Historical fiction doesn’t usually appeal to me (with the exception of the Holocaust) so I typically don’t read that. Not a fan of Western, either. But if a book comes with a high recommendation I’ll give it a chance regardless of the genre!
I 99% agree. I actually don’t mind some of Ted Dekker’s stuff. But it’s not like the Christian romance. It’s more along the lines of C.S. Lewis. Fiction, with subtle Christian undertones.
Erotica. But, I don’t know of that counts. Erotica first, definitely. Then Westerns. I’ve never read any Westerns that I liked except for the Hank the Cow Dog books in 4th grade. Lol.
This is kinda embarrassing but when I was 15 reading Twilight for the first time, even that made me scared at night. ?♀️ still a scaredy cat 10 years later but maybe not that bad haha.
HORROR. I use the GoodReads app which lists recommendations on the homepage. Horror titles are consistently listed even though I have never added a horror title to my TBR shelf.
Agreed. I like mystery and some old Gothic but they’re often lumped in with horror/gore, which I can’t tolerate at all. So it makes discerning the content very difficult.
What truly chaps me is I emailed GoodReads support staff about this issue. I was not informed I could make changes on my own. I was told to rate more books so they could get an idea what genres I read…..I had 302 books on my TBR shelf! Could that have provided a clue?!
WOW – I love your honest responses – me: romance, chick-lit, anything with airbrushed buffed male/female on the cover. Thank you for feeding my curiosity ??? Ps. I have never tried to read a Western. I might put one in my TBR pile.
I used to have the same rule about airbrushed people on the cover and I’m still extremely suspicious of those books but I’ve accepted that fantasy and sci-fi authors, for some reason, now prefer that to illustrated covers, so sometimes I will give some of them a chance (like with Sarah J. Maas).
So, those who said horror, you’ve never read a Stephen King? This is a tough question for me. I have genres I prefer over others but I don’t know if there’s one I would say I’d NEVER read.
Agree. The genres I least like are based on my experience in reading more than 1 book from that genre. I don’t like Romance novels. But I’ve read books where the romance advanced and enhanced the plot. Christian books I’ve read were poor excuses to push an ideology (to me). But the world is full of stories where religious views and/or religious conflicts ARE the story.
books which feel overly Superior in mood and which intend to establish How to Show how Perfect your Religious Views are, to Everybody Elses’ which are definitely inadequate Note: I have read spiritual books which I found insightful/ moving
Me either – though I did attempt the first 3-4 pages of Lonesome Dove when I was younger- it was the only book I could find at my grandparents’ house… I gave up..!
I’m ok with vampires. For some reason I don’t like faries. Don’t mind if faries are characters. But I don’t want a whole book about them. I hated “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.”
Westerns
Have to agree with this.
This is mine also!
Mystery
Romance
sci fi. romance
Romance
Romance for sure
Sci-fi
Science fiction
Westerns
Sci fi.
Sci Fi
Science fiction
Romance
Sci-fi
Romance
Fantasy
Romance
Romance.
Romance ?
Unpopular answer but dystopian
Not at all – everyone has their ???
Sci-fi
Sci-fi.
Erotica
Sci- fi
Romance
Romance
Romance
Bodice rippers.
Horror
Romance
Erotica
Romance/Bodice rippers
Romance
Romance
Self Help
Romance
Romance
Thriller
Horror
Romance.
Romance
Horror
Historical fiction doesn’t usually appeal to me (with the exception of the Holocaust) so I typically don’t read that. Not a fan of Western, either. But if a book comes with a high recommendation I’ll give it a chance regardless of the genre!
Horror
Romance
…..Grimdark, horror, war and battle stories. Most anything that doesn’t put me to sleep or disgust me, I can wade my way through.
Horror or Romance
Western
Sci-fi
Young adult
Sci fic
Romance
Horror
Sci-fi or romance
Romance
Mills and Boon/ saccharine- drenched sickly romance; does this count as a genre?
Anything with a shirtless man on the cover! Those kind of books never appeal to me
And these.
Paranormal romance
Romance or western.
Romance
YA
Reverse harem. I can stomach romance but RH has zero appeal for me. Like
.. I can’t even. ?
Horror
Sci-fi/fantasy
Poetry
Sci-fi and horror (yeah, that’s two)
Yeah horror for me 2
Home improvement ?? Lol is that a genre ?
A picture is worth a… etc.
Western
Non Fiction
War stories
Definitely science fiction
Horror
Romance ?
Thrillers
Sci fi or fantasy
Romance or Ya
Horror
Cheesy Romance
Romance
Horror
Romance ?
Horror. I get nightmares
Non Fiction, self help (most)
I agree on self help, I find those really patronising, but I like a lot of other non-fiction.
