TTT: Books I Enjoyed Even Though They Were Outside My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday: 

Books I Enjoyed Even Though They Were Outside My Comfort Zone

I have been read so many genres of books lately (58 different genres according to StoryGraph) I honestly can say I don't avoid any genre now, but here are some books which did present a challenge to me:

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky -- 

Books by the old Russians scare me because they are so dense and so long. I made my way through this one finally and really enjoyed the experience and felt good about myself for finishing it. (DENSE AND LONG)

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones -- 

This is a vampire story. I usually try to avoid the horror genre but I read this one and really liked it. It has tons of history about Indigenous people in it. That is what I liked best about the story. (HORROR)

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden --

I try to avoid books with explicit sex scenes. I was too far into the story to stop reading even though the sex scene was more detailed than anything I'd ever read before. Outside of that, the story had a lot to recommend it. Another historical fiction based on some actual events. (EXPLICIT SEX)

 

Hamlet by William Shakespeare --

Don't get me wrong. I am a Shakespeare fan and love seeing his plays acted out. I just do not like reading plays in general. Something about the whole script thing with notations of who is saying what and all the stage directions off to the side I find incredibly difficult to read and enjoy. I've discovered recently, however, if I listen to the audiobook of plays then I can enjoy them. That's how I consumed Hamlet, finally! (PLAYS)

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo --

I don't avoid avoid magical realism but I have to psyche myself up to read it because half the time I don't understand it. This book is one of the most influential books of that genre and I am so glad I read it, even if I missed a few things. (MAGICAL REALISM)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson --

I avoided reading anything by this author for years because I had heard how scary her books were. This is probably categorized as "horror" but I think it is really a psychological thriller/mystery. I found it really compelling. (HORROR/SCARY)

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori --

I enjoy reading graphic novels and do so quite often. But I do not enjoy reading manga. I get all confused by the way the diagram swirls the opposite way so the stories never makes sense to me. The Bride's Story was one manga book/series I could read and I enjoyed the diagrams very much. (MANGA)

Orbital by Samantha Harvey --

I don't choose to read Science Fiction very often, especially if the books are set in far off planets with complicated world-building and even more complicated place names or character names. Orbital is my type of Sci-Fi -- based on a real place (the International Space Station) and relatable characters. (SOME SCI-FI)

Adrift: America in 100 Charts by Scott Galloway --

This book isn't outside my comfort zone I just don't usually think to pick up map or chart books. This one completely fascinated me and makes me want to read more books like it with LOTS of illustrations. (CHARTS AND MAPS)

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas --

Another classic book I avoided for years just because it is so dang long. The version associated with the photo of the book ia 1276 pages long. When I finally challenged myself to read it I was tremendously proud of myself until other people tell me they reread it every year. I won't go that far. (LONG CLASSICS)

-Anne