Question of the Week

Do your reading preferences change?

My reading tastes have definitely changed over the years.  They've even been known to change over the course of just a few weeks.

As a newly-minted reader, I read authors such as Beverly Cleary, Donald Sobol, and L. Frank Baum.  In particular, I enjoyed the adventure aspect of Baum's stories of Oz.  I admired the bravery of Dorothy and her friends in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.  Good always conquered evil and there was always a happy ending to be had, and that was comforting.

In my early teens I switched to the Gothic romances of Phylis A. Whitney, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt.  Romances by these authors have several common threads:  a young woman in a strange place, a handsome (but strangely brusque) man, and a mystery. 

In my latter teens, I read lots of paranormal and modern horror by the likes of Peter Benchley, V.C.  Andrews, and Jay Anson's The Amityville Horror.  These, quite simply, scared the daylights out of me.  I was up long past my bedtime, and well after having closed my book for the night. 
These days, I'm into gritty, suspenseful mysteries.  William Ryan's series featuring Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev is set in 1930s USSR.  The historical aspects and the fast-paced action are addictive.  I'm also enjoying Camilla Lackberg, R.J. Ellory, and Colin Cotterill. 

Who knows what I'll be reading this time next year?  One thing's for sure:  I know I'll find something new and interesting at the library.