Have your book tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

As a student of literature, I did a lot of reading during the school years specifically for my course work. I turned to non-school required novels as an escape to “frivolity.” I’ve been out of school for more than five years, and I found that I was still turning to novels as an escape. A year ago, I started feeling like I was missing something. I’ve turned back to more serious reading—and I’m loving it.

I particularly have been enjoying reading classic novels, but I’m also really enjoying my nonfiction. In fact, since I started reviewing books on this site a month and a half ago, I’ve been reading (and reviewing) more nonfiction than fiction. I have decided that biographies are a perfect blend of nonfiction with “story”: a well-written biography teaches me about the person at hand but also draws me in the time period in which that person lived, the subject matter for which that person is famous, and the interesting everyday or out-of-the-ordinary things that happened to them. I’ve read some good biographies lately.

I’ve also found that I focus now on “less dark” things. Because my reading time is precious to me and I only get chances to read when my baby’s needs are met, I don’t want to become depressed by what I’m reading. If I don’t like it or if it is too depressing, I won’t finish it.

Yes, my book tastes have changed—and I love the direction my preferences are going!