Today's topic for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a meme and the idea was just to choose one or keep it as short as possible. In other words, mix it up a bit so as we go around and visit different blogs we don't just see same-same. ;)
I chose the question, Fiction, non-Fiction, or both? to answer.
I love fiction. Passionately. I also enjoy nonfiction.
I once heard a book blogger say they prefer nonfiction because it was all right there. So much truth. They said fiction was a lot of work for a little bit of truth.
It's possible, of course, that they're right though there are some heavy weight novels that pack so much truth in every word. But the way truth is revealed through fiction is usually in a way that I remember.
I do like nonfiction, but I generally don't read more than a few titles a year. The books take me much longer and I probably come away having learned the same amount as the number of fiction titles I could read in the same time.
And then of course...I just love reading fiction. It's fun. It moves me to tears, it angers me, it inspires me, it lets me walk in someone else's shoes. Fiction makes me laugh and slip away to another world. Fiction alters my perspective, opens up endless possibilities and hits me with the truth. Fiction can be both escape and salvation...pure art and while there are certainly a million practical reasons to read nonfiction, fiction brings the same truth and knowledge wrapped in a prettier package. I love it! :)
And speaking of...imagine my joy when I read on Twitter yesterday that Wicked Lovely is set to be adapted to film!!!(I suspect Chris is especially stoked about this news ;) Let the casting predictions and hopes begin!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
I Love Fiction!
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18 comments:
I agree. I read a couple of non-fiction books a year, but my heart is 100% with fiction. It takes you away from real life and transports you into so many different worlds. I can learn as much from fiction as I can from non-fiction. There are so many emotions that different characters feel and experiences they go through. The fact that I read so much more fiction than non-fiction means I have probably learnt more in a shorter space of time. I think it helps teach you how to deal with certain situations if the occur in real life and as much as I love to learn new things I also just love a good story.
Well, I actually kind of disagree with the blogger in question. You have to take nonfiction with a grain of salt! It's very easy to spin evidence one way or another, so if you only read one book about something, you're almost never getting the whole truth. They won't lie, but you do have to work to find out the actual truth, usually by reading more. This is especially so if you're reading a book published for the public and not for an academic community, as they have less rigorous guidelines/proofing processes (or so I'm told). Okay, that's only from a history perspective, but I would imagine it applies to most things.
So I like both, but I agree with you, Amy. The truth that fiction reveals is often closer to my heart and vastly more memorable than what I'd get out of a nonfiction book.
I love fiction as well. And there is a lot of truth hidden in the pages of fiction books.Besides, I have learned also that just because a book in non-fiction, it doesn't mean that waht's written in there is true. It's just like with the statistics, it all depends on how the research is done and how the facts are presented.
Oh, I forgot the most important thing. Congratulations on winning the BBAW award for Best Community Builder! I'm very happy you got it!
I love non-fiction for all the reasons you love fiction! "It moves me to tears, it angers me, it inspires me, it lets me walk in someone else's shoes." Certainly, I've experienced those things with fiction as well, but those emotions are always (OK, almost always) more powerful when I realize, OMG, somebody actually had to deal with this/discovered this/endured this/fought for this/was graced with this/etc.! Of course, there are limits to what one can experience through non-fiction, but lot of times non-fiction really is stranger than fiction.
Today's activity is so great, I can't stop reading about everyone, thank you for the meme and for sharing your own answers. Now I must cut the computer off, head out of town........
I alternate between fiction and non-fiction, but I always know that I can really relax and escape with a good piece of fiction. I loved you "in-depth" response!
I love biographies and I especially love to read a biography and then read HF based on that person. I love the perspective that each lends to the other.
But if I could pick only one for the rest of my life, I'd probably go with fiction. (but would that mean I would have to give up my cookbooks and lace books and Mr. BFR would have to give up his woodworking books?)
I have got to read Wicked Lovely! I think this is the fifth time in the past week I've seen it recommended, whether directly or indirectly. I definitely read more fiction than non-fiction, but I still read a good sized handful on non-fic every year. Books like Burrough's Running with Scissors, Adamcyzk's When God Looked the Other Way, Sedaris's Naked, and Roach's Stiff really make non-fic fun!
I did my quick list in pictures.
What a great ode to fiction! While I enjoy non-fiction, I much prefer reading fiction!
I'm not too crazy about non fiction. My post is up in Inklings.
I like non-fiction once in awhile depending on the topic but I am a fiction gal myself. I like to be taken away to anothet time and place.
I like both, but prefer fiction. I'm usually not reading to discover the truth - I'm reading to get away from it.
I love fiction, too, but I do love non-fiction as well (will always go fiction first). Interesting about the truth aspect since there have been so many memoirs lately that haven't been entirely true. Anyway, The Glass Castle is one you should check out--and I swear it reads like fiction. :)
I love fiction for all the same reasons as well. It's my escape and entertaining.
I agree completely. Although I am a huge nonfiction fan - I adore fiction passionately. There is something about a story - it's magic, it's ability to do ANYTHING that I am drawn to. Still, I don't just pick one automatically over the other. I love how much I can learn from nonfiction. Making sure I get some of both in my reading diet is really important to me.
I think my reading is about evenly split. Well, if you consider memoir to be non-fiction ... depending on the author, they can take some pretty strong artistic license!
I couldn't have said it better. :-) I enjoy reading nonfiction, but I definitely have a preference for fiction.
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