do still very much adore fantasy and all the elements that come with the genre, but I'm so picky with it and, actually, I haven't read too much of it. My shelves are packed with a bit of everything, and yes my fantasy collection is my biggest, but is it actually my favourite?

It seems that I pick up more bad fantasy books than I do good, and this has made me hesitant to delve deeper into the genre or actually reach for the books that are on my TBR. I'm scared I won't enjoy what I read and that it'll put me off the genre for good. I feel like if I distance myself from all things magical an mythical then I can't be disappointed and can't fall out of love with it.

But this is far from the perfect solution. By doing this, can I call myself a fantasy lover? Do I truly enjoy it if I hardly ever read it? If I reach for a contemporary or a horror first? I think so. Just maybe not as much as I thought.

When I look for a new fantasy read I have a very specific list of what I look for, but it's difficult for me to quantify it or explain it in a way that makes any sort of sense. It's mostly based off what I feel when I look at the book and hold it. If it doesn't feel right in my hands or I don't even want to read the blurb, it's a no.

And I think this is where my fantastical downfall stems from: I am very much a mood reader.

I get bored by reading more of the same over and over again. I constantly need to switch things up - the pace, the length, the characters, the genre. People - like my mum - who read exclusively from one genre both amaze and confound me. How do they not get sick of reading the same thing over an over again? Do they never get the urge to try something new? It's baffling to me.

But it's not all bad! Not having a favourite genre means I don't feel confined to a box of only reading certain things, and I'm not too put off trying something at least once. I can happily dip my toes into multiple genres, with only a few that I'll consciously avoid (I'm looking at you, romance and non-fiction). I'm just as happy reading a graphic novel as I am a paranormal story. A historical fiction or a horror, it doesn't matter to me.

I read across genres. And I'm proud of it.

What's your favourite genre?

Do you read from just one or many?