# Do your reading habits parallel your TV/movie preferences?



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

For me, it's only in some genres. For example, I love TV medical dramas. ER was my favorite, and now I watch Grey’s Anatomy and House (which I love and hate). I also like to read medical thrillers (Robin Cook, Michael Palmer), so there’s a match up in that genre. 

But it may be the only one. I read (and write) crime fiction and watch some crime/thriller movies, but I’ve never watched cop shows on TV. I just can’t get into them. Except for Castle, and that’s only because of Nathan Fillion. (I watched Lie to Me, but it’s not really a cop show. Whatever happened to it anyway?)

Comedy is another mismatch for me. I love to watch stand-up comedy, and I even write and perform it sometimes, but I almost never read any fiction that’s considered funny. 

Do your reading and viewing habits match up? In which genres?


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## rocky mountain reader (Jul 8, 2009)

I enjoy the History Channel on TV and read a lot of history. On the other hand, I read lots of science fiction and mysteries, but almost never watch those types of productions on the screen or TV. I prefer comedy and musical movies, and never read much in those genres (not easy to read a musical   ). I think my TV/movie preferences balance, rather than parallel, my reading interests, for the most part.

You posed an interesting question.


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

I don't watch much TV -- I live in the boonies where there is no cable. My TV is 20 years old, so you can see where that comes in my list of priorities! The only show I love and cannot miss is _LOST_, with which I am OBSESSED. I think it does parallel my reading interests, since the show is extremely literary and complex. I like the same kinds of books.

I do get Netflix and have been watching a number of REALLY good Showtime/HBO series I never knew about before--again, they are primarily the more literary ones with good character development, with a few exceptions--_The Tudors, Mad Men, Battlestar Gallactica_, etc.

But I also enjoyed _Dexter_, _Big Love_, and _Queer as Folk_. And I admit to an UTTERLY embarassing guilty pleasure--_Dancing with the Stars_.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I think I can safely answer this "No."  I watch sports (mostly football) and business news and CNBC world for world business news...haven't seen a movie since Monsters Inc and then we downloaded it from satellite and watched it at home...

I read mysteries, thrillers, cozies, urban fantasy, fantasy...


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I'd have to say yes.  I love fantasy in whatever form I can get it.  Though I do find myself watching things like Leverage and Criminal Minds and I haven't read many books like that.


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

Interesting question!  I can say without a doubt, no.  My husband and I always joke about how we enjoy the sickest television shows (Criminal Minds, CSI, Law & Order SVU, etc) - but I don't, for the most part, enjoy crime novels.  
What's also interesting is that what I read is also very different than the books on CD I enjoy in my car.  I wouldn't pick up a Nora Roberts book, ever - but I will in audio form.  
I'm strange I guess!


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Definitely somewhat . Is that vague enough? I love cozy mysteries and mysteries without too much violence, and my favorite shows are similar: Psych, Monk, Castle.

I also love urban fantasy books, and love shows like Buffy and Angel, although those are probably the only shows like that I watch.

I love House and some other medical shows, but do not enjoy medical books, so no to that genre. 

And then I love Glee and So You Think You Can Dance, and I don't know what kind of books they'd correlate to. Humor, maybe? I do love David Sedaris . . .


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## threeundertwo (Jul 25, 2009)

Yes, I'd say my tastes run parallel.  I loved ER too, and I enjoy reading medical nonfiction (e.g. "Waking Up Blind").  I read a lot of classics and some historical romances and my DVD collection is full of lush costume dramas.

I also read quite a bit of Civil War history and I have a fair number of relevant DVDs.  My kids impress their history teachers with their knowledge of events like Gettysburg, because they're exposed to so much of it around here.


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

Back when I had the time to watch TV and movies, the answer was yes for the most part.  I read and write chick lit, and I love romantic comedies and sitcoms.  I don't do drama.  I watch an occasional action movie, but never on my own - it's always my husband's suggestion.  Similarly, I occasionally read something suspenseful like The Lost Symbol (for a book club).  I always enjoy these, but almost never pick them out on my own.  I'm definitely a light, fun, happy-ending chick. 

Of course, these days my TV viewing (if you can call it that) is essentially limited to Nick Jr., so I'd have to say no. LOL  Then again, I do read a lot of stories to my daughter so ... maybe.  

