Which do you prefer - fiction or non-fiction? (May ‘24)

[Heidi M Simone]

When you choose a book, do you prefer to read a fictional story or one that is non-fiction? Why do prefer one over the other?

[Charmaine Mahlangu]

With me it's seasonal. I choose fictional books after feeling weary of non fiction books. My first exposure to reading was fiction so when I read it , my imagination is edited and filled with colour and light hearted fixtures and that makes me happy. Then I choose non fiction when I want to get back to being a detective. For me that's my work mode.

[Lauren Nedi]

I like fiction based on true stories. Like Soren Davies.

[Heidi M Simone]

With me it's seasonal. I choose fictional books after feeling weary of non fiction books. My first exposure to reading was fiction so when I read it , my imagination is edited and filled with colour and light hearted fixtures and that makes me happy. Then I choose non fiction when I want to get back to being a detective. For me that's my work mode.

Thank you for sharing! Choosing based on moods and when you’re ready for a change makes sense to me.

[Heidi M Simone]

For me, I start with fiction. This is usually my go-to, but when I come across a book by a person I’m interested learning about or a topic I want to explore more, that’s when I head for non-fiction.

[Heidi M Simone]

I like fiction based on true stories. Like Soren Davies.

I haven’t read much of fiction based on true stories, but I can see them being interesting! I actually haven’t heard of that author before.

[Do Thi Huong]

I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction, but I lean towards non-fiction because I love learning new things. What really grabs my attention in a book is whether the writing is engaging, if it's humorous, or if it covers a topic that's new to me. I usually find this information in book descriptions.

[Heidi M Simone]

I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction, but I lean towards non-fiction because I love learning new things. What really grabs my attention in a book is whether the writing is engaging, if it's humorous, or if it covers a topic that's new to me. I usually find this information in book descriptions.

Those are really good points about enjoying both fiction and non-fiction. I also look at book descriptions and ratings. Most times, if a book is rated lower than 4/5 on average on Goodreads, then I usually pass (unless the reading is for a book club) since almost always, I don’t enjoy books with a lower rating.

[Blueberry Dragon]

For the longest time, fiction was my go-to, as I associated non-fiction with school and textbooks. However, now that I have put my school years behind me, I have started enjoying non-fiction as a way of learning new things and gaining new perspectives that browsing newspapers doesn't give.

[Heidi M Simone]

For the longest time, fiction was my go-to, as I associated non-fiction with school and textbooks. However, now that I have put my school years behind me, I have started enjoying non-fiction as a way of learning new things and gaining new perspectives that browsing newspapers doesn't give.

This is a good point, and I can relate. I believe something similar happened to me. I stayed away from non-fiction for similar reasons, but now can find enjoyment in them. Fiction is still my go-to, but I don't purposely stay away from non-fiction as I used to.