(This is part of my Blogging101 education. Thanks for learning with me!)
For some, running the table of a beloved author’s titles is a great tribute and accomplishment. I tried that strategy with the Nancy Drew books only to realize that the more I read, the more appeared in the stores. Just as I enjoy trying new local foods when I travel, I strive to expand my reading horizons by sampling the “32 Flavors of Reading.” Now, I haven’t actually counted the genres or categories of titles I have on my shelves but here are a sample of some of the groupings not found in most bookstores:
- Mysteries by local authors in places I’ve visited
- Writers on reading (memoir or commentary)
- Cookbooks with cultural narratives
- Histories that read like literature
- Re-tellings of classic stories in different cultural settings
- Contemporaneously written novels of countries in the midst of war
While I may initially pigeon-hole a book, many end up in very unexpected categories after talking with others about them. I’m fortunate to have spoke to some authors about their books. It turns out they are often surprised by the insights readers have about their characters and their motivations. Books provide endless opportunities to read between the lines and recalibrate my outlook.
What does your list look like?
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