While it can be difficult (read: near impossible) for avid readers to name their favourite book, you can safely ask most of them to name their favourite genres — we all have one or two, or a few. And nearly all of us have shelves and sections of a bookstore we’ll first turn to and maybe even spend all our time browsing. Equally, almost all readers have books they avoid — genres they might have once tried and given up on, or books they just don’t think will work for them. Fair enough, and of course, one can’t read everything. But once in a while, all of us like to mix it up. Readers of crime might want to dip their toe into the hot waters of romance, or non-fiction enthusiasts might fancy, for a change, a good historical fiction to get lost in.
So here’s a little cheat-sheet for you, to help you find a good (or great) read that’s outside of your comfort zone:
If you don’t usually read:
Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles
Well, toe-curlingly good romance aside, Slippery Creatures, the first book in the Will Darling trilogy by K.J. Charles, is a little of all these things: a spy thriller, a book about books, and a historical fiction about the 1920s. It’s also very funny, and makes for an excellent example of how effective the chemistry in a great romance can be. As the sparks fly between Will and very charming Kim Secretan, you can see exactly why these beautiful men might fall in love, while of course solving a crime together.
OR
Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan
Quippy, funny, incredibly addictive and absolutely brimming with sharp, cunning little observations about the folly and absurdity of humans — even as they fall in love and navigate desire and relationships and life — this is Anuja Chauhan at her finest. She gives you a whole host of memorable characters, places them in a world which is full of charm and nostalgia, and then invites you to fall in love with everything, including the love story at the center of the book.
The Good House by Tananarive Due
An excellent introduction to the genre — one that makes no bones about what it is. A story full of ghosts and demons and spells and myths, this is at first a slow burn, and then builds up both pace and the sense of unease. At its core, this is a haunted house story, built with the very solid bricks of race, generational trauma and family.
OR
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Moving away from the standard but immensely satisfying fare of what the genre has to offer, we have here something unusual. Coraline could be, in a way, a twisted fairy tale — a fantasy for children. Even, perhaps, a warning, in the fashion of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. But it’s nothing if not chilling — the story of falling through a rabbit hole, and landing in a world full of monsters.
Those Days by Sunil Gangopadhyay; translated from the Bengali by Aruna Chakravarti
Those Days is an impressive and perhaps daunting 600 pages long, and reading it is a bit like swimming in a pool of viscous history. It’s also magnificent, the canvas so overwhelmingly expansive and immersive that it pulls you in quite forcefully. It’s also at times unbearably painful, and at other times, giddily beautiful — a wonderful example of historical fiction at its finest.
OR
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Another fine example of immersive storytelling in historical fiction, Pachinko is a multigenerational saga, beginning with the immigration of a Korean family to Japan in the early 20th Century. It’s an ambitious and layered story that spans most of the 20th Century. Apart from being very well researched and richly detailed, it is above all, incredibly readable and moving.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers
Here’s something fun to start with, if you haven’t tried, or liked, this genre before. A good way to describe this book would be cosy-science-fiction. There’s adventure and excitement, danger and a lot of space-talk, and as a bonus, a lot of great characters who break stereotypes, challenge the existing idea of the genre, and take you on what is a wonderful and heart-warming, if slightly chaotic adventure though time and space.
OR
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
This one will charm you, and then break your heart. In it, Charlie Gordon, a man with very low IQ, becomes the subject of an experiment that makes him more intelligent. The experiment should work, since it’s already been successfully conducted on Algernon, a lab mouse. But the story takes a turn, as do the lives of Algernon and Charlie. A great example of science fiction that still feels close to home.
The Simoqin Prophecies: Gameworld Trilogy 1 by Samit Basu
Samit Basu’s first book brings together a whole host of elements — the traditional and the modern, the absurd and the serious, the past and the future, and of course, the facts and the fantastic. This is a book that has fun with the genre — it takes a standard trope and turns it on its head. It experiments with plotlines and character development, and more than anything else, it entertains and engages. Unique, creative and overall, a very fun introduction to fantasy.
OR
The Shadow in the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated from the Spanish by Lucia Graves
A beautiful, atmospheric and lush book set in post World War II Barcelona, this is the story of a young boy and his encounter with a mysterious book, which he discovers in an equally mysterious place — the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. As the young boy grows up, he becomes obsessed with uncovering the life and secrets of the author of the book. This is a book about books, about the power of literature to transform and fascinate, and the tale of an epic adventure.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
A book about creativity and the creative process, there’s a lot in Big Magic that inspires and encourages, and offers insights and advice that will help you both identify, understand and embrace your own creative process. And since Gilbert is a brilliant storyteller too, this book approaches the idea of motivation and self-help in a readable and accessible, making it, above all, a very good read too.
OR
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius; translated from the Greek by Gregory Hays
If you don’t read this genre, Meditations is a soft launch into it, and might take you on an entirely different journey. You might, instead of reaching for more self-help, find yourself digging into more on Roman history and emperors, but that’s a risk we can take. Meditations is essentially a collection of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius’s thoughts, reflections, personal philosophy and advice. Considering it’s also one of the cornerstones of the Stoic philosophy, you’ll find in it a lot on resilience, the rational life and self-control. It is, at once, a study in self-reflection, and a portrait of a powerful man and the life he lived.
