My Reading Wheelhouse

As part of the Reading Glasses Challange, I had to figure out my reading wheelhouse.

I’m not sure if this is a term used a lot, since I first heard it on the Reading Glasses Podcast.

According to the Hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara, your reading wheelhouse is the collection of elements you look for in stories. For example, certain character archetypes, genres and troupes, things of that nature.

Needless to say, they don’t all have to be present in one book. These are the things that make you consider reading a book. The telltale signs that a book might be right up your alley.

The best way to figure out your reading wheelhouse is by writing down elements you love about your favourite books and looking for patterns. This is what I did. In my case, I chose eight books to get a decent sample size.

So, what is my reading wheelhouse?

In terms of genre, Fantasy comes out on top, followed by SciFi and Horror. According to this, I prefer books on the longer side.

I like characters that are not human such as animals, aliens or fantasy races. I like charismatic people who are morally grey or ones who are done with all this nonsense. As for leads, I like them smart but with no clue as to what is going on.

Something that kept popping up across the board was the unknown, whether it is a hidden world to be explored, secret societies, or unseen horrors. Bonus points if there is magic, cats or occult elements.

Speaking of the occult, many of these books have some element of Lovecraftian horror. Even in non Horror stories, I like themes of trust issues and an unreliable narrator. Tales with tense bonds, or found families with friendly bickering.

I also like witty stories, stories filled with charm and whimsy or suspense and dread. Tales of sacrifice and regret. With rich worldbuilding and in-universe lore, such as mythology and religion unique to that book or series.

This exercise was pretty fun. It was interesting to see what kept popping up. I recommend doing this yourself, the results might surprise you. If you do, please let me know what is in your reading wheelhouse.