Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. I feel my posts have been a bit too list-centric lately, but I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a while and this one seems fun: top ten books I enjoyed recently that weren't my typical genre or were outside my comfort zone.
This prompt is a little hard for me for a couple reasons. For one, I was just thinking that I haven't been branching out as much as I should lately. I become obsessed with certain genres and primarily focus on those books for a couple years at a time. Recently, that genre has been young adult fantasy/science fiction, so about 70% of the books I read are from one subsection of literature. On the other hand, there is very little I won't read. Since I read a little bit of everything, few books are outside my comfort zone. Therefore, this list will cover some books I've read in the last year from genres I haven't been partaking in as much recently or that are fairly new to me.
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
One of the main reasons I wanted to do this particular list is because I was just saying yesterday how Blood Red Road took me in an unexpected direction. Clearly, I read a lot of young adult fantasy, so this book seems to fit right into my normal genre. However, Young writes a dystopian novel that reads like a western: characters journeying across deserts and mountains on horses with slingshots and arrows. I wouldn't normally say westerns are my thing, so I was surprised how much I liked this book. Young's descriptions are very cinematic, and the landscapes would make a beautiful film. The book is also full of action - and it's pretty thrilling action - with showdowns, cage fights, and even a Tremors-ish fight with a giant worm. I may find myself searching for more directly western-themed books in the future.
Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt
Another very recent read. On the surface, this also doesn't seem far from my comfort zone. Nevertheless, it is an adult book - so that in itself is a move away from my norm - and heck if I could tell you exactly what genre this is supposed to be. It's like an Arthurian romance in a 19th century Gothic setting with a quirky, modern sense of humor. Actually, the most unusual aspect of the book for me personally is the comedy. I can't say I read a lot of comedy, though I certainly should. Undermajordomo Minor is one supremely odd and captivating novel. What I loved most was the writing style, particularly the dialog, which is mostly done in a deadpan manner. It's brilliant and hilarious.
Paper Towns by John Green
Can John Green be considered his own genre? At this point, probably. I don't read nearly as much contemporary young adult as I do fantasy, but I've been branching out over the last couple months. I have found some gems, such as Anna and the French Kiss, but I didn't love Paper Towns, my first John Green novel. I've put off reading his work for a while now because of the hype and because I don't really want to read about kids with cancer. There were a few things here I liked, such as the interactions between Quentin and his two best friends and the ending. However, everything felt overly dramatic. I realize these are big moments in the characters' lives and they are self-actualizing or whatever, but I don't need ten different inner monologues about how people aren't how you imagine them in your head. And this is probably why I mainly stick to young adult science fiction/fantasy instead: I like the teen hormones balanced out by a fight against aliens.
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
The genre I read the least is non-fiction, particularly essay collections. I try to read a few a year, but that's about all I manage. It's not that I dislike the non-fiction I do read; I just always crave story more than facts. I enjoyed this collection though. Gay looks at the connection between her personal experiences, pop culture, and social issues, particularly feminism, sexual violence, and race. The essays vary significantly in tone from funny, nostalgic essays about the Sweet Valley High books to heartbreaking essays about rape. Overall, I found the essays both entertaining and insightful. In the future, I would read these types of essays one at a time over a longer period of time, however, because it's a little overwhelming in one shot.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
I haven't read too many contemporary literary fiction novels recently, so this was a nice change of pace. It took me awhile to get into this book, but eventually found myself enjoying it. In a way, I still think Egan is trying a bit too hard to be unique - though it obviously worked as she won a Pulitzer - and some chapters, like the Powerpoint slides, are downright gimmicky. However, I found a lot of the narrative perspectives interesting and wanted to know more about the characters, particularly Sasha. The narrative structure here is kind of a game of "Tag! You're it!" The narrator (and sometimes the style) changes each chapter often based on someone mentioned in the previous chapter. Therefore, you get threads connecting the chapters, but often vague threads that jump all throughout time. I kept trying to guess who would be next. Overall, there is a common theme of how we can't escape the changes of time - that old goon - nor can we escape our previous selves.
Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
Oh hi, regency romance, I haven't seen you lately! I used to read a lot of romance, but then my obsession switched to young adult - though clearly those often have romance as well - and I put these books on the back burner. I know many people look down on the romance novel, but I'm a fan. They are a light, quick reads that you know will have a happy ending. And sometimes on a bad day, you just want a damn happy ending. This particular book was cute and funny with a My Fair Lady inspired plot. Maybe I'll add some more romances to my line up - after I finish the ten books I already have checked out from the library.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Not only is Wild non-fiction, it's about the outdoors: hiking and camping and all sorts of things I avoid at all costs. Personally, I have no interest in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, so this didn't really seem like my kind of book. But it had good reviews and a movie, so I checked it out, and actually it was quite nice. The book is well written and Strayed effectively mixes her experiences prior to the hike with her experiences on the trail. It's interesting, emotional, and suspenseful. But man, the descriptions of her feet were so detailed and disgusting that it reaffirmed my desire to stay inside and read.
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Historical fiction with a LGBTQ main character. You don't see too many books in this genre, though luckily we are getting more fiction with queer characters recently, particularly in young adult. I found parts of this book interesting, but I didn't like it nearly as much as I hoped. Waters is an excellent writer and starts off the book with amazing historical details of post-war Britain and the slow burn of Frances' relationship. However, part way through it becomes a dramatic mystery that was somehow both over-the-top and boring. While I'd certainly like to read more books from this genre and from Waters herself, I was disappointed with The Paying Guests.
Watchmen by Alan Moore
I've only read a handful of comics/graphic novels in my entire life. I'd like to get into comics more, but it just seems so overwhelming. Some story lines include decades of issues. How do you catch up? Hence, I often read the more contained stories like Watchmen and Persepolis (and yes, a Buffy comic or two). Since I'm so used to reading words instead of pictures, it took some getting used to Watchmen, and I moved through it slowly. I'm also sure I missed many details the first time around. However, it was a lot of fun. Advice on how to enter the comic genre smoothly??
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
I get so caught up in the new releases that I tend to fall behind on the classics. I've been woefully negligent recently. I only read a few last year, including As I Lay Dying. While this is probably the easiest Faulkner book to follow (of the ones I've read at least), it was not my favorite. Oddly enough, it's a little too ridiculous. I prefer The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! despite needing a road map to figure them out. Luckily, I have joined a Women's Classic Literature challenge. I'm being a bit slow with it though. I started Agnes Grey, which isn't the most exciting of books, and have switched it out for Anne of Green Gables at the moment. I'm halfway through it and liking it a lot. Hopefully, I'll be better about my classics this year.
Let's drink to trying new things! What new genres, styles, or books did you read recently?
