Expanding Your Book Club's Horizons: A Guide to Genre Exploration

The Literary Fiction Trap

Our book club had an unspoken rule: we were "serious readers" who read "serious books." Literary fiction, award winners, books reviewed in the New Yorker. Nothing with a shirtless man on the cover. Nothing shelved in "sci-fi/fantasy."

One day, a longtime member admitted she'd been secretly reading romance novels and loving them. "But don't tell the group," she said. "They'd judge me."

That bothered me. Why should anyone feel ashamed of what they enjoy reading? And what were we missing by limiting ourselves to one shelf of the bookstore?

So we tried something different: genre months.

The Genre Month Experiment

We committed to spending one year exploring genres we'd dismissed:

• January: Romance
• February: Science Fiction
• March: Thriller/Mystery
• April: Fantasy
• May: Horror
• June: Historical Fiction (our comfort zone)
• July: Non-Fiction Narrative
• August: Young Adult
• September: Graphic Novels
• October: Classics
• November: Humor/Satirical Fiction
• December: Member's Choice (any genre)

The results transformed our club.

What We Discovered

Romance ("Beach Read" by Emily Henry)

We expected fluff. We got: sharp observations about grief, career versus passion, genre snobbery (meta!), and a genuinely emotional love story. Discussion was lively—we had opinions about relationships, happy endings, and why romance is dismissed.

Science Fiction ("Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir)

Several members were skeptical. Everyone ended up loving it. Sci-fi forced us to grapple with big ideas—isolation, communication, sacrifice—wrapped in a gripping survival story.

Thriller ("The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides)

Page-turner we finished quickly. Discussion focused on: unreliable narrators, therapy ethics, plot mechanics. Different kind of discussion—more "did you see it coming?" than thematic analysis.

Fantasy ("The House in the Cerulean Sea" by TJ Klune)

Cozy fantasy converted the fantasy-averse. World-building gave us escapism while themes (found family, bureaucracy, prejudice) gave us substance.

Horror ("Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Gothic horror was approachable entry point. Genre conventions became discussion material—why do we enjoy being scared? What does horror reveal about society?

Young Adult ("The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas)

YA handled tough topics accessibly. Sparked discussions about audience, simplification vs. accessibility, and social issues.

Graphic Novels ("Maus" by Art Spiegelman)

Visual literacy challenged us in new ways. How does the visual element change storytelling? Why is this format undervalued?

Why Genre Exploration Works

Different muscles, different insights

Literary fiction rewards close reading. Thrillers reward plot analysis. Romance rewards emotional intelligence. Different genres develop different reading skills.

Common ground discoveries

Genres share more than divides them. Character development matters everywhere. Themes are universal. The packaging differs; the human concerns don't.

Judgment reduction

Reading romance made us less dismissive of romance readers. Each genre exploration revealed the expertise and pleasure available to those who engage deeply with it.

Better discussions about craft

When you read across genres, you notice what each genre does well. Thriller pacing. Fantasy world-building. Literary prose. You can compare and contrast.

How to Introduce Genre Exploration

Start with entry points

Don't pick the most "hardcore" example of a genre. Pick something acclaimed that bridges to what your group already reads.

Entry point examples:

• Romance: "Beach Read" (has literary elements)
• Sci-Fi: "The Martian" (scientifically grounded)
• Fantasy: "Circe" (literary mythological fiction)
• Thriller: "Gone Girl" (literary thriller)
• Horror: "Mexican Gothic" (atmospheric, not gory)

Frame it as an experiment

"Let's try one genre book as an experiment" is easier to accept than "we need to change everything."

Let members choose

If someone suggests a romance, let them pick which one. Their enthusiasm for choosing creates investment.

Prepare context

Genre conventions can confuse newcomers. Brief context helps: "In romance, the happy ending is a feature, not a bug—here's why that matters..."

Discuss the genre, not just the book

"What do you think this genre does that others don't?" is often more interesting than just discussing the specific book.

Handling Genre Resistance

Some members will resist new genres. Approaches:

Validate preferences

"You might not love this, and that's okay. We're trying it once."

Focus on the experiment

"Tell us what didn't work for you" is valuable discussion. Negative reactions aren't failures.

Find the curious members

Champion genre exploration with those who are interested. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Compromise

"We'll read one genre book for every two literary fiction books" might ease the transition.

Our Club After Genre Year

Genre exploration changed us permanently:

• We now read broadly—literary fiction, genre fiction, whatever sounds interesting
• Members who felt judged now suggest favorite genres openly
• Discussions are more varied and dynamic
• We've discovered authors we'd never have found otherwise
• Reading feels like adventure again

The secret "serious readers" shame is gone. Serious readers read seriously—whatever they're reading.

Start Your Genre Journey

Pick one genre your club has dismissed. Find an acclaimed, accessible example. Read it with genuine curiosity.

You might hate it. That's fine—you'll have learned something about your tastes.

Or you might love it. And you'll have discovered a whole new section of the bookstore to explore.

Discover new genres and get custom discussion questions for any book on Readfeed. Your next favorite read might be in a genre you've never tried.