Everyone has different preferences on what they enjoy reading when they have the opportunity. I think fiction is better and more interesting.
Fiction is so much more compelling. Whether it is set in the dystopian future or in 2012, fiction comes directly from someone’s imagination. Nonfiction is about real people and events that have already occurred. I don’t think nonfiction has much room to expand and be creative because a good nonfiction author should be focused on the truth and what actually happened. Fiction authors can create entirely new kingdoms, societies, people or animals to fit into the plot.
Reading fiction can help people develop empathy by putting readers in the character’s shoes and seeing things from a different perspective. It helps teach people to think harder about characters, plot, conflict and potential resolutions in the story. A lot of times authors of fiction books create entirely new worlds and it is fun to learn about how the new society functions differently than what we know today.
It feels like a lot of nonfiction books are about things in the past that have negatively affected people. I don’t particularly enjoy reading biographies about war or someone’s life in the 60’s when I am trying to relax from the day. Reading fiction is a great way to take a step back from real-world issues. The creative side of fiction books helps to engage readers with a book on what feels like a more emotional level than nonfiction books can.
There are obviously some good things about nonfiction books. A lot of them are historical and can help people understand conflicting ideas from the past. But, a lot of the topics are just not things I want to learn about. Nonfiction books seem to be most focused on educating their readers and most times when I want to read I want entertainment, not a history lesson.
Your library should not just be fiction. However as boring as most nonfiction books seem, there are sure to be some that you find interesting. Both genres offer different opportunities for expanding your knowledge and library, but fiction is a lot more fun to read.