-Jenn


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

Not really.  I love horror books, but cannot watch horror movies.  I like Sci-Fi books better than Sci-Fi TV or movies (with the exception of Farscape).  I like romantic movies but loathe romance novels.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I'd have to say that my TV watching does mirror my book reading for the main part. I read mostly mysteries (not police procedurals, etc.) and science fiction.

I do watch a lot of programming on the Science and the Smithsonian Channels and the like, though. I'm a science junkie, although I don't read all that may science books.


Mike


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Oh, what a cool question.

I'd have to say my habits mostly parallel...although I don't watch that much TV/movies anymore, I mostly read.  But I tend to prefer science fiction/fantasy books and TV/movies as well as cop shows/books, thrillers (movies mostly although I guess 24 kinda counts as a thriller for TV) and light fair (such as romantic comedies) in both.  There are differences as well, though. I don't mind reading cop/mystery books with violence but I'm not much into watching extreme violence in TV/movies.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

some but not a lot but then in all honesty once spring hits and baseball season starts most all tv show go out the window for me


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> I don't watch much TV -- I live in the boonies where there is no cable. My TV is 20 years old, so you can see where that comes in my list of priorities! The only show I love and cannot miss is _LOST_, with which I am OBSESSED. I think it does parallel my reading interests, since the show is extremely literary and complex. I like the same kinds of books.


I'm a total Lost addict, and also a fan of complex, suspenseful books as well. I also like engaging non-fiction and enjoy shows on the History, Science, and Discovery channels. The only disconnect I can think of is that I prefer my scifi in books, but my fantasy on the big screen.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd say that they are pretty parallel.  Love drama, don't read or watch much comedy or light stuff.

Good question!

Betsy


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Hmm, I guess mostly they do. 

I love nonfiction about travel, food, fashion, oddities, other cultures, and history, on TV and to read. I like horror books and movies, and French movies and novels. 

OTOH, I often like mystery or thriller movies, and hardly ever like those genres as books. I'll watch things that are fluffy and brainless but don't like reading that kind of thing -- I guess because onscreen there are pretty pictures and I don't have to suffer through someone's awful prose. Like, I watched and enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, but I have no desire to read the book.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

A little but not 100%.  On the one hand, I never read sci fi or fantasy or anything else less than real world factual, but I'm hooked on Medium.  I don't read comedy, but I watch quite a few of the British comedies on PBS when they're available.  On the other hand, I like good mysteries on tv and that's my favorite book genre.  I like legal thrillers and also like shows like The Good Wife.  So it's a mixed bag, but I don't watch a lot of tv, only a couple hours a week, and I only have network tv available as tv isn't important enough for me to pay for.


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## William Woodall (Jun 8, 2009)

For the most part, I think the answer would be yes.  I like science fiction and fantasy, and that's typically what I choose to read and to watch.

On the other hand, I do a lot more reading than I do watching.  There have been times when I didn't turn on the TV for weeks and never missed it a bit.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I would say "yes" as well.  However doesn't anyone read (not including books you have to read for school/work/book club) what ever they are most interested in?  Okay, at least the majority of people?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Tris said:


> I would say "yes" as well. However doesn't anyone read (not including books you have to read for school/work/book club) what ever they are most interested in? Okay, at least the majority of people?


Probably, but some things just don't translate well to the film medium. And some don't work well in books, like musicals.

Mine would probably parallel each other. I read mostly mysteries and SF, with the occasional historical novel or chick lit thrown in. But I haven't watched a full-length movie in years, and on TV... well, in the past 12 months I saw a total of maybe an hour of news, half an hour of the weather channel, a couple of hours of tennis, fifteen minutes of New Year's fireworks, and the Kentucky Derby, all at my parents' house. None of those would work particularly well in books....


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I think if I watched tv shows that were similar to my current reading I'd be camped out watching the Lifetime Movie Channel all day.  

My favorite shows are Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Top Chef Masters, The Good Wife, and Glee, plus I share Pawsplus' guilty pleasure - Dancing with the Stars.

My favorite reads are contemporary romance, historical romance, chick lit, and an occasional classic. Well maybe there is more crossover than I initially thought.


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## dobes (Feb 22, 2010)

To some extent. I like independent and foreign film, and I read a lot of international literary fiction. 

