Fiction

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I prefer non-fiction, but I don't mind fiction sometimes. I really just don't like reading fiction. I read for information, and that's about it. I can enjoy a good story, just not in the form of a book.

Well, no two people are the same and everyone has different priorities. I like reading fiction and non-fiction, depending upon my interests. And is reading non-fiction really more constructive? Will you really find much practical use for some of that real-world knowledge? Studying neurology is fun, I will not deny this, but under what circumstances will either of these be of serious practical use to me? They're knowledge and nothing wrong with that, and I like to have knowledge for it's own sake. It just seems odd to me to consider one's own interests to be the only worthy way for anyone to spend their time.



I think what you said here sounds interesting, but I don't quite understand it. I read fiction to be entertained and I honestly am terrible at decoding "intended meanings" from stories, or determining what the authors meant when writing them. For the most part, while reading fiction I really don't care about the writer at all, even if the author's identity played into my decision to by the book in question.

I think we all have our own reasons for reading fiction (for those who read fiction) but I don't think there's one particular unifying theme as to what people look for and get out of fiction, especially not based on something like neurology.

I like alot of stories: folklore, ancient myths, some religions (even though I'm non-religious), some books (not much of a reader), animes and games

My opinion on every "sophisticated" fiction book I've read ranges from "meh" to negative. I definitely prefer non-fiction way more, like right now I'm reading a book on behavioral economics called Predictably Irrational, it's very interesting.

On a side note, I hate how most everyone that's gone through college has had this idea drilled through their heads that you need to understand and appreciate Shakespeare, Homer, Plato, Hemingway etc. or you're an idiot. I don't like fiction, I've tried many many times, but I just don't, and some stuck-up English Phd isn't going to change that.

/rant

As a child, I read fiction obsessively, usually fantasy. I read from a very young age and can remember getting great pleasure from going to the library to pick 6 books. I often lay reading all night to finish a book. I also remember having an obsession with the Tintin books for a period of time. I am fairly sure that reading so much fiction, has helped me to develop skills that I otherwise might not have had. It helped me to understand how social interraction words a little better, even if it doesn't seem to work so well in practice. I also studied English at university. I seem to have simply been born with an ability to analyse and see symbolism and meaning in the books I read. I managed to get an A* in A level English without even attending most of the lessons, and even only having read the books once, plus leaving the exam room for 30 minutes due to a panic attack, so I suppose maybe it is an area I am gifted in.

However, I lost all interest in fiction sometime ago, and cannot concentrate on it at all these days, so I do wonder if it was an obsessive interest. I tend to read only books about specific subjects these days.

Most "sophisticated" fiction has its head up its ass. It's typically out to win awards and please the literary critics, not to actually be enjoyed. You're supposed to read it and have an orgasm over the pretentious use of symbolism, metaphors, and whatever political preaching the author feels like doing. Most of my favorite authors are pulp genre writers. They tend to actually make an effort to entertain readers, and whatever point they have to make is right out in the open and not buried under a ton of allegory.

I am not sure about sophisticated fiction. Most of what I like is science fiction, fantasy, suspense, mysteries etc. I'm not really into literature and find "literature for the sake of literature" to be deadly boring. I still like stuff like The Three Musketeers, Edgar Allen Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, etc. Stuff that's classed as literature but was often the "lowbrow" writing of its time.



Yeah, it is a bit much to expect everyone to have the same tastes or needs. I remember some time ago when someone posted a list of books that one should absolutely read in order to be considered properly well-rounded. I had a bit of an argument with the person who posted it, but others joined in: Apparently finding Tolkien hard to get into is not a good enough reason to not force one's self to read it.

(I did read it later, after the movies, and enjoyed it once the interminable early chapters were through, but this idea that everyone must read and enjoy the same books is inane).

I like fiction but only a few authors. I like historical fiction. I have been reading Ken Follett recently. I enjoy Clive Cussler because his action books are quasi-historical. I like Dan Brown. I like Michael Crichton because he gets really technical (although sometimes not accurately) with some of the scientific concepts he writes about. And I like John Grisham because I have always been interested in the law (lawyer was my 2nd choice career behind computer programming).

Like 90% of the fiction books on my shelves are those 5 authors. I don't know if it's an Aspie thing but once I find an author I like, I need to buy and read all of their books.

I don't know either but I do the same thing.

same story, i'd go a couple of times a week, for me it defintely was obsessive. I preferred sci fi but fantasy often had better choices. It lasted years and i completely blew off the rest of the world in that time. Gawd and it was literally my only interest, I had zero other things to talk about and i didn't even know anyone else that read, now that was a lonely childhood.

Thanks! I was just wondering if all aspies dislike fictionbecause I find it rather educational in its own way.I love reading fiction because you get to escape into a (usually)happier place.My y non fictionn is rather limited to certain topics which I love reading about and I don't have much knowledge on stuff which I am not paticularly fond of.Thanks again!
p.s. glad to see that many people have visited this topic.I am not very good at the communication thing.

No. I quite like it, actually. I'm getting into Russian literature.

For me, it's Stanislaw Lem and Isaac Asimov. I've read almost everything form them, if not everything. I have all of Lem's books on my bookshelf.

This. I really don't like fiction much, though.

This, I think, is our problem with fiction. A lot of the 'subtle' social stuff that we are supposed to see all kinds of crazy metaphor in or whatever probably just rings flat with us. I know it does for me. I can't even stomach the 'best sellers' or 'classics' for the most part.

That said, I love fiction. Anything that has anything to do with my special interests but doesn't drown on and on with stupid arcane social plots. Fantasy (some of the more mature stuff), Science Fiction, books based on games I play if they are well-written, Horror (the more campy the better - I can't stand Dean or Stephen), etc.

I like some mysteries, but I rarely read them all the way through. Half way in I either know the ending, or know I will be disappointed if the book doesn't actually end that way (because my version is so very much better...) and sometimes both.

Mystery stories that rely solely on the mystery are worthless once you know the solution. The best mysteries are the ones that don't rely on the whodunit. Take the Sherlock Holmes stories, for example. They're not terrific because of the mysteries, they're terrific because Holmes is a fascinating character. A lot of the stories do have brilliant mysteries, but even the ones with a mediocre mystery are still entertaining because of Holmes, and even the stories with brilliant mysteries would be rendered infinitely more dull if Holmes were replaced with a more generic character.

I would also suggest reading some good crime fiction. The difference between mystery and crime is that in crime, you always know who did what, and the rest of the story focuses on the repercussions of this person's actions. This is, for the most part, much more interesting to me than finding out who did what. If you've never read Patricia Highsmith (author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley), you're missing out.