Welcome to Gaia! :: Okay, so what DO you like?

I like fantasy, or something with a bit of action. Common novel's tend to get too much on my nerves for me to read them. I really like book with good, solid imagery and a good story line ( the A Great and Terrible Beauty books are the best examples). A good love story - that's not too mushy, but sweet instead - doesn't go amiss either. I'm very fond of endings that leave you thinking, or that are bittersweet, or are open (as in, there could be a continuation, but it's not made definite).
I also like humanistic characters. Mary sues can be fun from time to time when you don't want to overwork your brain, but I love the characters I can really relate too.

Since no one has mentioned my favorite poet yet I'll start with poetry: Emily Dickinson I'm not especially sure why I like her so much but I just love her stuff. I'm more of a science fantasy writer (more on that later) than a poet so I'm not really well informed on the parts of poetry. Sorry.

As for books (which make up far more of my library than poetry.) I like science fantasy above all else. I know what you're thinking, but no I don't mean science fiction. I like fantasy books whose fantasy can be scientifically explained. The best example I can think of is sadly not a book though. Fullmetal Alchemist. While they could of just said "Yeah Alchemy is magic blah blah blah." they went out of their way to explain things scientifically.(i.e. the allotropes of carbon, the law of conservation of mass, etc.) I,unfortunately, have been unable to find any books who are reminiscent of this so I settle for books who limit magic by rules. Other than that I read philosophies such as The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Utopia by Sir Thomas Moore, etc. Also mythologies. Edith Hamilton is the best source I've found for Greek/Latin myths.

I'm shamed to state that my writing career was inspired by the book Eragon. Not because I liked it. Far from it. It was such crap that I personally took offense to the reputation Paolini was giving young writers. Therefore, I decided to see if I could beat him.

I like epic fantasy and science fiction. Dune and A Song of Ice and Fire are among my favorites. Somewhat more realistic, as in a world where, assuming the setting is real, the things that happen could actually happen. Plenty of awesome characters help aswell.

I like simpler things too, though. The Warhammer novels about Malus Darkblade - fairly simple entertainment, but .. very entertaining entertainment.

And, to some extent, horror stories. I like a lot of Stephen King's stuff, my favorite being either The Dead Zone or The Stand. I also .. feel I should mention Dracula. Along with the first two, those three are probably my all-time favorites.

I also just remembered - Lovecraft. I haven't read any of the longer stories, but my brother has this collection of horror short stories, including .. Let's see, Pickman's Model and the Music of Erich Zann. Those two were insanely creepy, just the way I like my horror stories.

Truly I like anything! Except the obvious dud. I tend to like the character to be mysterious and then deep down is really in pain and finds things funny and cute but tries to hide it....you know...a big ego! pirate

I like books with plenty of action and some romance, where the charaters are unusual and energetic. Also there has to b an interesting villian!

Androids, trains (why is every nearly every story with a lot of trains good?), hard science fiction, strong female characters.

I like a writer who is effective in their words. If someone starts to get purple or stupid, I drop them like an old hat.

i like to read about fantasy creatures in made up lands, great battles that are not historic and stories that have to do with the elements

characters with hard circumstances that have to fight for their rightful place