Blog season 2, episode 4: horizons broadened
Liking or disliking is not binary. It’s a spectrum.
There are things you like; things you don’t like; things you love; things you don’t care about either way; things you can’t imagine life without; and things you’d joyfully catapult into the sun.
There’s plenty of capacity below your ultimate all-time favourite ever ever to like other things. And if you only ever consume your favourite, you will get tired of it (eventually), like with food – you may love chocolate, but it you had it for every meal, every day, not only would you get sick of it, but it would have a detrimental effect on your wellbeing.
Variety is good for us, and not just in a dietary sense.
I’m an author, so it would be a little weird if I didn’t write this through the lens of books, but the same applies to films, TV, music, games, etc. Books are my storytelling medium of choice, but I still enjoy the other forms. They all have value, with their own strengths and weaknesses, just as each type of story, or genre, does.
If there’s one thing Sally misses since leaving university… oh, wait there are two things. If there’s one thing, other than her friends, Sally misses… no, no, three things...
Let’s start this again.
Sally misses the university library. It wasn’t just great for her classwork, but all the free novels got her back into reading again. It’s not that she ever chose to stop, but there was always a TV show to watch, a game to play, a party to go to, or a boyfriend to hang out with. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed it.
Adulting is a lot less fun than she thought it would be, and this morning was spent trying to find a job that wouldn’t make her maths degree pointless. Rather than fretting about how she’ll ever afford somewhere to live, never mind pay her uni fees, she came to her local library, to find a world to lose herself in. The bookish smell as she walks through the door sends a shiver of excitement down the back of her neck.
My favourite genre is technothrillers, which feels underserved – there are certainly far less published than in many other genres, like romance. I guess love is more popular than computers, despite what Silicon Valley would have you believe.
Part of the reason I write the books I write is because I couldn’t find the story I wanted to read.
I prefer tales set in worlds that are realistic, or at least plausible, and this is what I used to stick to. However, my two 5-star reads this year (so far) are Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S A Corey and The Final Empire (Mistborn Saga #1) by Brandon Sanderson. Science fiction and fantasy.
For a long time, I didn’t read fantasy. I was put off by The Hobbit when I was a teen, and I was never overly keen on the whole elves/goblins/dragons kind of world that so much fantasy seemed to be.
I hadn’t realised there’s so much more diversity and innovation within the fantasy genre. Within all genres.
The library is quiet, not just in volume, as it should be, but in number of people, which is a shame. Sally goes straight to the Fantasy section, where there’s only one other person, a mop-haired boy of about her age with large glasses, skinny jeans, and a hoodie big enough for both of them. He’s already balancing a pile of books in one hand as he scours the shelves with his other, so fixated that he doesn’t seem to notice her.
She’s hoping, but not expecting, they have Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass. She’s avoided love stories the past few weeks since she split from her boyfriend – although it was as amicable as it could be, she still didn’t feel like reading any lovey-dovey stuff – but now she feels ready to dip her toe back in the water.
Nope, it’s not there. Typical!
She’s heard good things about N K Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, and though it’s not romantasy, it sounded interesting, so she follows the alphabet round and ends up next to the boy, who jumps in shock as her shadow falls across the book he’s looking at.
She giggles, “Sorry!” and notices he has Throne of Glass in his pile! Drat, she just missed it!
The boy blushes and laughs too. “No worries.” He replaces the book he was looking at and moves away.
A question: are your genre preferences the same across movies, books and TV?
If you liked Star Wars, Interstellar, Alien, The Terminator, Back to the Future, The Martian, Gravity, or Blade Runner, do you read science fiction novels?
If you liked Knives Out, Seven, The Usual Suspects, Memento, The Sixth Sense, Rear Window, or Shutter Island, do you read mystery novels?
If you liked The Matrix, Inception, Ex Machina, Jurassic Park, The Hunt for Red October, Tron, Sneakers, or Enemy of the State, do you read technothriller novels?
If you liked Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mamma Mia, 500 Days of Summer, The Bodyguard, 10 Things I Hate About You, or Titanic, do you read romance novels?
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. I’d agree that some genres may suit different formats better, for example: mysteries are really good as books; action can be better in movies (if you’re more interested in stunts and visuals than a story). But that doesn’t mean the other formats don’t have their own positives.
There’s The Fifth Season! They do have it, excellent!
Sally gleefully grabs it, and browses a little longer, still looking for something a bit more romantic. She considers a couple, but one sounds exactly the same as The Hunger Games, and the second’s yet another retelling of Snow White.
Fed up, if she wants something romantic, why doesn’t she just look in the Romance section? To get there, she passes through Science Fiction, where the boy now is, enthralled once again. She’s interested that he’d want to read Throne of Glass, with its nobles and romance, and something so different with spaceships and lasers, but maybe there’s something to it, so she pauses at the “recommended” section.
The first book to catch her eye is Foundation by Isaac Asimov. She’s heard the name, he’s supposed to be one of the big names in sci-fi, isn’t he? And there’s a note next to the book saying Apple have made a TV show from it – it’s got to be quite good then, hasn’t it? She reads the blurb and it’s about a scientist predicting the end of the empire using maths?! Finally, a use for her degree!
She tucks it under her arm and continues on towards Romance, noticing the boy’s added two more books to his pile. He must read even more than she does. It’s funny; she didn’t think boys read much anymore. Her ex, Justin, avoided the library and wouldn’t even read the sports pages, never mind a romantasy!
There are examples in every genre that are so well done they break out and become widely popular. A lot of people who don’t usually like sci-fi still enjoy Star Wars, for example.
