Truth or Fiction?

I read mostly fiction - but I try to read "good" fiction. I don't read chick lit, I don't read crappy, mass-producing formulaic writers like James Patterson, etc. My only "vice" author is Stephen King. I think there's a difference between simple "fiction" and "literature". I try to read "literature" (I also have a Masters in it...). Good literature is like a good quality piece of cinema, or artwork, etc. It's art, not necessarily "knowledge" - but it can be. It's also thought-provoking.

I could write more, but I'll let others respond before I think of more specific points.

I agree with your thoughts - I tend to "not see the point" of fiction.  Now, with that said, I do read the occasional fictional novel, but the VAST majority of my reading tends to be non-fiction.  I feel that if I'm going to read fiction, I might as well save time and just watch a TV show instead.

The same way though that I rarely watch sitcoms or drama anymore on tv, when the TV is on, we're usually watching National Geographic, Discovery or something similar (and of course our usually smattering of Reality TV - but does that constitute fiction?  )

Haha, see, my thought is the exact opposite. Good literature is better than most TV and more intellectually stimulating. But I also really like to read.

Doesn't mean I don't like to zone out and watch silly TV or read something less serious. But I do see the value of reading good books.

I kinda sorta like the monthy fiction, aka "Triathlete Magazine" with the endless

Buy this bike (to ride faster)

Buy this wetsuit (to swim faster)

Buy this recovery drink (to perform better)

Don't spend much time with the spine of a book cracked. 

Literature, like any other art, is a relationship between the object and the viewer, or the words and the reader. You bring yourself, and your history, beleifs, perceptions (all of your self) to the table, in the best cases, you walk away with an experience that affects (or changes) and hopefully contributes to the depth of yourself.

This is true of both fiction and non fiction. Non fiction can be transformative in a very direct and easily perceptable way, you may learn to swim better, or how to make coq au vin, or lay cinderblock walls. Fiction, done well, can transform your perspective on life, or some aspect of it. Art creates a common language that ties society together and allows for the continuity of our most deeply held beliefs from one generation to the next. One can dissect the mating behaviour of rennaissance youth in a dry historical tome (and be factually correct) or you can look to Romeo and Juliet to see the meaning of such behaviour as it continues to relate to our own time.

I'll stop now.

I prefer fiction - - - it's an escape for me.  For me, there's sufficient news on politcal figures, wars, etc. that I would prefer the chance to get away. However, I do like modern fiction that incorporates present news and events.

Sometimes I read modern fiction (King, Clancy, etc) and sometimes I go back much further. Currently, I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo for the nth time. Still l love it.

I read mostly non-fiction, but I am a historian at heart (mostly civil war) and if I do read fiction, it will be historically based fiction.

The only real exception to this is "the classics".  When I was on dialysis for 3 years, I found myself with 4 hours a day, 3 times a week, where I was basically trapped in a chair.  My options were TV, ipod, or reading.  I went back through and reread a lot of the classic american literature.  To Kill A Mockingbird, Huck Finn, etc.  It was nice to revisit those.

Ask the guy sitting across from you about his opinion on this subject.  At least it would temporarily stop him from clipping his nails/ear/nose hair while you are trying to read.

*snerk*

I guess I'm the only one here reading romance, aka smut novels purely for entertainment and a break from reality.

I read more in the summer than  I do in the winter. I like to sit on my swing in my screened in porch and read. Sometimes in the summer, I'll go through 2-3 books a week. That with 10-12 hours of tri training.

I'm also a 95% non-fiction reader. I dunno why, but I have a hard time relating to characters in books or caring what happens most of the time. I can get down with essays and short stories, though. I think the last fiction book I really loved was Monkey Wrench Gang, which I first read in high school.

Also, I will say that I might only read 5-10 books a year and most of my reading is Countryside Magazine, National Geographic, Mother Earth News, High Country News, etc. I think what I'm saying here is that I have no attention span. How 'bout that?

Now I feel like a big loser. Though I do think you dismiss non-fiction a little too narrowly. There is so much more in the category than How-To's.  

I agree...though I also agree with what Kimj said, that non-fiction isn't all how-to books. But I definitely concur with your defense of literature