Pretty much what you said.

"I'm all over the place and read a lot of different books, though mostly fiction. Some of my favorite books are fantasy novels and some are collection of very literary short stories and some are neither of those things."

I personally tend toward science fiction, fantasy, gardening and books on Australians at war. I will however read any book that someone says is good. I am reading a series of books at the moment by Christopher Hitchens and Dawkins on the falsity of religion. That’s way off my market. I think most people have an eclectic taste when given something of interest?

I just say "I like all genres but am less likely to read x genres".

It's easier for me to say what I don't read then try and remember every type of book I like to read on the spot.

Last books read:

Goldfinch

Crime and Punishment

Never Let Me Go

Gulag Archipelago

… I guess as of now, depressing books

I read historical fiction, the older the better. I also enjoy litfic, historical fantasy, magical realism, memoirs, and biographies. That's what I say. I also add that joining a book club expanded my horizons and I found authors I wouldn't have otherwise.

OP you can always say you read from any genre, that you just like a good story. Nothing wrong with that. That's how I am about music and tv.

Mostly fiction. I’m going through a stage right now where I’m reading a lot of classics, but really just anything that looks interesting or is recommended to me.

Very, very good ones. So typically I choose highly regarded books. I do read some that are merely popular but I don't hold high expectations of those.

Sex books mostly

Why couldn't you just list a few genres?

I say that "I like books that are more about characters or people than events." That covers all the genre bases.

I gravitate toward memoirs and short novels based on true stories. Also recently books on new-age philosophy.

I usually answer "Science Fiction, and Fantasy" which is true more or less. When I dip out my usual genres it's because I went looking searching for something. A while ago, when I was going to roleplay as a gang lord style character, I read a book about a guy in the mafia that gets "killed" on the record, but off the record is set up in Vegas.

Recently I've been sticking with my normal genres. I read a couple of the Witcher books, and after that I read Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

I don't know, but at least I know that someone else doesn't know either. I absolutely hate when people try to cram everything into a genre (I like post-apocalyptic urban fantasy! And being a predictable consumer!), and seemingly that's the only general way to answer that question.

The problem is that it's a bad question to ask. You don't read kinds of books. You read authors. So the correct question is "what authors do you like". That question I can answer. Or, you can ask what they're reading at present. Also a good question.

I don't think any interesting person likes genres in the abstract; they like specific authors. Sometimes that leads to genres, sometimes it doesn't. Of course, the follow-up tends to be "what do you like about them?" Or, "what are their books about?" Which can be damn hard questions. Good novels aren't easily summarized, and pithy descriptions of them tend to sound stupid. And most people probably don't know the authors you like, so it makes for a confusing conversation. Talking about books with random people is hard.

Trying to work backwards into a general set of rules about what makes a book a book you like is very difficult, and makes for a pretty personal conversation. Probably an interesting one with the right person.

Fantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction and memiors. I guess I am pretty straightforward.

I'm all over the place, I love skipping genres, but the books of fiction I like the most have one commonality: the character work is front & center

I read everything lol

I usually answer "I read anything but Westerns". That is the only thing I just can't get through.

I just say all of them…because I honestly do like to read from tons of different genres. Some times I’ll go on a certain genre kick and will say that that’s the type of book I’m liking at the moment.

"I'm an omnivore."

Memoirs, creative non fiction, Christian books, and fiction.

Well, if you tend to jump around genres, is there certain plots you like? Characters or character arcs you like to see? Tropes? Maybe describe what emotions you want a book to evoke--"I want a book to give me the warm fuzzies" or "I like books that make me thoughtful".

For example, I have a soft spot for stories where a main character time travels back into their own past and has to try and change their fate even as they have to play things by ear when things change from their memories. I could say that's Fantasy, but it's a pretty niche plot there.

I lean on local indie authors (thank you comicon and regional pride!) and lean even more heavily on fantasy while taking the occasional, spectacular detour into different genres.

Those are usually found by neurodivergent rabbit hole research, not going to lie, but I find some really interesting stuff once my curiosity is engaged.

I like to explore a variety of genres, topics, and authors.

I think that's the most succinct way I can describe my tastes in books. I do enjoy reading mysteries, but too much of that gets boring, so I always set goals and join challenges to help me choose a wide variety of books.

Historical fiction all the way. I try to venture into new genre these days cause Historical fic is the only thing I've stuck with for a long time.

It is hard. I usually say "I like stuff published after at least 1920" and hope that does it. if I say lit fic it sounds pretentious and people get pissy with me, but it's probably a fair description.

I usually just name a couple of genres when people casually ask me. If someone actually wants to know specifically what I like in a book, it's a much longer answer, because it changes over time and is mood dependent.

It might just be me, but I find most people are asking at a surface level and are therefore satisfied with "science fiction and private eye novels"

I don't know exactly what kind of books I like to read because it depends on the plot but I do have a genre or two that I definitely am not very interested in.

Fiction - fantasy, sci-fi, whodunits, horror. I generally don’t get into the sub-categories of those genres

Non-fiction - this is quite a broad spectrum, but mostly psychology, neuroscience, evolution, religion, biographies, physics, astrophysics, biology, history, philosophy. Pretty much anything that I can understand and interests me.

Pretty much non-fiction since 1985, almost all memoirs.

I think book interests depend on the stage of life... If I am on holidays from university, I am more likely to pick non-fiction and only some fiction books. However, if I am back to studying then the chance of me reading non-fiction in my leisure time is less. I'd rather grab some fantasy series.

The interests vary so I could say that I read everything, just some genre way less often than another.

I grew up spending many happy hours in the library and developed eclectic tastes based on explorations there. My favorites include historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, classics and realistic contemporary. I also read some nonfiction, both explorations of topics and memoirs/biography.

I'm not a huge fan of romance or horror but I will make exceptions for a very good book if someone recommends it.

I love spy novels. Allen Furst and Robert Ludlum are two favourites.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy is my bread and butter, but sometimes I'll branch out into some mystery or thriller stuff if I need a break.

I read about half fantasy, with the other half being a mix of everything. For fiction, I like a faster pace and really interesting characters. I generally read more female authors and prefer books with strong female leads. My favourite nonfiction books are generally about either animals/nature, or science. I do not like heavily-woke books, though some woke themes are fine.

[deleted]

"Good ones."

I read about everything.. but I have noticed about myself that covers of books are really what draw my attention. If something catches my eye immediately I feel drawn to it. Then do my normal research on the book, reviews & so far I’ve had a pretty great outcome. Getting through all of the Colleen Hoover books which I started reading last year in February. I just began reading the Maybe Someday series this morning. Idk if anyone else is the same way about the covers. It’s in the details for me. The color, material, design .. it’s weird but not 🙃

British crime/mystery novels and occasionally an autobiography