Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Today’s topic is ten books I enjoyed recently that weren’t my typical genre or were out of my comfort zone. I make no secret of the fact that I typically read young adult and new adult. I don’t deviate from that very much, and I’m fine with that. But sometimes, be it for a reading challenge or because somebody gives me a book I wouldn’t normally read, I do step out of my comfort zone. It doesn’t happen too often (so I went back a little over a year for some of these) but I do usually end up really enjoying these books.
– I read Persepolis for my 2015 reading challenge. The topic? A banned book. I don’t often read issue-heavy books. I don’t often read graphic novels. I’m not super into history. But I loved this book.
– Interpreter of Maladies was also for my reading challenge. Topic: a Pulitzer Prize winner. Not my normal cup of tea, but I really enjoyed this one. I knew when the first short story made me start sobbing that I was in for a wild ride.
– Pretending to Dance is a book I picked up from Netgalley, mostly because I know Diane Chamberlain is a very good author, although I don’t often read adult fiction. It was so good.
– The Perfect Son was my choice one month from Kindle First. Again, adult fiction doesn’t usually do it for me, but that was really well-written and kept me engaged throughout.
– Seventh Heaven was the final book on this list that I bought specifically for my reading challenge. Topic: a book that came out the year you were born. It was magical.
– I’ve owned The Bell Jar for years, and only picked it up for my Killing the TBR challenge. I was really surprised at how much I liked it.
– The only reason I binged on Peter F. Hamilton novels is because I got approved for The Abyss Beyond Dreams on Netgalley. None of his books are my usual interest, but I got really, really into them and enjoyed myself so much.
– The Golden Compass
– The Subtle Knife
– The Amber Spyglass
These three were also part of my Killing the TBR challenge. I’ve owned them since I was a child but had never read them. I don’t often read books featuring young children, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I cared about these kids.
Have you been pleasantly surprised by anything you’ve read recently? Do you find that you enjoy books that push you out of your comfort zone?
