Exploring Different Reading Genres: A Book Lover’s Guide

Reading as a hobby is something that is meant to be enjoyable and in some cases educational. However, with today's societal expectations all of our personal time is considered precious and not something we want to waste. Testing the waters of a new genre can be scary, what if we don't like it? Did we just waste our few precious minutes we normally grant ourselves for our own joys in life? Hopefully this guide will give you some starting points to begin your genre expansion journey and feel like those misses are no longer wasted minutes.

Understanding Genres

We use genres to classify different works to best describe characteristics for people consuming the end product. This can be done through form, subject matter, or style. Some common ones talked about when we talk about books are:

• Fiction: imaginative stories that may use real life for inspiration but are purely created from the author(s) brain.

• Non-Fiction: true events that may be further classified by content like memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, true-crime etc.

• Horror: speculative or contemporary stories that are intentionally trying to shock, provoke, or unsettle their audiences.

• Mystery: stories focused on figuring out a situation that is not fully known, like a murder, a theft, or kidnapping.

• Romance: a very high-level genre that explores complex relationships between characters, usually with some form of love or love-like relationship development.

  
  

All of these genres have sub-genres associated with them that could help aid you in broadening your reading.

Why Explore New Genres?

There are a lot of reasons to explore new genres

1. Variety in Reading: Sometimes we get into reading slumps, and having a different genre in your reading repertoire can inject some "umph" back into your reading hobby.

2. Challenge your Comprehension Skills: Different genres come with different tropes, points of commentary, and different author voices. Challenging your brain with different rhythms of a new genre will help keep your comprehension skills sharp instead of on auto-pilot.

3. Discover Hidden Gems: Every genre comes with a lot of variety within it due to sub-genres. Finding a new favorite author or series could be just around the corner.

4. Improve Your Empathy: If your looking to read new stories from new perspectives, what better way than to search out new authors writing about new topics in a genre you may not have deeply explored yet?

   
   

Tips for Exploring New Genres

Start Small

A lot of genres have anthologies of the most popular authors in the genre. Giving these a perusal may provide you a new author to look into their more long-form work. You can also look into novellas or other one-off short story compilations by authors to read from.

Read Adjacent

If you know you like high fantasy maybe give surrealism a try. You may find similar themes you enjoy there that could lead to surreal horror, or perhaps dystopian. If romance is your jam maybe exploring contemporary romance or memoir might also do the trick for you.

Read Reviews and Recommendations

Find different rating sites to see what other readers have rated similar to some of your favorite books. If there is a content creator that you find reads similarly to you, maybe explore more of their favorite books to see if anything strikes your fancy. As with any recommendation site this could be hit or miss but it will give you a starting point.

Set a Challenge

Reading challenges are great because not only does it provide you structure it also gives you a goal to meet. If you are someone who loves ticking off boxes like I do then a challenge that includes 1 or 2 new genres into your normal reading goals can do wonders on broadening your horizons.

Keep an Open Mind

Not every genre is for every reader! Approach each book with open expectations and intentions. There's nothing worse than expecting a book to disappoint you because more often than not the reading becomes a chore. Whereas when we go into something like opening a gift we automatically assume it's something we're going to enjoy.

Genre Spotlights

Horror

Horror explores complex themes that affects many people throughout their lives like isolation, mental instability, trauma, and new situations. It doesn't have to be all blood and guts all the time.

Recommended Reads:

• Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle: A contemporary commentary on queerness and what oppression does to those in the queer community.

• All Hallows by Christopher Golden: A 'Stranger Things' feeling Halloween story involving an urban legend.

  
  

Self Help

It often gets maligned by many "serious" readers but is intended to aid in self-examination and self-development of skills.

Recommended Reads:

• Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace: A book less about career and more about the lens by which you approach situations.

• Career Self-Care: Find Your Happiness, Success, and Fulfillment at Work by Melinda Zetlin: Based on the premise that you cannot show up for those in your life before first showing up and taking care of yourself.

  
  

Romance

The good and the bad of relationships with other people, and sometimes with ourselves

Recommended Reads:

• Well Met by Jen DeLuca: A love letter to smaller towns, renaissance festivals, and taking a small chance on what our heart wants.

• It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark: A contemporary love story examining the different types of family we have throughout life, what defines love, and just what does it mean to be 'in love'.

  
  

Conclusion

New genres of reading, just like new genres of music can help us connect with ourselves and others in our life in new ways. Taking the time to explore what else we might enjoy in our hobbies can pay off in a variety of ways in our real lives, at the very least providing further enrichment to our internal worlds.

Happy reading :)