The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang
A collection of personal essays — all dealing with different aspects of Wang’s own experience of living with schizoaffective disorder, The Collected Schizophrenia is an immensely rewarding read. Candid, moving and empathetic, the essays widen not just our understanding of what it means, really means, to live with mental illness, but also challenges our assumptions about the disease itself. With each essay, Wang allows us to take with her a deeply personal and introspective journey.
OR
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
In the nine essays in this book, Tolentino explores different aspects of the modern life, with all its trappings and concerns. The first essay, on the internet and social media, is a wonderful introduction to the book and what it has to offer –— incisive and nuanced exploration of contemporary issues, from identity and gender, to consumerism, politics and power.
Indigo: Selected Stories by Satyajit Ray; translated from the Bengali by Gopa Majumdar
There’s probably little that hasn’t already been said about Ray’s works, and even if you aren’t a fan of the short story, these might just convert you into one (especially if you like your literature with a dose of the macabre). Immensely readable and accessible, these stories have a little of everything — horror and adventure, humour and fantasy, and more than anything else, unexpected endings. Try, to begin with, Fritz, if you’re in the mood for something chilling, or Ratan Babu and That Man, if you’d like a taste of the twilight zone.
OR
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The collection which won its author the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000, contains nine stories — all exploring aspects of the lives of Indian immigrants, and their experiences of straddling two worlds — of living with identities shaped by two cultural experiences, and the ways in which this can bring both alienation and loneliness. The theme of belonging, and identity, looms large in these stories — all of which are beautifully crafted and full of empathy, compassion and vulnerability.
Malice by Keigo Higashino; translated from the Japanese by Alexander O. Smith
Higashino’s plots are perhaps the biggest draw of his books — he’s mastered the craft of taking what seems simple, and making it almost entirely unguessable. Malice, a locked room mystery with the death of a celebrated author at its centre, is no exception. It’s got everything you’d need from your crime fiction — the apparently rock solid alibis, the complicated interplay of characters, and the intrepid and resourceful detective at its centre.
OR
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Set in 1920s Bombay in the British Raj, this is a mystery which stands out especially because of the sleuth at its centre, a Parsi female lawyer — one of the first in Bombay. Perveen Mistry is resourceful, determined and completely enthralling as a character. It’s impossible not to root for her to triumph. Of course, it helps that the book is set in a richly detailed world — 1920s Bombay comes alive in Massey’s hands, adding both authenticity and colour to an already well-crafted story.
The Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki Junichiro; translated from the Japanese by Edward G. Seidensticker
The story of the four Makioka sisters from Osaka makes for a rich, immersive and very satisfying read. It’s also both very readable and happily accessible. A classic of Japanese literature, this is both an involved and intricate family drama and a study of Japanese culture, society and politics during the 1930s and 40s.
OR
The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith
Presented as a diary of Charles Pooter, a self-important but lowly clerk living in Holloway, a suburb of London, and full of the absurdities, embarrassments and interactions of ordinary, everyday life, this is a book that both amuses and charms. Pooter, of course, takes himself very seriously, but the book doesn’t, and this makes for an interesting and very entertaining contradiction.
Lone Fox Dancing: An Autobiography by Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond is one of our finest storytellers, and so it’s hardly surprising that the story of his life is a delightful and moving read. Through his prolific career, Bond has been giving us glimpses into his life already — in fragments and pieces of reality woven into fiction. With Lone Fox Dancing, he gives us much more. This is an intimate and charming story of a man who loved books, and nature, and India. Beautifully told and supremely readable, this is certainly one memoir you’ll enjoy.
OR
Educated by Tara Westover
This is the story of Tara Westover’s journey from her strict, survivalist upbringing in rural Idaho, to earning her PhD from the University of Cambridge. Westover first enters a classroom at the age of 17 – her life before that has been devoid of any form of formal education. This is a powerful exploration of the transformative power of education, of human resilience and the tussle between her family’s faith and her own need for self-discovery. A moving book that is ultimately a celebration of the human spirit.
The Library Book by Susan Orleans
Libraries and true crime — unlikely bunkmates that come together in Susan Orleans’s captivating book that explores the history of the Los Angeles Public Library system, and the fire that occurred in the Central Library in 1986. As Orlean investigates this fire — how it occurred and the circumstances surrounding it, she simultaneously examines the need, importance and role of libraries in our world today. A perfect coming together of books about books, and mysteries about books — there’s little not to love here.
OR
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
If you’re new to true crime, In Cold Blood will make for a haunting, compelling and very dark introduction to it. It follows a senseless and brutal crime in the rural community of Holcomb, Kansas, but it isn’t an investigation. It’s a reconstruction of a crime that has occurred, the story of a trial that has concluded and murderers who have been convicted. It reads, to that effect, like a beautifully crafted novel, but every so often, as you grapple with the darkness and violence at its center, you’re reminded that you’re reading about true events.