But I love funny books, and read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, some of them quite mainstream, though I won't go to mainstream thriller movies - I guess because I tend to skip over the weapons and car chases in the books, and I'm bored having to sit through that stuff in the movies. I love a good comedy in a movie or TV show, but there are precious few of them it seems.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

Well yes and no.  LOL

I read the book series for the HBO/Showtime series I watch, so those match.  And I read a lot of nonfiction history/current events and love the History Channels and Science Channels.  But, I watch one soap opera (Y&R) and cant stand the romance genre.  I dislike both Chick Lit and Chick Flicks equally!  Find them extremely dysfunctional.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

Absolutely.  My reading/watching taste is exactly the same.  What is different is what I will "try" or notice.

For example, if The Help was first and only a movie, I may not have gone for it.  But, when I found the book - long before it became so popular - the description caught my eye immediately.

But definitely my tastes are the same. 

p.s.  Give David Sedaris a try.... laugh your ass off funny, but he's not really a stand-up comic, so you may enjoy his stories.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

This is really interesting.  I was thinking about this the other day and realised my tastes are quite different in TV/film and books.

I try to seek out literary books and so I tend to avoid genre books or books written to a formula.  Having said that, I loved Agatha Christie when I was younger and must have read pretty much every book she ever wrote; she's still a heroine of mine.  And I love the Sherlock Holmes stories and they're formulaic, and Jeeves and Wooster.  No doubt there are other exceptions!

But when it comes to TV, words are 'invisible' on screen of course (except for the dialogue) and so characterisation and plot are all-important, and I can happily sit and watch formulaic TV shows like House (the first couple of series, anyway) or an old episode of Murder She Wrote or any other mystery.  I like documentaries which give a non-judgemental insight into quirky subjects.  However my two favourite TV shows of recent years were The Wire and The Sopranos.  Ooh and my guilty pleasure is True Blood. 

As for films, I like to be entertained.  Any genre will do, so long as it's well-made and intelligent.  I watched Tell No-one (Ne Le Dis A Personne) the other day and thought it was fantastic - it's a film based on a Harlan Coben book.  I enjoy thrillers on screen though I'm not drawn to them in bookshops.

As dobes said, I like a good comedy - whether in a book, on TV, in a film or in the theatre.  Black comedy, preferably.  And thanks for the reminder about David Sedaris, Magenta.  I haven't read his books but they come highly recommended and I'm sure I'd love them.  I must get hold of them and start reading.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm gonna say no.  My biggest TV watching is PBS history and some of the CBS cop shows, but my reading is mostly science fiction and romance.  Of course I am attempting to watch V, so that does cross the line.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'd probably _like_ it to be more or less the same, but while I enjoy reading scifi/fantasy, most TV and movies in those genres don't cut it for me. It seems that the movies I end up watching tend to lean more toward pure escapism (action-adventure, comedy) where I don't need to be too critical, while in my reading I may lean a bit toward "denser" material. TV-wise, I mostly watch only sports, science/nature, music, and other non-fiction (*not* "reality"!) programming.

Even my military history interest in reading has spoiled many related movies for me to varying extents. For instance, I can't watch the classic "Battle of the Bulge" movie without wanting to either cringe or laugh when the climactic battle scene pits American-built M24 Chaffee tanks (pretending to be US M4 Shermans) against American-built M27 Patton tanks (pretending to be German PzKW-VIb Tiger II tanks), somewhere on the plains of Spain (pretending to be the well-forested Ardennes area of Luxembourg/Belgium).  And don't even get me started on the daylight frontal assault of the German machine gun position near the radar station in "Saving Private Ryan".


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## Belita (Mar 20, 2010)

My preferences are mostly the same. I don't mind reading scary books, but I won't watch scary movies. I think that it's because I can focus on the story and avoid visualizing the gory parts of books, but I have to see it if it's in a TV show or movie. I prefer to watch documentaries on TV or movies rather than read it because it's a lot easier for me to learn about something with the visuals and language on TV than it is in a book.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

Here's another oddity in my reading vs. viewing preferences. I quit reading serial killer stories years ago and quit watching serial killer movies. Not that I ever saw many. But I watch the TV version of Dexter. Often with my eyes closed, and often with a sense of revulsion, but I'm still compelled to keep up with the series. (I blame Michael Hall.) 

