What genre of books do you steer clear of, any why?

[megmcqueen]

I try to stay away from historical-war based. I find they can lose pace and my interest quickly.

[DiverseSpirit]

I avoid romance novels.

There are many romance novels in a typical bookstore. I usually see the shelves tightly packed with these books and I wonder when they are ever in high demand. So, my first impression of that genre was that if it was not being bought by many people, then maybe it is not worth getting. I cannot say that I hate romance novels, but I do not prefer them.

[annetteyen]

Steer clear of:
Romance Novels - just... can't
Horror - not into reading evil stuff for "entertainment"
Fluffy fiction - tend to like classics rather than more modern fiction books
Non-fiction with a political agenda even though it's not really related to the topic of the book.

[Celticlady]

I am not a fan of westerns, dystopian/fantasy or erotica. Being a book reviewer, I have to steer clear of books in these genres that will bog me down. Since I am not interested in these genres, I tend to read them slower, can't do that as a reviewer...lol

[kimmyschemy06]

War themed stories. I find them depressing. Then comes romance. And erotica.

[Cowgirl888]

Romance because they are always between a man and a woman. Why can't there be any good LGBT romance out there?

[Scerakor]

I immediately thought about YA, but then realised that it doesn't really fit the description of "steer clear" in my activities. I find a place for YA, namely through audiobooks. When I really think about it, I tend to steer clear of Romance and Auto/biographies. I just don't tend to have an interest in a lot of these books and would rather invest my time and effort into those that do.

[Genna H]

I steer clear of horror (I scare easily). I also don't really like mysteries (I'm lazy and don't like trying to figure out "who dunnit?")... Not super into non-fiction or sci-fi because I generally find them to be boring or too "out there" for me.
All that being said, there are times when I feel like I should read a different genre just because I want to expand my reading horizons and I sometimes find a book that isn't "me" and can't put it down.
Oh. The one exception is erotica. I don't do erotica books. It makes me feel guilty, like I'm cheating on my husband with a fictional character and then I can't enjoy the book.

[K-McD]

I steer clear of romance, because I have many issues with it.

The plots are all exactly the same. The couple meets (or meets again after a while of not seeing each other). The couple gets together and starts the process of figuring things out. Then something horrible happens (ex comes back, dark secret is discovered, there's a misunderstanding, one of them is thought dead) and after that's resolved, they get together and live happily ever after. Okay, fine, some of them have gimmicks like, "he's a sparkly vampire and she's a Mary Sue", but ultimately, they're all the same. Though I will admit that there are some that dare to be different by actually lacking plots.

But, to be fair, other genres often have formulaic plots. I don't particularly like those either, but that's not my only problem. The characters are also often the same, as well. The protagonists tend to be weak women, with the love interests being the "alpha male" who will come in and solve all their problems. In the event that a protagonist does end up being a strong woman, they're often beaten over the head with a stick until they meekly accept that they need to be more "feminine" so they can submit to the alpha male. Sometimes there are exceptions, but those are often outside the mainstream, and thankfully this is changing outside "pure romance". The protagonist will often have one close friend who will most likely be paired with the love interest's friend.

But really, one of the bigger issues I have is that they tend to feature straight couples who are just meeting (or haven't seen each other for a while). Sure, there are M/M pairings, but F/F is pushed aside and ignored. Plus, what about polyamory? There could be a lot of interesting stories about a character trying to fit into an established couple, or two couples deciding to blend their relationships. For that matter, why do they all have to feature people who are just getting into a relationship? Where are the romance stories about people who have been in a relationship for a while, but then they encounter a problem, and then solve it together, reaffirming their love for each other? Or how about stories about characters who get together for a time, then realize that it's not working out and part happily, knowing that they had a good experience together and don't want to ruin it by holding on too long?

And the worst part is that all of those issues are reinforced by the mainstream. Most romance publishers will not accept something that does not follow the predetermined plot, does not have "alpha males", and does not feature the beginning of a relationship that ends happily. Even many of the indie publishers refuse anything else.

I do believe that any story can be told well if it has a good writer. I have encountered a few good romances where they leave out the stock romance characters and the writing is interesting enough to make up for the cliche. I have also encountered many cliches in other genres, but they are not nearly as pervasive as in romance because the market refuses to allow it to change. Overall, the fact that the genre is saturated with clones generally means that I stay away from it unless I have a good recommendation. I'm just not interested in reading the same book over and over again when it wasn't even interesting the first time.

[Dh_]

I try to avoid murder and horror because I find that I start to think about the book when I'm alone and it really scares me. I can't handle anything scary?

[Ama Idim]

I steer clear of war books. I love romance books, but for personal reasons, I've been staying away from those and erotic books recently

[jwalker73]

I usually steer clear of sci-fi. I enjoy reading books I can relate to and empathise with the characters. I find I am rarely able to do this with sci-fi as, usually, the themes are so bizarre I find it difficult to engage with the story.
I also tend to steer away from pure romance novels. I enjoy books that incorporate a strong theme with romance intertwined, however many romances have a predictable ending. I prefer an ending with a twist.

[Amagine]

I steer clear from books that are pure science fiction or fantasy. I can handle these genres when they are written for children. I become bored with them if they are written for adults.

[Pm7lucas]

I'm not a lover of biographies, war, military or westerns. Just not my thing...there is so much waiting for me to read, I don't waste a second on anything that doesn't interest me!

Paula

[Spontaneo]

I do NOT allow myself to read romances.

I find the need to learn something from a book, such as a cookbook, fitness book, religious book, etc. I feel as if I would be wasting precious moments if read a romance.

Now do not get me wrong... I have a couple of romances on my bookshelf for the day I do allow myself.

What do YOU think? Should I allow myself a romance?