Slice of life books with a heavy emphasis on relationships--romantic or otherwise--but not necessarily romance novels are typically the kinds I enjoy the most. There is some contention as to what these words mean, and I'm not claiming my definition is the
correct one, but for sake of clarity, I distinguish between "romance novel" and "a novel which heavily relies on romance as a central plot element" as the following-
- A romance novel is typically a light-hearted fluff novel.
- A romance novel is typically made to be easy to pick up and read.
- The central plot of a romance novel typically revolves heavily around a will they/won't they dynamic in which the leading characters are expected to either get together or get back together after a breakup.
Again, these are just traits that I think of when I think of what "romance novel" means as a specific
genre with expectations and connotations associated with it. By contrast, a book like
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro extensively focuses on the the romantic relationships between the different characters, but moreso as a framing device for the difficulties the characters go through in their daily lives. That kind of book is generally what I enjoy the most. For romance manga, on the other hand, I'm open to pretty much everything.
Beyond that, 2020 has seen me really falling in love with classic literature. It's not that I've ever disliked it, but I didn't pay as much attention to it in primary school as I wish I had. Mary Shelly's works in particular are a fascinating read.
I also enjoy non-fiction, but I don't really have any specific criteria with it. Basically, when it comes to non-fiction, whatever I happen to be interested in at the time is what I consume, whether it be biographies, autobiographies, biology, politics; just whatever happens to be on my mind at the time, I suppose.
Overall, though, if a book looks interesting or well-written, I'll give it a chance regardless of genre. So it's hard for me to define anything as a specific favorite.
