Those of you who stick to only fiction or nonfiction, what are your reasons for this? I’m curious because I find when life gets tough, I get pulled into fiction.

I find that when my life is too chaotic, boring, or otherwise unpleasant, I feel drawn toward fiction. I have been reflecting on this and think it might be because fiction allows me escape from reality. Now this is kind of a weird reason, I know, because fiction can be just as painful as real life. I mean you read Charles Dickens and really feel for the characters, as if they are people you know, as if they exist. Yet, somehow that’s more pleasant for me to read than, say, a nonfiction book on street children of London lived back in the 1800s.

I’m curious if others have noticed a pattern in what genre they’re more into at different points in their lives and whether it is simply a matter of interest or escape or some other experiences that are behind their reading habits.

by davecopperfield