I will read most anything as long as it's well written. This makes picking 5 favorite authors or books near impossible. I am an avid student of myth, religion, philosophy, and animals, real and imaginary, great and small. This, naturally, informs my work, as I try to create new myths for a world that's sorely lacking them. I think humor is essential to what I write and read - doesn't have to be side-splitting, in fact, for me, the subtler, the better. Incessant grimness does not win my heart. Nor does excessive violence.
I look to be surprised and delighted; formulaic stories are a dime a dozen, especially in genre writing. This goes a long way towards giving us a bad name. Genre writers are often considered "lesser." Personally, I refuse to believe that genre writing can't be as literary and profound, as the best mainstream fiction.