Genre slump

dutchgirl76 · November 2015

Hi ladies,

I'm finding that I'm falling into a bit of a genre slump. I've read 5 YA/NA this year with at least 2 more on my TBR list, and 3 Nicholas Sparks books. I'm not complaining, I'm happy I'm reading so much, but I feel like I need to branch out and read something different (less fluffy). I'd like to ask for some recommendations to branch out into genres I don't normally read. I know we essentially did this a few weeks ago with the Never Have I Ever book version game, but feel free to list some genres you don't normally read either, hopefully this will help fill our TBR lists.

Here are mine:

Sci Fi (something besides the Martian as I have that on my TBR list now thanks to you lovely ladies)

Classics (even newer classics)

Thriller

SnShne322 · November 2015

Non Fiction
Classic
Mystery/Thriller

It's funny. I actually really enjoy when I get sucked into a genre. I've read a ton of Romance and YA/NA this year and I've enjoyed it a ton. Almost every time I force myself outside my comfort zone my reading slows down dramatically.

RevJen · November 2015

What about historical fiction?

dutchgirl76 · November 2015

SnShne322 said:

Non Fiction
Classic
Mystery/Thriller

It's funny. I actually really enjoy when I get sucked into a genre. I've read a ton of Romance and YA/NA this year and I've enjoyed it a ton. Almost every time I force myself outside my comfort zone my reading slows down dramatically.

I do have to say YA/NA, romance goes much faster for me too. I do enjoy a good mystery, I've read a couple of the Lincoln Lawyer books and have 2 more of those on my shelf at home. I have one of the Gillian Flynn books too, I think it's the Sharp Objects, was that the one that "wasn't as good/too predictable?"

As far as non-fiction I guess it depends on what you're interested in. I enjoyed reading about Warren Jeffs "When Men Become Gods" was really good. For some reason I'm facinated to read about school shootings as well, I have "Columbine" by Dave Cullen, "Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You" by Donna Decker and "Gone Boy" by Gregory Gibson on my TBR list.

SusieBW · November 2015

@dutchgirl76 Have you read Intensity by Dean Koontz? That's always my top recommendation for thrillers. For Gillian Flynn, Dark Places was my favorite, but Sharp Objects was a close second. I did find it to be predictable, but it was still fantastic.

One of my favorite non-fiction books has to be Devil in the White City by Erik Larsson. And speaking of Warren Jeffs, Under the Banner of Heaven is one of my other favorite non-fiction books. And I thought Columbine was excellent.

I don't read much Sci Fi or Romance, but I'm fine with that. I don't read them because they generally aren't my thing. If something is highly recommended, I'll pick it up and give it a shot, but generally, I'm comfortable with the amount of variety in my reading.

julie37619 · November 2015

I have a few that I don't usually read, but enjoy when I do (YA, Romance, Biography, Classic, Poetry/Drama) and a few that I don't read because I genuinely have no interest and probably never will (Western, PNR, erotica)

GilliC · November 2015

For Sci-Fi, there are some fantastic books that fall under Sci-Fi but aren't really the "hardcore" science fiction people normally think about.

The Speed of Dark is a fantastic book. It's kind of like an adult version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

If you haven't read Ender's Game, it's worth it. And if you have, I absolutely loved the next book Speaker for the Dead. In spite of the traditional cover art, it's not really a spaceships and lasers kind of book. It's about xenoanthropology and discusses the question of what "intelligent life" really means.

If you want to hit modern classics and Sci-Fi at the same time there's Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World if you've never read them.

Other Sci-Fi titles I'd recommend to include Snow Crash, Wool, and The Windup Girl.

Among modern classics, I'd recommend The Good Earth, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, and Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm if you didn't read them in school.

For older classics, my favorites are A Tale of Two Cities, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Anna Karenina.

When it comes to non-fiction, there are a few that I would consider must-reads: Night by Elie Wisel and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. On a lighter note, What If? by Randall Munroe is laugh-out-loud hilarious on top of being surprisingly interesting and educational.

Genre slump

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