I Don't Read Books Written By Women...

[Amanda Markham]

Not me personally, but a colleague of mine. He's not alone. Lots of people choose books based on gender. You can read more about it here. I discovered that there are real, established differences in the ways in which men and women write - actual research.

So perhaps my colleague is on to something... For me though, I read just about anything (with a few notable exceptions).

But what about you? Do you read or not read books based upon author’s gender? What are your thoughts on the research (see link above) that men and women write differently?

[Aimee]

I used to read books by male authors only... but then I came across a few books that highly entertained me (Harry Potter, which lead to a love of paranormal novels) and now the majority of the books I read are by female authors.

[Henry Brown]

I've read a lot more by men than by women, but that's mostly a genre issue (though occasionally I broaden my horizons and dabble in romance or chick-lit. Sandra Kitt is my favorite romance author). In the mystery category, for instance, I've read some Janet Evonovitch(?) and Agatha Christie, but I prefer mysteries written by Philip Margolin, Earle Stanley-Gardner or Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Female authors not only outnumber the males these days, but most editors, assistant editors and agents are female, too. Fewer and fewer men actually read anymore, and I often wonder if this is why women dominate publishing...or men don't read as much because there's less fiction that interests them (possibly as a result of the publishing industry demographics, combined with distractions like the internet and online gaming, etc.). I know it sure is more and more difficult for me to find books that grab me. Back in the late '80s/early '90s, one of my favorite things to do was browse the bookshelves, then having found a grabber, staying up all night reading it.

Anyway, I don't know, either, exactly why this gender preference surfaces in my library, but I suspect it has something to do with the different cognitive patterns of men and women--I seek out authors closer to my own wavelength, and that might narrow the field along gender lines.