Book lovers : How have your reading habits changed as you've grown older?

Question

About ten years ago I liked only sci-fi, mystery and action-adventure As I've gotten into my thirties I find that I now enjoy things classified as chick-lit-humorous/funny/romantic books about women and their everydady lives. It's odd that I didn't enjoy that before, but I guess since I'm older I'm more able to appreciate and identify with the characters in the books. How has your reading changed, or has it stayed pretty much the same for a while now? You tell me.

Answer 1

If anything, since I've gotten older (the ripe old age of 20 lol) my reading tastes have expanded so wide I hardly have time to read all the books I would love to. I think it's ill-advised to stick to particular genres, even if you don't love the books you're reading, you can still appreciate them for the works for art they may or may not be.

Answer 2

I can't say that the genre of reading has changed for me. I've always had an appreciation for a wide variety of styles. For me the biggest change is how much I get to read and sadly it's decreased dramatically since I had my daughter. Before then I could read several good size books a month and now, the next thing I know, I'm half-way through re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia which I started a YEAR ago! I find it really sad, but I will be trying to change that by reading those books (well some of them) out loud to my daughter - helps us both.

Answer 3

The main change in my reading habits has been that I have broader tastes and interests now. I never used to read non-fiction, but I would say at least half of what I read now is non-fiction. That seems to be a habit I picked up when I worked in a library.

The only other thing I have noticed that is sort of peculiar is that my non-fiction reading seems to go in stages. I become interested in a certain topic, and read all the books I can find about it. Sometimes the topic is so interesting to me that I continue to read books about it as a habit, and sometimes I just read intensely about it for a bit, and then never go back. For example, I have become a war and combat buff, and have read and continue to read about various wars (WWI and WWII are favorites), both military history and memoirs. Torture, both it's methods and psychological aspects is a subject I am exploring right now, but I doubt this particular subject will become a habit.

And through it all, I continue to read fiction, both recent fiction, and the classics.

Answer 4

I used to read more serious stuff when i was younger - dostoevsky, hemingway, etc.- but now they bore me. I much prefer lighter stuff now, like what you said chick-lit/humor/romance books. Books are a great form of escape, even more so now for me, cause it seems like the older we get, the harder life gets, and I want to escape all that, not read more about it.
I also used to retain more stuff I read. Now, I forget it a few minutes after reading it. I used to savor each word, each phrase, and would list down words and passages I liked.
Most of all, I had more time to read, and enjoy reading! I read all night till the morning before school, during school, and after school. Now, I squeeze it in during lunch breaks.
When I was younger, I didnt have access to a lot of books. Now, I work at a bookstore, and can get almost any book I want, and in a way that's a problem, cause now I'm always rushing to finish what I'm reading so I can move on to the next book I want to read! It'd be great if we can read the book by just flipping through them like a superhero!
I would say that I used to be a waaaay better reader when I was younger, and that makes me very sad. Its something I'd like to work on, just as soon as I find a solution!
thanks for your question =)

Answer 5

My reading habits have changed-and often seem to fit whatever I am interested in or learning about at the present moment. In high school I read lame teen books like Sweet Valley High, in college I feel in love with World Literature-books like Midnight's Children and The God of Small Things. Today I read books about politics, cooking, travel, religion...just about everything. That's why reading is so wonderful; there is always a new topic to discover and explore.

Answer 6

I used to read only Anne Rice when I was younger. I loved the way she wrote and got used to it, so other authors' styles weren't appealing to me. Now, however, I'm a little more lenient when it comes to writing styles when I'm reading a book. As far as genres, I still prefer the supernatural. I also enjoy mysteries and action books now, though. I've always been pretty picky about books I read.

Answer 7

I have always had flexible reading habits.I read classics and modern feminists like Virginia Woolf and Simon De Beauvoir.Even read Barbra Cartland for a period.I have learned a new language i.e.norwegian.There is a lot of good stuff to read in it.Norway is a small country but writers here write at an amazing speed.I have learned to appreciate books in a different way and like Norwegian crime and romance.

Answer 8

Reading habits change with the times of our life. As teenager I used to relish love-stories and romantic novels. They used to give me a thrill that was missing from my life. I would at times shed tears at the tragedies of my heroines. I would never read a non-fiction at that point of time in my life. But now at the ripe age of 50, I like to read history, philosophy and psychology books, even astrology. Meaning, all sorts of book with an occasional love story......

Answer 9

I'll be 47 soon and have noticed similar changes in my tastes. I used to read sci-fi/adventure all the time but I read much more non-fiction, humor, and the occasional novel.

Answer 10

I am now 53... when I was younger I read lots & lots of fiction... novel after novel of all kinds... as I have gotten older, non-fiction has become a large part of my reading material... and I have grown to love short stories, which I never cared for before... and I am a little more fussier than I used to be... I have to really WANT to read something now...