So, I was recently reading this very excellent post/lecture/essay by Brandon Sanderson about the innovations Tolkien made creating the genre of High Fantasy, when, near the end, he mentions an interaction he had once with the mother of one of his fans.  Just after he had signed the daughter’s book, the mother stopped and asked him something like, ‘Not to be rude, but how do I get her to stop reading all of this fantasy drivel?’.  Sanderson then goes on to tell us his response, not to the woman directly, but to the implicit, larger question of ‘Why do people even read Fantasy?’

But my brain had latched onto the more direct question.  Because I love fantasy, but I can also see why some people just wouldn’t get it, and might even be distressed by it.  That they might, furthermore, be feeling at a loss to connect with their loved one over reading because of this thing they just don’t get.

One answer, of course, might be to suggest that the person asking consider trying to find out whether they themselves might like fantasy, if it showed up in the right flavor.  I’ve heard some describe fantasy more as a setting than a genre, and there’s some truth to that (in a confusingly reductive sort of way, considering that fantasies can show up in pretty much all the settings…but yes, also in all the storytelling genres).  And I would actually argue that a large number of popular movies are fantasy, too (Groundhog’s Day, Chocolat, anything with superheroes, etc…).  So, it’s not fantasy per se that people don’t get, but really certain specific flavors of fantasy, for example, perhaps the very detailed, secondary-world sorts of fantasy.

However, that answer is preachy and takes a lot of lengthy persuading, and honestly parents don’t need to be preached at more than they already are, even though I do really, really want kids not to be pestered about the sorts of books that they love.  But, there is maaaybe a not-preachy, not-(too)-pester-y answer to this question, too:  Help the kid find a book she loves in some other genre.  It probably (hopefully?) won’t stop her from reading fantasy, but expanded horizons are pretty much always a good thing.  And just as this parent presumably hasn’t yet found a fantasy book that she loves, her kid may have not yet found any non-fantasy book that she loves.  But both those books are probably out there—and yay for finding more books to love!

So, with that as a spring-board, here are a bunch of books that I love, in a bunch of different genres.

1. Fantasy.

Well, I am going to start here, because I do indeed love lots of books in this genre.  Here are just two, but different enough that I would put them in different genres.  Red Moon Black Mountain by Joy Chant is classic High Fantasy, and also one of my favorite portal fantasies (and I am very picky about portal fantasies, but I love this one).  A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is YA Urban Fantasy crossed with Harry Potter (magical school).  It is the first book in an amazing trilogy, and all people who think they might be even vaguely interested should read it now!

2. Science Fiction

Closest genre to Fantasy in at least lots of people’s minds, and second-largest consumer of space on my bookshelves.  But again, almost more of a ‘setting’ than a genre.  Here: Archangel by Sharon Shinn could easily be shelved as any of: Romance, Fantasy, or Science Fiction.  Like Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels, it uses science-fiction building materials to create a world with fantasy-style elements.  Grass by Sheri S. Tepper is my favorite-ever book for world-building, for me definitely on-par with Dune, but with a compelling story that is well-contained within this single book rather than a sprawling series (many of Tepper’s worlds are connected within a single authorial universe, but most of her books are standalone).  And Linesman by writing-siblings S.K. Dunstall is simply a pure delight, delivered within the classic space-ship-based setting most people associate with science fiction.

3. Non-Fiction

Shifting to the very opposite end of the spectrum.  Although non-fiction may be a hard sell for a lot of kids, as an adult it is surprising and interesting to see what range of books are actually really interesting.  I picked up 1491 by Charles C. Mann in order to have something to read that wouldn’t be too engrossing while traveling for work, and then found myself totally sucked in.  And a friend of mine gave me Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, by Jeff & J.J. Sutherland for work and I found myself applying things I learned therein to my hobbies as well.

