Women and Crime Fiction

[Kirsten]

I listened to a podcast from the Australian broadcaster ABC Radio National on my walk this morning. It was an interview with S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep, about his new thriller Second Life.

You can download it here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/p...

He said that people that go to his book tour events are predominantly women, but that he'd been told that - in the UK - he'd been told the purchasers of his book were nearly split down the middle, 45-55 men to women.

Then the interviewer said that 80% of crime fiction is read/purchased by women. I think this is interesting, since it is portrayed many times as a man's genre.

What do you think?

[Kirsten]

I agree with you, Gail. I was just interested in that 80% number. It seemed very high to me.

[Feliks]

It was a man's genre for a certain interval, but men don't read as much as they used to. Anyway the golden age of mysteries, women authors certainly dominated.

[Helen]

I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-fiction; mostly short articles such as what you'd get on Flipboard. I think it is basically a struggle with time. He just does not have the time to read as many as I do; he manages about one book every three months.

My husband does enjoy mysteries and always reads anything that I have recommended. He likes mysteries with male or female detectives, amateurs or professionals, police procedurals, and mystery-suspense. He does not like romance-mysteries nor cozies.

[Feliks]

Men are just not 'inward' as much as they once were. Too many pointless, 'external' distractions to keep them in a perpetually child-like state.

[Kirsten]

Gail wrote: "Do you think men are more likely to read Ebooks? Since they probably have an electronic device with them..."

I remember when the Blackberry first started becoming widespread. Every man at church that had one or a Palm Pilot seemed to have his scriptures on the device. Now every one with a smart phone or a tablet reads their scriptures that way. I can probably count on one hand the number of people that carry the actual books to church.

[Helen]

What a great observation, Kirsten! I take my Bible to church but my husband uses his iPhone. I find using a smartphone or tablet too bright for my eyes; the light strains them. It is handy, though, to increase font size to whatever you want.

I have noticed it is mostly woman, however, who leave their ringers on and then actually answer their phones during the sermon (even a funeral)!

[Shereen]

On the bus, I've noticed that it's mostly men who are checking their emails and women who are reading from devices. There is the occasional person with an actual book.

[Kirsten]

Helen wrote: "What a great observation, Kirsten! I take my Bible to church but my husband uses his iPhone. I find using a smartphone or tablet too bright for my eyes; the light strains them. It is handy, though..."

That is so horrible, Helen! People are just so rude when it comes to phones. I always turn my phone to mute.

I don't mind using my Kindle for my scriptures. But I just can't read on my smartphone... it's just too small! I have also noticed it's faster for me to find a scripture with my actual scriptures vs. the e-scriptures.

[Pamela]

Helen wrote: "I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-fiction; mostly short articles such as what you'd ..."

I agree, Helen! My husband pretty much sticks to nonfiction in all his reading, and we have a friend who is usually tied up with work related reading -- he's been very slowly going through "In the Garden of Good and Evil" for almost a year.

But I also think that what you are seeing is men lean toward certain mysteries, like the police procedurals or the harder, more thriller mysteries. I know several woman who read strictly the 'cozy' mysteries. I find I like a wide variety of mysteries and can get tired of any one of the subgenera if I read too many at the same time. When I got into mysteries, it was because of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Tony Hillerman -- three very different forms of mysteries.

[Kirsten]

Pamela wrote: "Helen wrote: "I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-fiction; mostly short articles such ..."

There are very few genres I rule out completely. I'm always amazed at people that restrict themselves to one genre or rule out an entire genre entirely. But, still, I am also surprised when I find a man reading a genre that I think of as primarily a female domain (romantic suspense, romance, cozy mysteries) which is stupid (me thinking that, I mean) when you think of it.

[Michael]

Kirsten wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Helen wrote: "I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-fiction; mostly short..."


It is funny, but I feel a bit sheepish if caught reading a romance or a cozy, but I enjoy them.

[Kirsten]

Michael wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Helen wrote: "I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-ficti..."

The benefit of e-readers! You can read books you'd rather not have people see you reading!

[Helen]

Michael wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Helen wrote: "I also notice that men do not read as much as they used to. All the men in my life (husband, father, sons - not multiple guys :)) tend to read non-ficti..."

Haha! Your and Kirsten's comments remind me of a time when I got my husband interested in Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (very much a cozy). We were at one of my son's basketball games and my husband was reading "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies ." The coach took a look at the cover and asked loudly, "What on earth are you reading?!"

I think he would have preferred the anonymity of an e-reader at that time!

[Kirsten]

My dad is the one who introduced me to Alexander McCall Smith.

[Anna]

I have noticed a number of crime books today have a husband and wife team writing. Is this a ploy to appeal to both genders? Does it work for increasing sales?
anna

[Pamela]

"One" of my favorite authors is the mother and son team, Charles Todd. They work very well together,

[Kirsten]

I love the Bess Crawford books and recently just read the first Ian Rutledge books. Very good.

[Pamela]

I think its hard to believe, as well, Michael, but that's because we are readers. I think there is a large segment of people who just don't read at all. Just like there are people who read newspapers (or at least read the news online - as I find myself doing more and more) and then there are others who don't read or watch news.

Frankly its sad. My husband, who doesn't read any fiction, goes out of his way to challenge people to read something. Once or twice, he's actually gotten somebody started just to prove they can/do and they stay up all night to finish the book.

A lot of time he finds out that they can't find a book that they are interested in or don't know what they would like to read, then he comes to me and asks me to suggest a book (difficult because I usually don't have a clue other than they are a student, they like history ...) and then I pull something from my stash of read books as the recommendation. Amazingly, it often works and they ask him if I have any others ...

[Kirsten]

True. I'm the type of person that doesn't go anywhere without a book. I grew up in a house that had bookshelves everywhere. It just saddens me to see people that don't read anything.