I love literature. Perhaps too much, perhaps not enough (I already wrote about how I should read more). No, I probably couldn't name my top ten favorite books or even my top ten favorite authors for that matter. In fact, I could probably only name my top three: Edgar Allan Poe, Homer ( The Iliad, The Odyssey ) and J. K. Rowling. As you can probably guess, anything dark and/or mythical in the world of literature draws me in like a magnet; if it's too close to real life, it will probably be boring to me.
I do enjoy some realistic fiction (heck, I've even written it), but don't expect me to name any contemporary book or author off the top of my head or without thinking about it first. No, for some reason, I feel more connected to older, classic literature. Perhaps this is because even the "realistic" classics are far enough removed from modern life to pique my interest. (This is probably also why most of the modern fiction I thoroughly enjoy falls under the teen/YA and fantasy/paranormal categories.) Believe me when I say I've definitely tried to enjoy other forms of contemporary fiction (usually for the sake of one of my English classes). A lot of them lose my focus fairly quickly, so I have to go back and reread significant portions in order to compose an essay or to prepare myself for class discussions. It's okay, though; I don't necessarily have to enjoy it to understand it.
To me, there's nothing more satisfying when it comes to reading than being able to imagine worlds far different from your own. And frankly, if I wanted to learn about someone else's life (that is otherwise very different from mine but is in a very similar identical world), I'd read or watch the news or something. This probably sounds bad, but either the book has to be profoundly hilarious or set in some distant place or time in order for me to enjoy it and to actually look forward to reading it. Like with my musical taste (I exclusively listen to music that falls under the alternative rock/pop genre), I wish I could expand my reading horizons. This way, there would be a lot more content out there for me to read and enjoy. Obviously, this is easier said than done; I'd have to be extremely motivated -- and I'd have to choose the book independently of a class assignment.
I'm open to any recommendations, however. From any genre that's not classic, teen/YA nor fantasy/paranormal, that is. I'm 21 and still reading teen fiction. I'll definitely never stop, but maybe it's time for a change. All I really want is to read something I'm excited about, no matter what the genre is.
