Guest Post: Stephanie, Well-Rounded and Eclectic

I am currently buried under family members, food, festival, and fun, so some kind bloggers have graciously agreed to guest post here on eclectic / eccentric.

Today, the wonderful Stephanie, who blogs at Reviews by Lola joins us with her thoughts on being an eclectic reader.

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I think it would be safe to assume that most (if not all) of the readers of this blog are devoted readers.  I don’t know about you, but when people find out how much I love to read, they inevitably ask the million dollar question—What do you like to read?  My response is usually along the lines of Ummmm . . . . books??  I mean, how can I simplify my love of reading into one or two categories?  I guess I would say I am a reader of literary fiction, but that is so broad and of course that is not all I read.  Such is the life of an eclectic reader.

When Trisha asked me to write a guest post for her blog, she threw out a list of topic ideas, one of which was what are the joys/hardships of being an eclectic reader?  I was immediately certain that was what I wanted to blog about.  I think most readers probably fall into the category of being an “eclectic” reader.  I feel like most of the blogs I frequent review a whole spectrum of genres instead of just focusing on one or two, and I love that!  There are so many great books AND genres out there, so why tie yourself down to just one or two?

I got my bachelors degree (in English Literature—go figure!) from a small liberal arts college.  I have always loved the philosophy of the liberal arts; to be a well rounded person you have to have a bit of knowledge about everything.  Reading is no different.  I think if I were to limit myself to only one or two different types of literature, I wouldn’t be learning as much or broadening my horizons.  By dabbling in a bunch of different genres, my perspective is widening and I am also able to discover books that I might not otherwise have read.   

Book blogging has encouraged me to be more eclectic in my reading choices.  For one, I participate a lot in the Classics Circuit.  Almost all the books I have read for the circuit are books I may not have chosen on my own.  Sylvia’s Lover, by Elizabeth Gaskell springs to mind.  Then you have all the bloggers in general posting about great books that I may not otherwise have noticed.  I have even discovered entire new genres that I hadn’t even given a thought to before I started blogging.  YA Dystopian fiction, I am talking to you!

Being an eclectic reader is so rewarding, so embrace it!  I know if I didn’t, I would never have discovered the horrifying life of Offred, the repressed woman from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.  I am sure I would have never found the loveable and enigmatic Mitford Sisters had I not branched out and read The Sisters, by Mary Lovell, which only then induced me to read The American Way of Death Revisited, by Jessica Mitford, as well as The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, both by Nancy Mitford.  Even my penchant for Evelyn Waugh was as a result of The Sisters.  So as you can see, I now have a few classics under my belt, not to mention the fact that I now know more about the funeral industry than I ever thought possible.

Next time someone asks me what type of books I like to read, I guess my answer should be What don’t I like to read?!