It depends …

When my first child was small, I read a book or magazine article that said small children will naturally eat a balanced diet if they are offered a wide choice of foods and given the freedom to choose what they want to eat. They might not eat a balanced diet on any given day, but they will eat a balanced diet over a couple of weeks.

I’m often like that with my reading.

I tend to read several books by a single author or in a single genre at once, then I’ll switch genres. Romance, historical fiction, comedy, nonfiction. Sometimes I’ll read something from my to-review pile, and other times I’ll choose something from my to-read pile. I’m also trying to read new books as I buy them, mostly to avoid my to-read pile getting bigger.

What I choose to read often depends on my mood.

In the first week of lockdown, I wanted to avoid anything serious, so I binge-read romantic comedy novels—anything that didn’t remind me of what was happening in real life (and I’m sure that some people chose to binge-read pandemic or contagion novels for exactly the same reason). I think I’ll move onto historical fiction next.

I do mostly read Christian fiction, and there are some genres I avoid—horror, for one. I’m also not a big nonfiction reader, although I do make occasional exceptions. I will step outside my normal genres … and sometimes that confirms why I like my favourite genres, and sometimes it opens up a new favourite genre.

What about you? Do you read widely, or do you prefer to stick to your favourite genres?