Fiction Or Non-fiction?

[Pakadlangitok]

I have heard some of us love fiction to escape and others of us like straight up reality science or history or other non fiction.

Which do you find helps?

For me, it is history which tells me how things really are. I feel like fiction deceives me but I am open to the escape if someone wants to tell me of a good fiction!!

 

[Silver.]

I really enjoy historical fiction, there is so much truth in them based on events, but told in a story. A lot of them at our library centers around various wars. They also have ones that are Britain based and African based that are really good too. It's a smaller known genre and I was lucky to stumble across it a few years back. (of course I read other categories, I read 5-8 books a week), but definitely my favorite genre :)

 

[Kintsugi]

Sometimes the truth is better accepted as fiction, and sometimes fiction immortalizes history within art better than documentation ever will.

Here's a book that is simultaneously both: Beatrice & Virgil, by again Martel. Greatest piece of literary fiction I have ever read.

 

[RussH]

I personally like a blending of the two. I enjoy reading historical fiction that is a story wrapped around historical fact. Or a fiction book that is based on actual science.
I read to escape period. I love to read fiction, but I also really enjoy non-fiction when it is a subject matter that I am interested in.
There is a Christian historical fiction called Of Windmills and War" It is based on the actual experiences of a B17 pilot involved in operation chowhound. It was toward the end of the war, and American bombers were used to drop desperately needed food to the citizens of Holland.
The author of the book is the daughter of the American pilot.
It is a very good blending of history and fiction.

 

[City Slicker]

Non fiction is always my 'go-to'. Usually biographies, historical figures and events, etc.

Funny, I have more tolerance for a non fiction work that tells a good story but is a bit weak on the writing. But if I do get into something fiction it has to be incredibly well-written as I don't have the same tolerance for a fiction work that isn't beautifully written.

 

[jaccat]

I used to be a straight up classics, fantasy and mythology fan, but nowadays I'll read anything that takes my fancy. That does include some non-fiction, but fiction is definitely my first love.

 

[PTSDfree]

I really like nonfiction. I don't even remember the last time I read a fiction book. :p

 

[Panda Bear]

I drown myself in theology related books......

 

[BlueOrange]

I love:
Science fiction that expands my idea of what might be possible
Heroes who are emotionally mature
Non-fiction that helps me to understand how minds work and/or how societies work

But when I'm tired, I love stupid action sequences, half-naked women, wizards and spaceships. (It occurs to me that there's not enough movies with a half-naked female wizard on a spaceship who blows things up all the time. Someone should fix that!)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Depends. Im dyslexic so the book needs to be damn intresting or I cant get through it. If Im real intrested I dont even notice Im re-reading everything 5 times. If not, I get frustrated. But I can loose myself in a very good book, it just has to be good. So thats my fiction.

Non-fiction I do often. I research a lot. I read and teach myself everything possible. Such as just a few weeks ago I bought a lock picking set, learned how to pick a 5 pin lock in about 30 mins. Now I can pick it in a few secs. Everyone keeps asking me why, I just have to always be learning something new. Im always first to admit Im wrong but if so Im going to go find the right answer and usually backwards and fowards.

Next up, hopefully, is learning how to fix my car.

If I dont know a term I go read about it. If I hear about something that seems intresting I go research. If I need something fixed I usually research to see if I can learn to fix it. I also took apart things like our microwave growing up and found a set of encycolpedias when I was little in the garbage and took it home and they were my books growing up.

It creates issues though, my brain is continiously non-stop calculating and problem solving, it never turns off.

Which I would rather do is likely the non-fiction due to wanting to learn. Id rather do that than loose myself in something not real any day. And its a damn good distractor too.

 

[Naoru]

I'll read just about anything, but fiction is my easy go-to preference. If I'm not reading some sort of book, I'm generally reading articles or whatever I can get my hands on. The problem is that I have to sit and read it all the way through or I'm not going to remember it the next day. Good thing I can read quickly! I'm currently working my way through the book everyone has suggested on this site: The Body Keeps the Score. I've taken notes so I can refer back and think of questions for when my t returns... but it's not really a good escape ;)

 

[Ronin]

I read both.

Depending what helps more at the time.

There's times things I'm processing with fiction are too darned real, and the implications hit too close to reality.

There's times reality & boredom with it are too heavy and unreal feeling, and fiction becomes a safe outlet.