Recently someone asked me about my reading choices; do I stick to one topic or do I switch it up at all? I hadn’t thought about it much before but after reviewing my recent reads, I concluded that I am a true genre hopper. I go from fiction to memoir to historical fiction, thriller, essays and nonfiction. Like a well-balanced meal, I do indulge in a bit of everything.
I enjoy a cocktail, something pleasurable that goes down easy like:
Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me by Bill Hayes.
Or something strong that gets your blood pumping like:
short essays in The Nasty Women Project where proceeds from sales go to Planned Parenthood.
I rarely skip an appetizer, a smaller portion to whet the whistle and make you want more like:
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid or Marriage of a Thousand Lies by SJ Sindu
Must have a protein, something to sink my teeth into that is meaty and filling, like:
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, or The Nix by Nathan Hill
And don’t forget the vegetables, something nourishing and enriching to contribute to brain cells, like:
John Lennon vs the USA by Leon Wildes, The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis or Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
Love me some starch, addictive and comforting like:
The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green, The Mother’s Promise by Sally Hepworth or The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner.
Treat myself to dessert, something daring and thrilling like:
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser, or All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
On occasion I will binge, a late night snack of something I love (maybe M&Ms or gummy bears) until I’m full, indulging in a double dose of:
Camille Di Maio’s The Memory of Us and Before the Rain Falls, or Nadia Hashimi’s When the Moon is Low and The Pearl that Broke its Shell, or Clare Mackintosh’s I See You and I Let You Go, or World War II novels like The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa, Karolina’s Twins by Ronald H. Balson and The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff.
At this point, it is clear that I am a genre hopper who loves to consume a well-balanced meal!
What’s on your plate? Tell us below!
