Discussion: Are You A Seasonal Reader?

While this post is not exactly about winter, January's theme for the Blog All About It Challenge, it is borne from my initial thought of winter and a recent conversation I had with my 6 year old. Kind of like a stream of conscience . . . Which then lead to an idea for a Discussion Challenge post. 

My daughter was adamant her birthday was in the spring. That was until the bubble was burst, and she discovered she was really born in winter. I explained to her that this seemed to be a family pattern. She was born in winter but wished she was born in spring. Her dad wished he was born in summer, but was really born in spring. And I was born in the summer, but wished I was born in the fall. We were each born in season transition months, just too early to actually fall into our seasons of preference. I told Mouse we are all close enough—so we might as well say we were born in the spring, summer and fall, respectively. Why not? If people can say fall starts in August with the start of school . . .

This got me thinking about reading and the seasons. Christmas is about the only time of year I try to read seasonally-themed books. Even then, that is a fairly new practice of mine—or at least I am more consistent about it these days than I have been before. It all started when I began reading romance again. There is just something about the snow (which I do not get where I live), the high sucrose holiday spirit, and all those happy endings. It shouts Christmas, even if not winter exactly. More of an end of fall, early winter, really.

I know some readers gravitate toward summery books in the winter and snowy wintery books in the summer—maybe to compensate for the extreme weather at either end. Many of you who participate in the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (R.I.P.) Challenge use fall as the opportunity to read more thrillers, horror, and fantasy. There are readers who like to read heavier or denser books during the winter months and lighter books in summer. I know one person who uses summer to read the classics—she has more time to concentrate on them with school being out.

I personally associate fall with cozies and spring with historical fiction. I cannot say I actually stick to those types of books during those times of year, but it’s what I think of when I think of books and seasons.

Tracking my reading over the years has given me a window into my own reading patterns. I do not feel like I read seasonally, other than around Christmas time. I cannot even say I read more quantity-wise in one season or another. My reading tends to fluctuate depending on what I have going on in my life. In high stress times, I may read lighter or fast paced reads, while at other times I delve into deeper and more emotional-charged reads.

This winter I find myself craving both thrillers and fantasy, and not necessarily together. I am not sure what the connection, if any, that has to the season, but it seems to be the direction my reading has gone as of late. I tend to think this has more to do with my general reading mood rather than the seasons themselves, however.

• Do your reading moods swing with the seasons? 
• Have you ever noticed a seasonal pattern in your reading? 
• Are there certain types of books you associate with each season? 
• What is your favorite season?

Linking up to the Blog All About It Challenge, hosted by Anna from Herding Cats and Burning Soup 

and the Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

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