Genre Favorites Blogfest

Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CassaStar and CassaFire as well as the mastermind behind the Insecure Writer's Support Group (#IWSG), is hosting the Genre Favorites Blogfest today. All you need to do is list your favorite genre in movies, music, and books and add a guilty pleasure.

I thought this exercise would be harder, but I went with the first thing that popped into my head on each category. But I'll go on the record now saying picking my favorite book genre was the hardest, because I will read any genre. Actually, if I read too many books in a row of a particular genre, I get burned out.

On with the show...
 

My favorite genre of:

 

Movie

This was the easiest category for me. I love comedies. Life is full of enough of the other emotions, so when I go to a movie I want to escape. What better way to escape than a good belly laugh?

Sadly, really good, laugh so hard you almost pee your pants comedies are hard to come by. Some of my favorites: Caddyshack, Bridesmaids (the bathroom scene had me in tears), Christmas Vacation, There's Something About Mary, Nutty Professor, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and Beverly Hills Cop.

 

Music

 

Music is so mood-dependent for me. When I'm going for a run, I need stuff with a great beat. When I'm sad, I'm all about the ballads. When I'm dancing around the house with my girls soaking up life, it's 80s music all the way, much to their chagrin.

To show my husband how much I care, I listen to Neil Diamond with him. See how much I love my husband!

 

Books

 

Why do I have to choose?!

 

I was going to go with the cop-out answer and say... relationship books with memorable characters and storyline. It's true, but I want to play by the rules here.

My favorite is women's fiction. At the end of the day, I want to be invested in the character and their real-life struggles. As a woman, I most identify with women's issues and emotions. But sometimes I find that theme in a different genre, books like Hunger Games and The Book Thief.

Some of my favorite women's fiction: The Help, Winter Garden, Stones from the River, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon and Secret Life of Bees. I know I'm forgetting other favorites! Back in the day, I would read anything from Judy Blume. Actually, I still will. 

 

I say women's fiction versus chick-lit for a reason. I don't like the books where the biggest struggle is trying to get the guy to notice you on a crowded dance floor. I need a literary leaning.

 

And a guilty pleasure genre from any of the three categories!

My total guilty reading pleasure... celebrity magazines. If you think about it, it's really fiction. I go through the pictures first and then read the articles based on my interest level. (Come on guys, it's the equivalent of your Playboy. You can be honest here.)

Outside of that, it's young adult. I loved the City of Bones books (I've only read the first three), Divergent, Hunger Games, the Lightning Thief series (through book four), the Uglies series, and so on. I have a preteen daughter who loves to read, so I use that as my excuse to enjoy these books. It's been a treat for me. Not only do I get to read some great books, but I get to discuss them with my daughter. We even went on a girl-date to see Hunger Games.

I think my answers show my diverse nature. For movies, I want to escape and laugh. For books, I want an emotional roller coaster ride. For music, I pick based on mood. Finally, for a guilty pleasure, I read total fluff about celebrities or embrace what my preteen is reading. Don't try to figure it out. I know my husband has given up!

Please comment and share your favorites.

And feel free to join in on the fun. It's not too late. Just hop over to Alex's post and sign in.