Romantic fiction is the most popular genre
Middle-aged women want to read books about sex more than anything else, new research has found. A poll of nearly 2,000 women aged between 45 and 60 found that romantic fiction was the most popular genre – chosen by 35% of those surveyed. Nearly two thirds said they liked raunchy scenes in novels, and more than half described sex in books as ‘titillating’. A further 10% of those questioned on their reading habits said they actively chose books which featured lots of sex scenes. Meanwhile crime and mystery novels got 33% of the vote, and other novels 31%.
Reference books were the least popular. Among these, cookbooks were favourites, according to the survey by the moisturiser brand Astral.
Article continues belowNearly two thirds of respondents read at least one book a month, with one in five managing to get through one a week, and one in ten reading two books a week.
At the other end of the scale, 17% read a book only every six months, with 6.5% managing only one a year and 4.6% admitting they hardly ever read books.
Dr Trisha Macnair, a spokeswoman for Astral, said: ‘This research shows that reading for pleasure is still an incredibly popular pastime for women. It's great to see most people read at least a book a month, with some getting through two or three books a week.’
Top 10 books women would take to a desert island, according to the survey:
1 Bridget Jones's Diary – Helen Fielding 2 Atonement – Ian McEwan 3 Harry Potter (any book) – J K Rowling 4 The Time Traveler's Wife – Audrey Niffenegger 5 Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie 6 The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory 7 The Life of Pi – Yann Martel 8 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks 9 Notes on a Scandal – Zoe Heller 10 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
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