Reasons to Read: Literary Fiction

Ahhh literary fiction. I won't lie, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the genre. On the one hand I think it's great to push yourself to read great literature, philosophical ideas and broaden our minds and vocabulary through literature. On the other hand sometimes I have to be in the mood to push myself to read books that have difficult prose! Today's post, however is a celebration of all the reasons to read this genre:

Oh the words! :: Literary fiction is usually the genre that inspires me the most to broaden my vocab but more than that just enjoy the beauty of fantastic writing. A lot of literary books I enjoy more for they way they are written rather than necessarily their plots or characters.

They make ya think :: Sure it's lovely to read my favourite genres, I'll always have time for crime fiction, historical novels and chick-lit that entertains and delights but thinking deeply about social, political or human nature is important. One of the joys of reading is discovering more about not only ourselves but broadening our perspectives.

They can be challenging :: I know the pain of struggling through a book that's perhaps too far out of our comfort zones but sometimes the only way to get better and improve at tackling difficult books is to practice. This doesn't mean you have to dive right in with Ulysees (personally I don't think I'll even be tackling James Joyce) but some of my favourite reads have been ones I've persevered with.

A new perspective :; Some of my favourite books in literary fiction are written by from the perspective of characters who don't have mainstream lives or opinions. I think this genre is a fantastic one for broadening minds and perspectives on subjects perhaps we've never considered before. Take Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides for example which tells the story of a hermaphrodite boy who spends his childhood raised as a female before discovering his true sexuality.

Is literary fiction a genre you enjoy reading too?

My Favourites: Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, The Book Theif by Markus Zusak, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.