All this hate for horror and sci- fi; they are my favourite genres!
Ditto!
I don’t hate it, I just have such a vivid imagination that I have nightmares and firmly believe something is coming for me. LOL
western
Romance
Horror
Same as many people here definitely horror
Graphic crime novels with gun violence or torture.
Horror
Dystopian
Christian fiction
100% with you there
@Janette way too dramatic
I 99% agree. I actually don’t mind some of Ted Dekker’s stuff. But it’s not like the Christian romance. It’s more along the lines of C.S. Lewis. Fiction, with subtle Christian undertones.
Most of it just isn’t good writing, and can get ‘preachy’.
@Janette absolutely!
Western
I second this!
Easy. Romance. I don’t read anything in romance anyway. It’s fine as a side plot, but I get bored if it’s the main story.
Horror is my favorite ?? I couldn’t go without my creeps and freaks!!
I don’t do sci-fi nope
Western because I’ve never read one and have survived thus far. Lol!
Romance and non fiction
Romance
Romance
romance
Fantasy
I would write romance too.
Romance
Self help books
Horror
Horrpr
Romance
Horror
romance
Romance!
erotic, or horror
Horror n romance
Romance
romance
Horror books
Romance/Erotic
Do textbooks count?
Horror
Horror
Science Fiction
Crime/mystery
Romance
Cowboy.
Science fiction
Horror
Romance
Sci Fi
Just one? probably horror…I can tolerate certain types of Sci-Fi, and romances that are not just gross-mushy, but horror? I can’t sleep.
Sci-fi
Romance
Anime/Manga
Science fiction
Sci-fi and vampire books
Horror
Nonfiction
Romance
Christian based books
Dystopian closely followed by romance.
Romance
Horror
Erotica. But, I don’t know of that counts. Erotica first, definitely.
Then Westerns. I’ve never read any Westerns that I liked except for the Hank the Cow Dog books in 4th grade. Lol.
Romance
Romance novels
Romance
Romance/westerns/manga/preachy
Fantasy
Romance
Romance
Erotica
Western
Action
Westerns.
Romance.
Erotica
Tragedy, romance, erotica, hardcore action.
Romance
Romance
Horror
Romance
Horror
Sci-fi
Horror
Romance.
Horror for sure.
Horror and poetry. Is poetry even a genre?
Romance
Western
Young adult romance/YA paranormal romance
Self help
Romance
Romance
Romance
Horror and romance.
Sci fi
Romance
Western.
Football
Sci Fi
Sports
Horror
Or sports
Romance or erotica. It’s a toss up
Romance
Is Young Adult a genre? I’m going with that.
Romance
Sci fi
Erotica
Horror
Horror
Romance
Horror
Omg that is a tough choice
Horror
I love all books. Have not got one. XxX
Graphic novels
Sci fi and fantasy
Sci-fi, fantasy and biographies
romance. haha
Horror
Young adult
Horror & thriller.. I would never sleep again. ?
This is kinda embarrassing but when I was 15 reading Twilight for the first time, even that made me scared at night. ?♀️ still a scaredy cat 10 years later but maybe not that bad haha.
Romance
Sci-fi
Erotica
Fantasy
I agree with Cynthia and Casey.
Sci-fi, horror, and mystery.
Western
HORROR. I use the GoodReads app which lists recommendations on the homepage. Horror titles are consistently listed even though I have never added a horror title to my TBR shelf.
Click on your recommendations and you can edit what they show you. ?
GR is my go to too.
Agreed. I like mystery and some old
Gothic but they’re often lumped in with horror/gore, which I can’t tolerate at all. So it makes discerning the content very difficult.
@Hazel THANKU! I had no idea I could choose recommendations. After just finding this, the only checkmark was for horror. Now NO MORE HORROR listed.
What truly chaps me is I emailed GoodReads support staff about this issue. I was not informed I could make changes on my own. I was told to rate more books so they could get an idea what genres I read…..I had 302 books on my TBR shelf! Could that have provided a clue?!
Erotica. Not a prude but I’ve never read an erotica novel with a good plot or complex characters.
Romance, esay
Western
Western or historical
Western or historical
WOW – I love your honest responses – me: romance, chick-lit, anything with airbrushed buffed male/female on the cover. Thank you for feeding my curiosity ???
Ps. I have never tried to read a Western. I might put one in my TBR pile.
I used to have the same rule about airbrushed people on the cover and I’m still extremely suspicious of those books but I’ve accepted that fantasy and sci-fi authors, for some reason, now prefer that to illustrated covers, so sometimes I will give some of them a chance (like with Sarah J. Maas).
Romance
Mystery
Horror
History
Horror & Detective novels.
