As I closed the cover of my latest thriller, I thought to myself: “Hmm, didn’t I already read this book?” I recalled its basic plot: A damaged young woman with a shadowy traumatic past is called back to her hometown to resolve a mystery that dredges up unresolved inner conflicts. She meets an attractive stranger who she feels reluctantly drawn toward, but her built-up defenses combat against her desire to trust and thereby risk opening her heart to potential harm. The twisting conclusion exposes the narrator as unreliable and the compelling stranger is not what he seemed.

I looked back at the log of titles that I have read this year and this one was not listed, but I did notice that there were about 10 others that could have been described in exactly the same way. Some, of course, were better written than others, but I was dismayed to realize what a rut I am obviously in when I select my novels. I can’t really blame the publishing world for pumping out the same thing over and over—they copycat the trends that are hot, and rush to market those that will sell quickly (and hopefully will be made into a streaming series). If I want to expand my repertoire I will just have to dig a little deeper and seek out some new experiences.

I am hereby vowing to venture this coming month into genres and formats that I tend to ignore (or even actively avoid). I challenge you to do the same. You could cautiously dip in a toe by selecting a close relation to what you already are hooked into; or if you bravely want to, jump headlong into something completely new. Having a library card means you can do either without much investment. It just requires a sacrifice of time in exchange for potentially discovering a whole new passion! Either way, the worst thing that could happen is that you delve into something unpleasant and decide to return it to the drop box early.

Didi you know that your GPL card number enables you to access NoveList Plus? This service is so packed with great content it should definitely be one of your bookmarked sites. They have comprehensive lists for all genres/age groups including “For fans of…” and “If You Like…” categories. They even compare other forms of media that are related or similar. You could get lost for days.

Here are links to some other good websites that regularly update suggestions of the latest releases in genres you may not be familiar with. These are sites curated by experts and these are books that have been already been vetted for quality by leading critics and reviewers:

BookBrowse: Genres

Amazon's Genres flow chart

RUSA (Reference and Users Services Association, a division of the American Library Association) Reading Lists

NPR’s Book Concierge

Some other good sources of the best a genre has to offer can be found in story collections, essays or anthologies. Here are a couple notable examples of series that will allow you to pick and choose shorter selections to whet your appetite:

	The “Best American” Series": There are a number of these collections, encompassing everything from Mysteries to Travelogues to Comics to Spiritual Writing.
	The Norton Anthologies offer curated samples from a variety of time periods, cultures and themes. In addition to full text, these often also include abridged versions or excerpts aimed at providing highlights or particularly representative sections of longer works.

November's Featured Reviews

	My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a graphic novel by Emil Ferris that takes place in 1960’s Chicago and was nothing like what I expected based on the cover. Part mystery and part emotional exploration, the story centers around a quirky young girl who is searching for her identity amid chaos- both in her personal life and swarming around her in the city of that period. The illustrations are disturbing but gorgeous, and I found myself aching for Karen as she bravely faces her adolescent confusion. There is also a second volume that is due to come out early next year and I am looking forward to picking it up as soon as it comes out.
	I also luckily stumbled upon Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly. This collection of musings and memories made me laugh out loud and only took a little over an hour to read (but I went right back and read it all over again). I enjoyed it so much that it has persuaded me to give longer memoirs more of a chance in the future.

Recent Readings

Right now, I am in the middle of The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton and Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker.

I am also thrilled to be currently listening to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Tom Hanks is the audiobook narrator and listening to him is like being immersed in a soothing warm bath that I never want to step out of.

As always, I love receiving feedback and recommendations from all of you (jnmegan@gpl.org)! Any Romance or Western fans out there? I am looking for some advice of where to begin since I admit my experience with these genres is woefully lacking. I don’t want to miss out great books of any kind!

Until next time: Be well and be well-read!

Joelle

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So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 4 teen aged children and a Samoyed puppy—all of whom are systematically destroying our house during the COVID crisis. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was employed as a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them, and I have been devouring them ever since.