My RITA books are here! My RITA books are here!

That’s all I can say; I’m obligated not to discuss any details about the books I’m judging, which is fine with me. I totally understand the need for judges to be as impartial and anonymous as possible in contests, especially biggies such as this one.

Since I entered the RITAs myself, I am not allowed to judge in the category I entered. Which means I am judging outside of my normal genre. I’ve been pretty strictly stuck smack in the middle of the broad genre known as Paranormal for a while now. So to read books that fall outside of this genre is an exciting venture.

In my past life, I’ve read all sorts of romance books. I’ll admit that I do judge a book by its cover when choosing whether I’ll consider reading it (Although I promise not to do this with regards to my RITA books. It would unfair to let this play into my score.), and there was a time in my life when I read pretty much any romance book—regardless of the cover--the local library had because I was so desperate for free entertainment.

And its funny how my preferences have changed over the years. There was a period when I was really into western romances… the cowboy side and the native-american side. I never really dipped my toe into reading erotica, mostly because my library didn’t carry it (or if they did, they kept it well-hidden and I didn’t know enough to ask for it). My Paranormal interests would wax and wane, as would my available choices. Paranormal covers tend to be dynamic and dramatic. So for a gal picking books by cover art, it makes sense I would tend in that direction. I’ll admit it here: I even do with when shopping for wine, and I don’t think I’m unique in any of it!

Regency romances were always fun to read as well. A strange quirk for me to read about young, innocent women constrained by the stricture of society morals… especially since I write strong, loud, sexually forward female heroins. Blame Mr. Darcy for my continuing infatuation with those period romances ;-)

So, I get to step outside my current genre of choice with my RITA books. I wouldn’t consider this stepping out of my comfort zone, since I like to think I can read any genre objectively and pull enjoyment from the storyline. I mean, we’re talking love here… that’s a central theme that I can totally get behind regardless of the book’s time and place.

So, what are your favorite genres to read?