I do watch documentaries sometimes (I'm from Eugene; it's something in the water). And I would read more nonfiction if I had more time. (Loved Freakonomics and Crimes Against  Nature.)


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## StevenPajak (Apr 11, 2010)

I would have to say, yes, my reading habits parallel my TV/movie preferences. In fact, many times after I read a book that I particularly  like, I'll check to see if there is a movie that is similar. Same for after I see a TV/movie, I'll check to see if there are books that are similar. After reading your question, I went and looked at my DVD collection and book shelves and saw an overwhelming theme: war movies/books, post-apocalyptic movies/books, suspense-thriller movies/books... you get the idea.


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

This is an interesting thing to think about.  I am not a big TV watcher, and when I do it is mostly guilty pleasure, reality type of fluff - So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, and the Amazing Race - and I have no problem with missing those if I have something better to do.  Sometimes I do watch the Food Channel.  The only series that I have watched faithfully in years are Glee and Friday Night Lights.  My reading usually centers around mysteries, chick lit, historical fictional and sometimes the best seller list.  So I would say that the two do not have a great deal in common.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

L.J. Sellers said:


> Here's another oddity in my reading vs. viewing preferences. I quit reading serial killer stories years ago and quit watching serial killer movies. Not that I ever saw many. But I watch the TV version of Dexter. Often with my eyes closed, and often with a sense of revulsion, but I'm still compelled to keep up with the series. (I blame Michael Hall.)
> 
> I do watch documentaries sometimes (I'm from Eugene; it's something in the water). And I would read more nonfiction if I had more time. (Loved Freakonomics and Crimes Against Nature.)


Speaking of Dexter....I bought the first two books after watching the first season and I must say, I was unimpressed. I didn't like the way the books were written at all. I think the writing on the series is much better - and of course, so is the acting.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

Used to, now not so much.  I have a higher tolerance for sick/sad/disturbing things in written form than I do on a screen for some reason.  Ever since I've had my own children, nearly any remotely sad film can make me cry.  I'm a lot tougher when it comes to books.  

At the moment, I enjoy programmes like Supernatural, Big Love, Bones and Medium yet I don't seek out these types of books, or spinoff books based on those shows.  I'll watch chick flicks but I'll rarely read chick lit.  My tastes have changed quite a bit over the last few years though.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

There's some overlap. My TV/movie preferences are action, humour, scifi and chick flicks. I don't really care to read any of those. And I usually prefer reading nonfiction, not watching it. There are several historical books I want to read but cringe at the thought of watching them on The History Channel or something similar. The similarities would be that I read and watch the news, including current event stories, and I like reading about astronomy and theoretical physics and enjoy watching those whether they be fiction or nonfiction.
So for the most part, I find I watch for entertainment and read for information.
Oh, and I really like watching House Hunters and Divine Design. Reading things like that would make me sad, though.


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## HeadshotHeather (Jan 7, 2010)

There is definitely some overlap in certain genere, but not all.  I love horror movies & books. I enjoy the occasional romance novel, but most romantic chick flicks I am not overly into. I enjoy both fantasy/sci-fi movies and books. Although sci-fi books can loose me if I am not fully pulled into the story. I enjoy murder/mystery novels a bit more than the movies.

So, mostly, my reading and viewing enjoyment are similar.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

For the most part, no. On TV, I like comedy and mystery (especially comic/light mystery like Psych & White Collar). I also like most Sci-Fi TV (Doctor Who, BSG). In print, I don't read much mystery/suspense (though I do like some). I much prefer Fantasy, and have read little sci-fi I like.


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

Malweth - I love, love, love Psych!  I've only seen a couple of episodes of White Collar b/c my schedule doesn't seem to allow it, but I really liked that show.  Pinned it for a hit from the pilot episode.  Of course, I think Matt Bomer sealed that deal. 

-Jenn


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

This is a really interesting question. I haven't thought about it before you asked. I read a great deal of best sellers, mysteries, little nonfiction. On TV I watch a lot of Food Network shows, also like CSI, Saving Grace, Castle, House and a few others. Am planning on watching the shows based on Cornwell books. So my answer is yes and no. No movie theater close to us, I wait for DVDs. I like to go to musicals at the theater.


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