Do you prefer fact or fiction - generally?

I prefer fact from fiction, truth from diction – in books and films. ;)

I love a good story.Mark Twain is my favorite author,but nowadays,I am more likely to pick up a non-fiction book.

I like them both, to be honest. Sure, maybe I read Wikipedia articles more than I read fictional novels, but I don’t have all that much time to dedicate to a good fiction novel, whereas a few minutes are needed for a Wikipedia article. I have been known to spend extended periods of time reading linguistics-related articles on Wikipedia and I find it endlessly entertaining. I also love documentaries and such. As a writer, I deal entirely in fiction and the idea of writing non-fiction bores me.

So honestly: both. I’m not sure I could really say which one I prefer.

Who says fact, is fact and not an elaborate system of fiction?
That said, I devour information in any shape or form.

I like both

I like both but I prefer fiction.

Fiction, there is a reason they call it Fantasy. You can’t live it ;)

I go through phases – for months I can be on non-fic kick and then on a fic kick.

dammit, @laureth, you stole my joke…;)~

I like both, it just depends on my mood. I have a little of everything in my library, but I guess over half is fiction.

The vast majority of what I read is fiction. I read a few nonfiction books a year, but usually choose something that’s written like a novel. I average 3 books a week, so you can see how the fiction drastically outnumbers the nonfiction.

As for why I prefer fiction, I guess I have this idea that nonfiction is boring. I know that’s not true, but it’s still rare for me to visit anything other than the fiction section of the library or bookstore. Reading is kind of an escape for me, and it’s easier to escape into nonfiction.

Fact from fiction; truth from diction.

Fiction because fiction can be made into fact…There is nowhere to go from fact, you can’t mess with it, other than to elaborate on it, which is still fact. I suppose I don’t like concrete concepts.

Yes you can “mess with fact”. This word, fact, it’s so dogmatic – implying fact is something so solid, never to be touched again. Science is re-evaluative, if all facts come from science – then all facts can be re-evaluated ad-infinitum until more and more refined. There are no absolutes, only things that are closer, and things that are further from “fact” or “THE truth” etc.

The only non-fiction books I read are my text-books and instruction manuals (if that’s really a book).

Both are on my list, maybe someone smarter can give the reasons’.

I enjoy reading insightful fiction. To me that mean fiction that reveals truths about the human condition.

I respect non-fiction as a resource to expand my factual knowledge.

For entertainment I prefer fiction. If I need facts for something, I prefer non-fiction.