How to fall in love with a new genre? A book-lover’s guide.

My oldest memory of reading a novel is of “Murder Is Easy” by Agatha Christie. I was in the 9th Grade and went to the very corner of the fiction section and my eyes caught this title which intrigued me to the core. So my first pick into the real reading world was a crime/mystery thriller.

From that day on, the only books I read were thrillers, mostly of Agatha Christie and sometimes Sidney Sheldon and Arthur Conan Doyle. I used to think if I’ll ever read any other genre or this will be my single-most pleasure. To my surprise, I tried reading another genre by second year in college, Romance! And who better than Nicholas Sparks to the rescue. So I could read more genres!

So what really makes you stick to a single genre? Will you ever be able to break that sacred bond and choose another?!

Let’s answer the latter first!

It’s not really about breaking the bond with your favorite book/ genre. Much like fandoms, love for one doesn’t restrict you to love another or even experience a new fandom so to speak. As we try different kinds of clothes, trying different genres helps us discover new gems, it makes us realize what we were missing out on and sometimes it shows us why our favorite is what it is.

Now, let’s look at the first question.

If and when we find our favorite genre, the comfort doesn’t let us part ways with it. The comfort of understanding the words, the feeling of the narrative, the imagination and the dream world it takes us too; all this is rare and we wish to cherish it for as long as we can. Not every day we find a book and a story that we can connect with, let alone an entire genre!

Let’s face it, having a favorite is an achievement that not many can say they made. By the time a genre becomes our niche, it’s too difficult to not fantasize about it all the time, be it thrillers or fantasy or romance. And who doesn’t love a good fantasy? (Maybe non-fiction lovers :p)

Habit. It is the very nature of humans to develop certain habits that we are fond of and sometimes not even fondness develops a habit. We get so used to doing/ reading a particular thing/ genre that it becomes our daily routine.

So are you someone who binge reads a particular genre? If yes, are you willing to try something new? I know it’s scary for starters, but from my experience I can tell you a few things that might just change your mind in favor of the transition.

How I fell in love with a new genre?

Before anything else, you should know that my first love stayed intact. I’m still hots for crime/ mystery thrillers.

Trust me, your love for the former won’t change.

The thrill to try something new opened a lot of gates for me. I tried romantic novels first but not every author gave me the same satisfaction. Very few did and lately I am not at all fond of romantic novels only because they’ve become too clichéd and monotonous.

You should know what you dislike. That’s very important. And you may only ever know that after trying.

I switched to historical fiction and boy-oh-boy it’s something! I had never read such a lengthy book before but the feel was worth it. It takes you to a different period in time that you weren’t a part of but it would make you feel like you were. Now finding your favorite period is a task but keep your search going.

I still can’t read big busty books but I never shy from trying one now and then, and I am able to do so only because I made an effort to read that first one.

My first encounter with non-fiction was luckily something that I love in real life too. Humour and satire. Next I chose an event that already interested me a lot. Partition of 1947. And that made me try new topics and events that were now written as personal accounts by authors. Non-fiction is my next most loved genre.

You can come to love non-fiction only by making good choices in the beginning of your ride. Choose wisely and carefully. The first read can be your last. We love only after multiple trials but we hate after just one.

It takes a special quality to enjoy Classics and Poetry and I am glad I have come to love them. These two take a toll on your mind quite easily and sometimes that’s the sign that you are reading a masterpiece. It’s that messed up! (Lol)