In reality, most stories combine elements from more than one genre. Using the original Star Wars as an example again, there’s some fantasy (the Force), and a dash of romance (Leia and Han).
Some of these crossbreeds grow so popular, they become subgenres or full-grown genres of their own, like romantasy.
These crossbreeds are ideal for anyone who wants to dip their toe into a different genre. Pick a book that’s a mix between one genre you like, and one you’re not sure about, and there’s a greater chance you’ll enjoy it. You may even like the new-genre parts more than you anticipate, and then you’ve got a whole new genre to explore.
Romance is the largest section in the library. Unlike in Fantasy, where it’s easy to get in each other’s way, there’s space to move around, despite the three other people already browsing.
Sally has favourite romance authors, like Audrey Niffenegger and Colleen Hoover, but wants to give someone new (to her at least) a chance, so she begins at A and picks up anything that stands out. If the blurb’s good, she reads the first page, and if that’s good, she keeps it. She already has two from the As (Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and The Gamble by Kristen Ashley) before she’s distracted by the boy coming through from Science Fiction, and much to her surprise, he stops to peruse.
She’s never known a boy of her age read romance novels; it’s like he’s a different species from the boys she’s dated! He is scanning these shelves a lot quicker, and part of her wonders if it’s performative, if he’s doing it to impress…
Hmm, maybe she’s being unfair. He did already have Throne of Glass.
He comes over to where she is, and she moves to let him look at the shelf just as he’s trying to go around, and they bump into each other, his books spilling onto the floor.
“Oops, sorry,” Sally says, crouching to help him pick them up.
“My fault,” he says, grinning nervously.
She hands him Throne of Glass and can’t resist saying, “I was going to get that, you beat me to it!”
He holds it out for her. “Oh, you take it then, I’m not that… I mean, I’ve got enough.”
“No, I didn’t mean… sorry, you keep it.” She blushes fiercely.
His smile is warm but still a little awkward. “I insist.”
“That’s very kind. Thank you.”
He shrugs and moves along, still looking at romance books but, she’s sure, also looking at her, like she’s looking at him. He’s so unlike Justin, it’s crazy.
She doesn’t know why exactly, but she feels a little flustered, so decides to go to the next section, whatever it is, for some breathing room. Although, as she passes near The Boy, a little closer than necessary, she’s disappointed he doesn’t say anything or manufacture another bump, or even acknowledge her.
She sighs. It’s probably for the best.
To get started in a new genre, it’s wise to be picky.
Books that are generally well-known are normally a safe bet, but not always. A high average review score can be a good sign, but isn’t a sure thing; it could be a “hard” example of the genre that all the superfans love, but wouldn’t necessarily be a good introduction.
Awards are not a sure sign of a good book; most are selected from a list whittled down by lobbying or inducement.
Be wary of recommendations from friends, influencers, algorithms, or anyone else, particularly if they are a fan of the genre in question, as they’re more likely to have a blind spot about how harsh an example of the genre it is.
Reviews that explain why the reader rated a book the way they did are invaluable, and can guide you whether it’s likely to be to your taste.
If an author you’ve enjoyed before has written in more than one genre, that can be a good starter, but again, it’s a good idea to check the reviews.
Finally, there are few better tests than reading the first page of a book. Red flags will be the use of any jargon you can’t follow; writing that’s clunky, jarring, or hard for you to follow; or a tone that feels way outside your comfort zone.
No matter your tastes, I’m sure there’s a book in every genre you’d enjoy.
The next section is Horror – waaay outside her wheelhouse – but she finds herself browsing anyway. She isn’t hanging around, waiting for the boy to catch up to her. Definitely not.
A book cover snatches her attention. She picks it up to read the blurb but quickly puts it back when she reads it’s about a woman being stalked by a serial killer. Just the thought of it gives her the heebie-jeebies. Why would any woman want to read that?!
Is she being unwise? She doesn’t know anything about this boy, and he seems odd. He could be like any of the characters in these horror novels and she wouldn’t know until her entrails hang next to her on a meat hook.
Just as she decides to leave with what she’s got, the boy enters the section, pretending not to look at her.
Now she doesn’t want to leave immediately in case he thinks she’s avoiding him. She picks up a book at random and looks at it without looking at it, her attention on him. Horror is a small section, so he can’t help but stand nearby, and her habit of making a joke when she’s tense kicks in.
“Are you following me?” she asks with a grin.
“You followed me first,” he snarks back. “And knocked my books on the floor.”
“Well, you had the book I wanted. And it worked, didn’t it?” She holds up Throne of Glass victoriously.
He leans over to look at the horror she forgot she was holding, her breath catching as he enters her personal space.
“American Psycho? That’s much gorier than the film.”
“Oh. Not for me, then.” She puts it back on the shelf. “Anything in here you would recommend?”
“I don’t read much horror, I was just here to… I mean… I dunno, sorry.” He shrugs, pushes his glasses up his nose.
He’s so awkward, and with his lopsided grin, he’s kinda cute. And he was nice enough to give her Throne of Glass. “Do you want to get a coffee?” she asks.
His jaw drops, then he beams a smile that instantly convinces Sally she made the right decision. “Definitely.”
Remember that film or TV show or album or book you enjoyed far more than you thought you would? These surprises are often the best, purely because they came at you out of the blue, like the Spanish Inquisition.
You wouldn’t have found it if you hadn’t taken the chance.
It’s worth giving new things a try; you never know what your next favourite might be.
Featured image background photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
Arrowmaker Books 