I started binge-reading Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries in 2010. Sookie Stackhouse remains the fictional character I’d most like to get a pedicure with.
Are you reading books of literary fiction? Or do they instead fit into one of the genres like sci-fi, fantasy, or romance? Here are ten ways to tell if you’re reading genre fiction. (Please note that any gross stereotypes and snark here is meant with a big dose of bibliolove. Proof: last year I read and enjoyed both The Great Gatsby and Beautiful Bastard.)
1.) You would describe a character in the book you’re reading now as your “book boyfriend.”
2.) You’ve read six books this week, and it’s only Wednesday.
3.) You feel a little gleeful and guilty reading your book, like you’re about to consume an entire plate of brownies.
4.) You cannot recall the countries on the west coast of Africa without consulting a map, but you can render the fictional forests and hills of your book on a cocktail napkin.
5.) The book you’re reading has spawned a film trilogy, game app, Broadway show, and theme park, and is rumored to have a companion hair style manual soon released based on the heroine’s signature look.
6.) You were embarrassed to borrow this book from the library because it features a half-naked man, so you grabbed a bunch of unrelated, serious-looking books to check out as well, hoping it will distract the librarian (much as you hid your recent purchase of yeast infection medicine at the drugstore under a pile of gum, shampoo, and Kleenex boxes).
7.) You understand the underlying grammar of the imaginary language in the book you’re reading better than your native tongue.
8.) Describing the premise of your book requires you to use the phrase “oh my God” repeatedly while waving your hands in front of your face like you’re a thirteen-year-old girl at her first rock concert.
9.) You can explain the basic conflict of the book you’re reading by yelling to your friend over loud music at the bar using short sentences and hand gestures.
10.) You suspect the author you’re reading is an alien, because the frequency of his book production in a given year contradicts your understanding of an Earth human’s need to sleep, eat, floss, and binge-watch Scandal.
Enjoyed this? Read Top Ten Signs You’re Reading Literary Fiction… because all’s fair in love and books.
Re: #6 – We librarians are on to your serious-looking book gambit, but don’t be embarrassed for a moment. Genre readers geeking out over books are a delight, because we love seeing voracious readers (see #2) who are passionately engaged with books (see #8). Stop thinking of those manscaped covers as guilty pleasure reading! We respect your freedom to read whatever you choose, so go ahead and enjoy. 🙂