Is there more than one layer to your favorite genre?
Looking at a snowball bush last week, I was amazed
to see it’s tri-colors - blue, pink and purple. While that may seem normal to some, this is the first time this bush has shown any color other than blue. Maybe it had something to do with the coffee grinds I poured around it this past winter.
to see it’s tri-colors - blue, pink and purple. While that may seem normal to some, this is the first time this bush has shown any color other than blue. Maybe it had something to do with the coffee grinds I poured around it this past winter.
What has a multi-colored snowball bush got to do with writing and books you ask. It got me to thinking how this one plant produced 3 different colors at one time. Somehow that caused my mind to jump to genres and how a book is labeled under one genre, but really has the elements of several others. Yet if you don’t look past the first, you never know about the others.
I appreciate that books are labeled under certain genres making it easier when searching for books in a bookstore. However, I think labeling books into genres also limits them.
When books are placed in the mystery genre some people will never look further because they only read romance. Think of all the mysteries you’ve read that are filled with wonderful romance sub-plots. The same is true for die-hard mystery fans. Most will never pick up a romance book, yet many romance stories are filled with mystery and intrigue.
I know there are numerous sub-categories for genres and that helps. But I think as readers we owe it to ourselves to look past genre labels and give more books a try. Just think of all the interesting books you’re missing just because they are labeled for a genre you don’t read.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a mystery/suspense/thriller reader first and foremost. However, I’ve found some wonderful mystery plots woven into paranormal stories. Some of the most intriguing suspense stories I’ve read have been found in a romance book.
Talented author (and blogger) Margot Kinberg at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist… does a wonderful job with her posts showing that books can be so much more than what they are labeled under. Margot does a terrific job looking at crime fiction from various angles such as how money plays a part of the story or how opposites sometimes come together to solve a crime. If you look beyond the norm, you’ll find books branch out into many colors (directions).
Do you only stick with a certain genre no matter what? Have you tried books without knowing what genre they belonged to? If so, did you enjoy them and were you surprised to find what they were labeled under?
Books are like a bouquet of beautiful colorful flowers. Don’t settle for one color, try them all. While the new genres may not be to your liking, you may find you at least like parts of it.
Thanks for reading my rambling today. I hope I’ve inspired you to give a different genre a try. You never know, you might just enjoy it. Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy a book today.
