Do genres help or hinder your reading?

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Do genres help or hinder your reading? Some people are very loyal to their genres of choice. Genres can be a way to connect with other readers, provide a language to talk about books you love using tropes, and help steer you in the direction of books you may like when you visit a bookstore. Genres can also help narrow down the world of reading choices. But do they narrow that world too much? Do genres keep you from reading books and discovering new types of stories you may enjoy? Do you enjoy different genres when you're reading in different formats? Are some genres objectively better or more beneficial than others? And what about books that fit into multiple genres?
Whether you only read certain genres or you read without reference to genre - or you're somewhere in between! - this conversation will give you something to think about. Join us as we wade into the world of genres.
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Books we're reading in this episode:
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Under the Henfluence by Tove Danovich
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Throne of Glass series and Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
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Sources (links provided when available and citations shortened to fit) listed in the order they appear in the episode:

• Dwyer, Meredyth, and Sandra Martin‐Chang. 2023. “Fact from Fiction: The Learning Benefits of Listening to Historical Fiction.” https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2177.
• Fong, Katrina, Justin B Mullin, and Raymond A Mar. 2013. “What You Read Matters: The Role of Fiction Genre in Predicting Interpersonal Sensitivity.” https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034084.
• Jensen, Jakob D., et al. 2016. “Narrative Transportability, Leisure Reading, and Genre Preference in Children 9-13 Years Old.” https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1034351.
• Kidd, David Comer, and Emanuele Castano. 2013. “Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind.”https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918.
• Mar, Raymond A., et al. 2006. “Bookworms Versus Nerds: Exposure to Fiction Versus Non-Fiction, Divergent Associations with Social Ability, and the Simulation of Fictional Social Worlds.” https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.002.
• Mar, Raymond A., Keith Oatley, and Jordan B. Peterson. 2009. “Exploring the Link Between Reading Fiction and Empathy: Ruling Out Individual Differences and Examining Outcomes.” https://doi.org/10.1515/COMM.2009.025.
• Panero, Maria Eugenia, et al. 2016. “Does Reading a Single Passage of Literary Fiction Really Improve Theory of Mind? An Atte

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Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
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