Fiction vs. Non-fiction

I recently finished reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. I have read the last 4 or 5 Stephen King books and have been entertained by them all. I think there might be a misconception about Stephen King's genre of books - many of them are not the horror type stories that everyone associates with him. For example, Mr. Mercedes is a mystery and suspense type book. Either way, I would encourage anyone to read some of Stephen King's books as he is an exceptional writer. In my opinion, one of this greatest strengths is the ability to cover multiple perspectives in the same novel which I enjoy.

I read Stephen King and fiction books in general for entertainment purposes. However, often I learn just as much from fiction books as I do non-fiction books. I think it is important for any reader to vary the type of books he or she reads. While my balance between fiction and non-fiction is probably in the 20% fiction to 80% nonfiction range, I believe that having some variety is good. And I find both types of books fulfill the overall purpose of my reading - to learn.

For example, a few one-liners from Mr. Mercedes that are think are particularly interesting regardless of context:

"Don't complicate what's simple."
"It's hard to change your life when you're old."

Despite my desire for some fiction and nonfiction balance, I am still very selective about what fiction books I decide to read. Specifically, I have two key factors I follow:

1. Read exceptional authors. (i.e. Stephen King)
2. Read books that are culturally significant.

While number one is straightforward, number two is best explained with examples. Factor number two has resulted in my reading of books such as Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, all of which I have greatly enjoyed and learned a lot from.

Overall, even with the goal of learning, I believe it is important to read a mix of fiction and non-fiction books, and I find that fiction sometimes is just as thought-provoking as non-fiction.

-Joe