Icecream Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 When we grow up do our tastes in books change? Does a love of books grow wider and deeper as the reader grows older? Do our childhood loves/hates stay with us? At the moment I seem to have a strong pull towards reading books based on real experiences, or with real places, or towards non-fiction books. Before joinng this forum I would read allsorts, but definitely was more a lover of fantasy than anything else. I had been ever since I learned to read. I still love fantasy. I'm currently reading Eragon and want to read more Tolkien. I can't wait for the next Harry Potter film either, but I am not sure my love for fantasy is the same now. Maybe I just need something different in that genre. I still believe in fairies after all, so my love is obviously still there. Maybe it is just growing into something new, or maybe not. Maybe I am just going through a personal crises. Writing this, I am now thinking i do still love Tolkien and Harry Potter. Time to stop ranting and hand the thread over to you guys I think. So does our love of books grow up with us, and how? Am I making sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I still love some of the books I loved as a small child, such as Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows, and those I read when I was a little older, such as Ronia the Robber's Daughter. I "discovered" Pratchett when I was 15 and still love his books today. I've had some taste-changes, for example, I now love historical fiction, especially those featuring the Tudors or the Romans, neither of which really interested me when I was younger. I'm also open to trying more new things, such as new authors and classics, which I kind of avoided until more recent years. I used to read all the Judy Blume books which I now find very dull and out-of-touch - they seem to have dated for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hmm, I would say our tastes (not just in books) grow as we as people grow, I listen to a range of music, read a huge variety of books and watch a wide range of films that when i was younger I would not have bothered with, saying that, I still dislike westerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I definitely read books now that I would not have considered perhaps ten or even five years ago. I never ever thought I would enjoy historical fiction, but I do. I used to mainly read crime, but that's probably not my favourite genre anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessponti Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I think our tastes are refined as we get older, you really begin to understand what you enjoy and can more easily discern what is really good. When I was younger, I used to enjoy anything that had a story to lead me through; but now, I judge a book still on the story, but also on the writing, the characterisation, and the many other layers that makes a book not just good, but great. It's the same with movies for me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I think they can but I also think it is open to outside influences like for example, this forum (in which we can get recommendations and learn about new books from others), educational experiences ie. having to follow reading lists etc. Also what we read can be very much of its time and at the time seem really good but then in retrospect seem dated and make us feel we have grown out of it (that doesn't include the timeless classics though). Maybe reading is a thing that reflects phases in our lives when we have more or less time to read and may choose books to fit with those limitations. Oh dear I've rambled quite a bit here - hope it makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I think that as we grow older we have a deeper understanding of what we like and are more prepared tp listen to others thoughts and reflections of a particular book. This site has been good for me in that respect but I still remain faithful to my favourite genres - some contemporary fiction, historical fiction, crime, horror and the classics. I still remain devoted to my favourite authors, some since a teenager, for example Jean Plaidy, James Herbert, PD James etc. In addition I have discovered lots of new authors through here. However, despite the influences of here and other people there are still some genres I cannot bring myself to read and these have remained unchanged for the 42 years since I could first hold a book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 there are still some genres I cannot bring myself to read and these have remained unchanged for the 42 years since I could first hold a book! Yes I totally agree - it's almost like it's part of the way you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I wonder if it reflects our personality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I loved horror and thrillers as a kid, and I still love them now. However, I've added fantasy, non-fiction, and contemporary fiction to my list of favorites now. I think my tastes have remained the same, but that they've expanded to include more mature genres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Now I still can't read (auto ) biographies and fantasy - they have always left me cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Think it is more the authors that have changed rather than tastes in books as I still prefer the same sort of genre, but wouldn't necessarily go back to the old authors (dare I say Catherine Cookson, Masie Mosco etc. books my mum started me reading, mind you I don't think she would have gone back to them now either bless her). This site has certainly introduced me to a few more authors I haven't read before, thanking you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I believe that as readers grow older they become more open to different types of books. But it doesn't necessarily come from our age, but from exposure to different books that reflect our interests and tastes. I agree with what JudyB said about "outside influences". When I was younger I was limited to my school library and now I have the internet and book clubs to explore. Of course tastes do change, but I find that I still gravitate toward certain types of books more than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Generally, I think my tastes are much broader and more catholic now than when I was younger. I think that's a fairly easy experience, because you start off reading liking maybe one or two things which draw you in, and the more you read the more different things you find that you like - and also get accustomed to and learn to like. There's a similar thing with food. But, as with food, too, there are some things I liked when younger which now seem so unsophisticated and bland as to be completely pointless except when in need of mindless comfort. Unlike food, I think there are ideas in books which also seem to appeal to the younger, more "adventurous" mind. I think Kerouac's On The Road was a great example of that to me. I read it travelling round Europe as an 18 year old, and the idea of beat writing, and of upping sticks and travelling, was completely right for the mind of a travelling 18 year old. Now, to the older and more cynical me, it reads like self-indulgent rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I think our tastes definitely change and evolve as we grow older. I've become a much more discerning reader and I am more critical of books that I read, but I have also really expanded my reading in terms of the types of books I read. I think the BCF has helped to fast-track that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I certainly dont read the books I first used to read, which was romantic tosh. I used to believe in falling in love and everything leading to a happy ending lol. I think my daughter influenced one change in me, it was she who introduced me to Anne Tyler for example and of course she led me on to this site. My taste has become much more eclectic and I will try any genre and any author, except perhaps horror. I am now very much influenced by the reviews of books I read about on here and will often either pick them up at my daughter's or in a local charity shop if I spot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tiresias Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 In my teens I read a lot of poetry and mystical rubbish. In my early twenties my reading tastes were deliberately subversive, with a particular predilection for books that had been banned, were controversial, or considered unreadable. Now, at the ripe old age of 28, I read anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Age plays a role of course, but experiences that come with that age are the real deal breaker. It's a two way street really, as we experience more of life we widen our reading menu, and as we expand our reading, we are led off on tangents by the books themselves, and of course the forums we inhabit. I've changed my reading habits in the last 5 years or so especially, branching out to authors I'd only peripherally heard of before. I find I am more adventuresome in my reading, and while I may and have developed deep dislike for a few authors, I have at least given them a chance and tried several of their works. But the previously unknown authors I have received joy from, that is a whole 'nuther ball of wax! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.