Do you read fiction, or are you unable to read fiction?

The only time that I read fiction is when reading stories to my young granddaughter and previously my kids when they were younger.

Obviously had to read fiction at school all those years ago and didn't really enjoy it back then, bar a few ok books such as Lord of The Flies, Catch 22 and Flight of the Phoenix.

I get that a lot of people take great pleasure from the escapism, but I'd much rather read non-fiction factual stuff. Having said that, I wasn't very interested in history - go figure!

It's not just fiction books that I can't be bothered with, pretty much the same with TV and films.

Yes I love fiction books! It's escapism and allows me to be free from the insanity of this world for a while. As a reader, I prefer fiction books over non-fiction books for a few reasons. Fiction books have an unparalleled ability to transport me to another world, allowing me to escape my reality for a little while. Whether it's a fantasy realm, a dystopian future, or a historical period, I love being able to fully immerse myself in a new and exciting setting.

The characters in fiction books are often much more complex and multi-dimensional than those in non-fiction books. I find myself becoming fully invested in their stories and feeling a range of emotions as they journey through their adventures. From heroes and heroines to complex villains, these characters often have a depth and relatability that keeps me engaged throughout the story.

I think that's why I love fiction so much it takes me away from real life for a while and make me feel like I'm actually in the story with the characters.

It's why I love to write fiction as well.

Yes, I love it! Pure escapism 

I can keep track of the characters' names, but I have trouble picturing them. Sometimes I use the image of a famous person, actor, etc for a character, otherwise I just "see" inside their head. I think it's helped me understand how other people think and feel.

I read well from an early age - I believe I was Hyperlexic.

I love science fiction books. 

I can read fiction. I like fiction books best but I also like reading other genres as well.

People who do not read fiction, or more specifically, 'good fiction', live only one life, those who do read fiction live many lives. At the moment I'm a Canadian girl of the Edwardian era, living on Prince Edward Island - yes, I'm reading Anne of Green Gables.

I read lots of fiction as a kid, read lots of it now

I absolutely LOVE fiction as an autistic person. This is interesting given my early childhood health visitor notes say I was slow to develop imaginative play (mum and dad got my Sylvanian families apparently to help me with this). It seems as soon as that creative spark happened, I was off and my imagination became a vast kaleidoscope of colour and creating new characters and stories.

I was advanced in English for my age at school, reading books for teenagers when I was in primary school and finishing the whole Lord of the rings trilogy in 3 weeks when I was 14. This is probably due to autism.

To get back to the point... yes, I do read fiction. When I read I can see the scenes and characters very vividly in my head like a film, it is truly an immersive experience for me. Reading has been an immense source of joy for me growing up and in adulthood.

I love fiction. But I don't have any memory issues, learning difficulties, or additional types of neurodivergence that would make it more difficult to read a novel. I'm also someone who reads a lot just generally so there is a lot of non-fiction in there too.

Aside from myself, my family on my mum's side tends to prefer non-fiction and there's a variety of (mostly undiagnosed) neurodivergence there- mostly autism and dyslexia. I think a cultural background of 'fiction is less useful' probably has some impact for them too though.

I prefer a book that would teach me something. Health, philosophy, psychology or architecture. Some other topics too sometimes like spirituality or art. I read a fiction every now and then, once in two years or so, just for the change. 

I do enjoy fiction and non but I also struggle with remembering the characters names. I know audiobooks aren’t for everyone but the narrator uses different voices for each character, it still takes a lot of concentration to stop my brain butting in all the time. I don’t know if dyslexia has a part to play, I do struggle to spell very simple words. Dysgraphia definitely has a part to play, a sentence will come out in upper and lowercase, all sort of jumbled. I can remember being put into remedial lessons to ‘cure’ my handwriting and bonding problems with other pupils. 

I'm not sure if I'm dyslexic but I struggle with this as well.

I have schizophrenia, apparently, and according to my doctor that can cause memory difficulties.

When reading I remember the story itself most of the time but can never remember character names which has put me off of reading.

I guess so, but i escape into movies and video games.

Having recently confirmed that i am autistic, certain things are much improved in my life, but there are, at the moment, more things about it that i find heartbreaking and i really need that escape.

You should probably not envy those who are desperate to escape from their real life 

I envy you that ability ... I just can't do it. ... I do have, however, many non-fiction books.

It definitely takes me a while to remember names, but to me the payoff is totally worth it. I love the escapism you get when you can get immersed in another world, place or time.

hmm ... i guess my difficulty is the dyslexic in me, not the autism.