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Chapters with Chelsea: An Introductory Course to New Genres

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Intro Course to New Genres
By
Chelsea Poole

Quarantine gave us all a lot of extra time to spend in our homes with just ourselves. And in that time, I managed to dive into a brand new, never before read by me, genre. If you had told English major, grammar snob, “I love William Faulkner,” college me that one day she would start unironically reading romance, she would have probably given you a strange look and said, “Why are you talking to me, random person, and where did you get that crystal ball?” But I would also probably laugh, say, “Yeah right,” and then awkwardly move away from you as discreetly as possible. Yet here I am, seven romance books deep and still not totally hating it. There is much to be said for dipping a toe in new genres. You never know what amazing world hides underneath the surface.

Here are a few introductory reads to help you ease into your new genre of choice.

Parable of the Sower
I have spent my life staying about as far away from science fiction as humanly possible. So the amazing work of art that is genius Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower was unfortunately overlooked by me for many a year. I had no idea the science fiction queen even existed, and for that I blame my own unadventurous spirit. This dystopian novel was written in 1993 and is set in an early 2020s that has been ravaged by climate disaster and economic crisis. 15-year-old Lamina is our determined protagonist who seeks to start a new movement called Earthseed which she hopes will save her community from imminent disaster. This book is grounded in enough reality (seriously, at times I wonder if Butler could see the future) to not scare off new sci-fi readers. Butler, just like her protagonist, plants the seeds of sci-fi with this book that will hopefully lead readers to a new frontier.
Beach Read
Another genre I had never read until last summer when this beauty of a book appeared on my bookshelf. Today’s Romance section at any bookstore is a long way from corset busters of the past (though no shade to fans of those popular books). The shelves are full of books like Beach Read, boasting complex characters and dynamic plots, while still employing favorite romance tropes like “enemies-to-lovers” and “forbidden love.” Beach Read tells the story of Augustus and January, polar opposite writers who find themselves neighbors in a small beach town, and both suffering from writer’s block. This enemies-to-lovers story almost puts the actual romance on the back burner as we find ourselves cheering on the characters’ relationships with themselves and their books. After this book, I find myself perusing the Romance aisle more often.
Neverwhere
I could take the easy way out here and say Harry Potter or The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia, but you’ve most likely read at least one of these fantasy delights for younger readers. These books tend to stand away from the rest of the fantastical pack, bringing in readers from all ages and genre preferences. So, I’ll present to you Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Really you can choose most any Neil Gaiman book off a shelf and get a pretty great introduction to urban fantasy. But Neverwhere follows the awkwardly charming Richard Mayhew as he literally stumbles into London Below, a city under London playing home to angels, monsters, murderers and runaways. Richard Mayhew is our eyes, ears and voice as he, with us in tow, is introduced to fantasy that was under his feet the whole time.
Book Thief
Historical Fiction: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Odds are that most people are going to recommend you a World War II novel as an introduction to historical fiction. And there are plenty of great, unique, and beautifully written options: The Nightingale, All The Light We Cannot See, The Tattooist of Auschwitz to name a few. But none of them pack quite the punch that The Book Thief does. In 1939 Germany, Liesel is a foster girl living in a town outside of Munich. When she discovers solace from the war in books, she sets out to share this love with those suffering around her: her neighbors stuck inside during bomb raids, a Jewish man hiding out in her basement, and the friends she manages to find through hard times. The writing is indescribably beautiful, the characters crafted with love, and the story will keep you turning pages long into the night. The character of Death provides a unique and beautiful view of tragedy, as well.

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