Horror
Romance for sure. ?
Fiction
Romance
Romance novels.
Erotica
Romance
romance….
Horror
Romance
Historical
Romance
Romance. HEA? Not in MY life.
action
Erotica And Self Help Books
Political
Erotica. I’ll never read that anyway.
Horror, although I’ve read Dracula. Otherwise, action and political aren’t my thing!!
Romance
Christian Romance
Fantasy
Horror
Westerns
Horror and harlequin
(Auto)Biographies – just can’t get into them.
Romance
Action or horror
Horror
Horror
Horror and fantasy
Fantasy
Horror
Sci-fi
Amish/Christian romance
Those like.the monk who sold his Ferrari and blink
They are into self.help but I like the more rational self help books like peek
Horror
Romance for sure
Horror
War novels
Me too. Except that I did like “Winds of War” and “The Book Thief.”
Horror
Sci fi
Xtian anything and romance.
What does xtian mean?
Christian. The Greek letter X has been a symbol for Christ for centuries. Xmas = Christmas.
Okay. I didn’t know that. I thought Xmas was just a shortened version of the word.
It was code so the newly formed and growing group coukd stay safe from the Romans, I think.
Poetry or romance
romance. too much predictable
horror
So, those who said horror, you’ve never read a Stephen King? This is a tough question for me. I have genres I prefer over others but I don’t know if there’s one I would say I’d NEVER read.
I don’t care for Stephen King myself but I agree about choosing a genre NEVER to read. Maybe nonfiction if I had to choose one.
Agree. The genres I least like are based on my experience in reading more than 1 book from that genre. I don’t like Romance novels. But I’ve read books where the romance advanced and enhanced the plot. Christian books I’ve read were poor excuses to push an ideology (to me). But the world is full of stories where religious views and/or religious conflicts ARE the story.
I avoid blatant romance, but sometimes end up reading something I didn’t realize was going to be romance and liking it…. like Outlander
Outlander is a great example of how love/romance drives plot. I didn’t like that book. I didn’t like Clare.
romance
Romance and chick-lit
And Stephen King
If horror is well written like Stephen king or Peter straub and in one case joe hill(noseratu but the fireman stunk)then I love it if it’s bad I don’t
Romance
Western. Bleh.
Syfi
I’ve had enough of Dystopia. Once I could appreciate it, but now it’s become too real and too overdone.
Sci if and fantasy
Fantasy/time travel and horror (am a scaredy-cat)
Biographies
Smutty romance
erotica
Sci=fi/fantasy
political / historical
Romance
Romance
SciFi-Fantasy
Romance here as well. Try one every few years and it’s never to my taste,
biographies
Sci-fi
Horror
Horror
Romance
Sci Fi
Romance
Dystopia, sci-fi, fantasy
bio’s
Mystery
Horror
Non-fiction
Horror
Erotica(eg porno) isn’t my bag.
Romance
Romance
Sci -fi
Romance
I’m with you!
Sci Fi
Sci Fi
Sci-fi
Horror is one genre of books I do not read.
Sci Fi
Just one? Romance, Fantasy, Horror…and more.
Sci Fi or Romance
Can’t choose!
YA
Chick-lit
That is hard. I never know if a book in a genre will interest me.
Horror. Sci-fi.
Horror or thrillers
if i was really pressed to choose..romance
Romance and romance featuring vampires.
Have you read the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness? It’s got plenty of romance in it and vampires, too!
@Hannah No, those are genres I would NOT like to read.
Sorry! There are two posts going around. One saying books you’d like to read and one saying books you wouldn’t. I got the wrong one!
@Hannah ?
books which feel overly Superior in mood and which intend to establish How to Show how Perfect your Religious Views are, to Everybody Elses’ which are definitely inadequate Note: I have read spiritual books which I found insightful/ moving
Sci-fi
Sci Fi
Horror
Not a sci fi/dystopian society fan…
boring non-fiction
Romance
Romance…blegh
Sci fi, horror, westerns
Lord I hate westerns..!
I never even read one.
Me either – though I did attempt the first 3-4 pages of Lonesome Dove when I was younger- it was the only book I could find at my grandparents’ house… I gave up..!
I have that I thought at the time I would read it, but now I’m thinking not. it’s a big book too.
Too big to invest that much time in lol!
I agree
Probably Romance
Sci-fi
Science fiction
Romance
westerns.
Horror
Romance
Romance
Horror. My imagination is way to vivid to ever let me fall asleep.
Romance
Horror
Vampires
I’m ok with vampires. For some reason I don’t like faries. Don’t mind if faries are characters. But I don’t want a whole book about them. I hated “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.”
Romance
Fantasy
Angst
good one!
Horror
Sci fi
Romance.