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On Reading — Trends

November 29, 2009 by Guest Contributor

Do you find yourself unintentionally reading books that have things in common? I’ve noticed that the books I read come in trends. Around this time last year, I read several books in a row that were about books. Reading books, writing books, stealing books, burning books, restoring books. Sometimes all of them. I didn’t intentionally choose titles that had books as a major part of the story but it was definitely a theme.

Other times I’ve noticed the stories are all set in one place – England was a common one for while, and even recently I listened to two books in a row set in New Orleans. New York is another major one, although a good portion of novels are set in that city so I don’t know if I could call that a trend.

Recently several books included a deceased mother – maybe she passed long ago when the main character was a child, or she dies during the course of the story, and in one case, a mother who was believed dead but turned out to be very much alive. Two books in a row revolved around a dead brother who died immediately before the events in the story take place.

My current trend is toward the supernatural. Zombies, vampires, witches, ghosts.

I try not to read from the same genre more than a few times in a row. Historical fiction might be followed by chick lit, and then a memoir. Sometimes I don’t have a choice in the order I read books as I’m at the mercy of the library but I request different types of books in an effort to spread things around. Yet the trends seem to transcend genre.

I don’t know that this is a subconscious choice, as I often don’t know where a book is set, or if a character’s mother has passed, until I’ve started reading. So it fascinates me that this phenomenon, for lack of a better word, seems to keep popping up in the books I choose.

Nancy Talan recently moved her family from New Jersey to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. She blogs about adjusting to life at 5,000 feet, her two boys and her love of books at Life With My Boys

Filed Under: Nancy, On Reading

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Comments

  1. Jennifer (5 Minutes for Books) says

    November 29, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    I notice this ALL the time, Nancy! And like you said, it’s not usually a conscious choice on my part, although occasionally I seek out books dealing with a certain theme once I’ve read and enjoyed another one.

  2. Dawn says

    November 29, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    Yes, yes! My recent trend has been admittedly somewhat purposeful– since I love when I can relate personally to a book, it seems that I’ve been reading every offering about life as a mom lately! 🙂

    Thanks for contributing, Nancy!

  3. Lauren says

    November 29, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    I do notice this as well. Sometimes, I have to make an effort to get away from a certain type of book so I can break the cycle!

  4. TheAngelForever says

    November 29, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    Yes, I have also noticed this happens when I get into a reading groove. I think I am in the same trend as you right now. Congrats on contributing here 🙂

  5. Carrie, Reading to Know says

    November 29, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    Yup – happens here as well! I get interested in a particular topic and I find myself gravitating towards similar topics and titles. =) Not necessarily a bad thing, but I can wear myself out with particular topics.

  6. Heather J. says

    November 30, 2009 at 10:34 am

    I love when this stuff happens to me. In fact, I do a series of posts called “Literary Connections” where I share all the times this has happened to me. Sometimes it is books with the same theme, but more often (for me) I learn something new in a book only to find that it is mentioned in the next book I read – I love it when that happens!

  7. KyleeJ says

    December 2, 2009 at 8:51 am

    There are times that I do latch on to a theme or series or author and usually go a little overboard. I try to stop myself before I overindulge and make myself sick of the author, theme, etc.

    Recently I read 2 Amish books (both by the same author) and am now reading a third book by the same publisher, but it isn’t an Amish book.

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