Monday, May 23, 2011

Too Much Of A Good Thing

My personal library renaissance is going swimmingly, thanks for asking.  I finished Garth Nix's Abhorsen today, and I'll do a review ASAP, because it was just ripping good. 

But right now I wanted to pose a question to anyone who might be out there.  I have noticed (it's hard to miss) that I read mostly young adult and fantasy novels.  Really, if you count the overlap, almost exclusively.  I don't mind that, but I would like to think that I'm getting a slightly broader scope.  So: what plain old books--no category--should I read next?  I don't have a lot on my immediate list.  I've got a few things tucked away--Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson, The River King, by Alice Hoffman, The Bomber, by someone Swedish.  Does Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake count as science fiction?  It's always hard to tell when a mainstream author writes something with a genre-type plot.

So, candidates?  What historical fiction, literary fiction, women's fiction, fiction-fiction have I been missing?

4 comments:

Amy said...

I just got done reading Candle in the Darkness (Refiner's Fire, Book 1)...I found it interesting because it is an abolitionist's POV in Richmond, VA during the Civil War. You're welcome to go through my Goodreads list for more ideas. :)

Linden said...

You've seen my reviews, but I will recommend The Help again. You'll like it!

LibraryHungry said...

Yes--good reminder! I actually bought The Help on audiobook--it's my next up after I finish Bryson's At Home.

And thanks for the tip, Amy!

JMLC/StellaCarolyn said...

My all-time favorites:
Angle of Repose- Wallace Stegner

Any of the Spenser/Jesse Stone/Sunny Randall books by the late Robert B. Parker- not high art but satisfying

Weekends at Bellevue- Julie Holland

Three Junes- Julia Glass

The Age of Empathy- Frans de Waal

All Souls- Michael Patrick MacDonald

The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog- Bruce Perry