4. Memoir

Memoirs, of course, are a type of non-fiction, but they’re presented in a very story-oriented format and so my shelves, at least, have about as many memoirs as they have popular non-fiction.  And as a writer, memoirs can be a great way to learn more about other people and other perspectives.  Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali definitely fits that bill.  Her upbringing in multiple countries of Africa before going on to become a Dutch politician, all while grappling with her Muslim faith is all very far from any of my own experiences, and her writing is very compelling.  Felicia Day’s writing in You’re Never Weird on the Internet is also very compelling, but also light and entertaining and just a lot of fun.

5. Contemporary Fiction and Classics

Now, it seems like when some people say ‘not fantasy drivel’ they really mean ‘not genre of any kind’, which I guess, if fiction is still allowed at all, kind of just leaves Contemporary Fiction and the ‘Classics’.  I do not have very many of either such books on my shelves, but all genres have their gems, and here are a couple of them.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie might be classified as middle grade or young adult, but is very much for anyone who likes an immersive story written with heart.  When my daughter was in fifth grade, it was the only book on my shelf I could find to meet her teacher’s assigned ‘Contemporary Fiction’ requirement, yet it was perfect, and my daughter hugged it to herself when it was all done.  And then it also made an excellent birthday gift for my father, who has wide-ranging tastes.  And when I was in highschool, A Tale of Two Cities was one of my favorite Charles Dickens novels, alongside Our Mutual Friend, which is (ahem) a bit longer.

6. Mysteries and Thrillers

Mysteries and Thrillers are, I think, pretty all around popular and, like a lot of other ‘genres’ on this list, can be so many different things for so many different people.  My favorite kind are ones that take place in a culture or part of the world that I’m unfamiliar with—perhaps that’s my fantasy-loving soul, but it’s also the part of my soul that thinks ‘Isn’t this world we live in big and beautiful and grand?!’  The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman is one of the first in his popular Leaphorn and Chee detective series set in the four-corners-area Indian country.  The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu is the first of her mystery series set in WWII-era Singapore.  And The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne is a thriller set in the wilderness of Michigan’s upper peninsula, which it depicts in lovingly vivid detail.

7. Horror and Paranormal

Not my go-to genres, but again, there’s some great stuff in here.  Dean Koontz is one of the first adult authors that my parents turned me onto as a teenager, and I read a bunch of his stuff.  Winter Moon is excellent, especially for those of us who prefer the monster-movie-style Koontz books over his darker books.  Meanwhile, The Bone Key by Sarah Monette (known for her cozy writing style when writing under her pen name Katherine Addison, and this book fits well in that set) is a collection of short stories involving a museum archivist who seems to be just as haunted as some of the places he encounters.

8. Historical Romance

And, of course, Romance novels.  Don’t forget the Romance novels!  Though I do read some contemporary Romance, as you can see here, often my preferences run to Historical Romance.  Daughter of the Red Deer by Joan Wolf I first read as a teenager, and it occurs in a prehistoric setting, in some ways similar to Clan of the Cave Bear, but with a more romantic storyline.  Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh is the second book (my favorite) of one of my favorite romance series.  Balogh writes romance set in regency England during the Napoleonic wars—like Jane Austen’s books but with rather a lot more kissing, etcetera than you’ll find in those classics.

9. Not Categorizable But Wonderful.

And, okay, I have to fit this book in too somehow.  My husband declares that Nation by Terry Pratchett is a fantasy novel, and it is indeed written by a very famous fantasy author.  However, it doesn’t have any magic in it, except of the story-telling kind.  It is indescribable.  A hilarious book about a devastating tragedy that is 100% whimsical, feel-good awesomeness.  More people need to read Nation!  (Some books are just like that.)

10. Short Form

Okay, one last category, which isn’t a genre category at all, but rather a (very, very broad) form category.  Because, you know, not all worthy writing has to be consumed in whole, book-length blocks.  Lots of shorter form writing is very popular (magazine articles anyone?).  Here I’ve got my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite short-story collection (yes, it’s fantasy), called The Door in the Air and Other Stories by Margaret Mahy.  (I got it from the Scholastic Catalog when I was in grade school!)  And I’m still looking for a ‘grownup’ poetry collection better than Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends.

So, yes, I tend to favor whimsey and wonder and exploration.  But it can be found in all sorts of places.