Fringe Fiction Unlimited discussion

I thought I'd get some more reading threads going and one thing I'm curious in knowing is what are everyone's top three genres in which they read. I know some may not have three which is fine, just list your favorites that you read in and give a brief explanation as to why you read that particular genre.

For bonus points if it's not a popular genre then really sell it and see if you can get others to read it as well.

Discuss away!

Horror, fantasy, and scifi.

Since I created the thread I'll start. Here are my three favorite genres to read:

Horror- If you know me then you know it's no surprise that horror is my favorite genre to read. I write it, my inspiration is Poe so naturally I look to read anything horror I can get my hands on that sounds appealing to me. I was drawn to horror by reading many works of Edgar Allan Poe, watching one too many horror movies and I enjoy reading horror from fellow indie authors. I feel horror is at an all-time high right now and while some sub-genres are being over done(zombies) I still look for the next best horror book that'll satisfy me.

Thrillers- This counting all types whether it's a horror thriller, crime thriller or any other type. I like these because there's always excitement and intriguing characters and a sub-genre of horror at times. You throw thriller into the mix I'm usually interested and I find them gripping if they are written well enough. The thrillers I usually read border on other genres but there's nothing wrong with that.

Weird Westerns- Yes, it's an unpopular genre but I find it fascinating! The thing I love about Weird Westerns is simple, it takes a regular western which is already cool in my opinion and combines it with another genre whether it's horror, fantasy, sci-fi or steampunk. I love the Wild West era and enjoy a good ole fashioned western book but after I was introduced to the Weird West I was hooked. It inspired me to not only write one of my own but to find more weird west books to read and even seek out fellow weird west authors and read some of their books.

Science fiction: I have a special love for aliens, but it's hard to find a good story without being a romance/erotica. A bit of romance is fine with me... but I don't want it to be just that.

Fantasy: I prefer urban/dark/contemporary over high/epic ones. Not because I don't like the latter but because there was a time I only read that so I got tired of it a bit. Now for fantasy, it's the same as for Scifi. It's sometimes hard to find one that doesn't turn into erotica/romance. The kind I like is more like Jim Butcher's style.

Short/novelette/novella: why? because it's a great way to read a genre I might not try otherwise. It's a good short pause between longer books.

Weird Westerns? you mean like the movie with the cowboys and the extra terrestrials? because the only westerns I tend to find are romance... and well... if I am going to read romance, be it at least with something out of this world! :P

Yes, the ones with cowboys and extraterrestrials lol.

young adult, science fiction, romance. :-)

But don't space cowboys count as Science Fiction? #ShoutOutToFirefly

I do horror, though for me horror is a huge variety. I don't close off much.

Sci-fi is a genre I've just barely now really dove into, and am loving.

Fantasy of course, is the third. Just something that I've always read from the very beginning.

Historical romance, contemporary romance, and the classics :)

Horror, thriller/suspense (I'm really not sure of the difference sometimes). contemporary lit.

Overall, I read more speculative fiction than the descriptive sort. So, just going by book totals, my top three genres are supernatural fiction (I prefer that term rather than "horror"), sci-fi, and fantasy.

By itself, though, that information can be misleading; I also like descriptive fiction, and am trying to read more of it. (Last year, I read a lot more of the latter than the former.) My favorite descriptive genres are mysteries, historical fiction, and action-adventure (often with kick-butt heroines, like Modesty Blaise).

There are some great reads out there by indie and small-press authors in all of these genres; and as time permits, I hope to start recommending some of the best ones that I've found so far!

Great topic Justin!

Literary Fiction: Complexity and Deeper Meaning! As an AP Lit & Comp teacher, former English major and Nerdy Bookworm, I'm drawn to the highbrow, yo. If I walk away from a piece of lit feeling not only entertained but educated or enlightened, the novel has done it's job and I feel as though I've nourished myself with literature, not just escaped or amused myself.

Poetry: Poetry is the blood and guts of literature. It doesn't get more intimate or personal than what poets put on the page. It's not for everyone, and some poems require patience and analysis like studying a fine piece of art. But...the reader is open to the experience of seeing the world is these vivid, sometimes harsh, but always beautiful ways.

Gothic: I blame fairy tales, Bronte sisters, and the 90's for this one. In childhood daydreams I was always the princess, but it was the wolf or the phantom that saved me, or more we saves each other, not Prince Charming on a white horse. And that's Gothic tales to me.

Romance and Suspense, and a mixture of the two, but written clean.

I like plot twists and action, but not gory and graphic. I want to expand my genre preference and discover good Indie writers.

I read thrillers, mysteryies, historical fiction and fantasy

Fantasy, literary fiction, and cozy mysteries. Cozy mysteries also seem to have the cutest covers and often involve cats and bookstores or libraries, so that's an automatic bonus even before the first page!