Happy Tuesday, reader friends, and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday post thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s topic is Books that took me out of my comfort zone. Going out of my comfort zone has resulted in both good and bad reading experiences, and I’m going to give you a little of both in today’s list. 🙂
BRAND OF LIGHT (Ronie Kendig)
This book doesn’t officially release until December 2019, but I’ve been fortunate enough to read an early copy and IT. IS. THE. BOMB! It’s also the first time I’ve ever read a space opera, or had anything else to do with a space opera really. (No, I haven’t seen Star Wars. *gasp* 😊)
FAHRENHEIT 451 (Ray Bradbury)
I really did not enjoy reading this one in high school, partly because—hello! Burning books!—and partly because I knew the year 2000 was getting closer and closer and I had this irrational fear that we would then have reached “the future” where all these futuristic scenarios would be that much more likely to come true. As if the teenage years didn’t bring enough angst of their own! Lol.
LORD OF THE FLIES (William Golding)
Another casualty of my high school reading years: Lord of the Flies. This took me waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone, so much so that I refused to read the end and just picked up everything I needed to know from class discussions. I’d probably have a better appreciation of it as a work of literature now, but I have zero desire to find out for sure!
THE VIRGINIAN (Owen Wister)
I’d never read a true western until I picked this one up a year or so ago. (Thanks to Amanda G. Stevens for the suggestion!) And I loved it! Although, I’m almost afraid to pick up another one in case it doesn’t live up to this one…
HARRY POTTER (J.K. Rowling)
I was pretty anti-Harry Potter for a long time, owing to the whole magic thing (Christian perspective), but my views about the use of magic in fantasy have been changing as I’ve explored the topic and thought more deeply about it, and this year I’ve been listening to the series with my kids via Audible (thanks to Stephen Fry). I have to say, it’s been pretty fun!
THE HUNGER GAMES (Suzanne Collins)
Considering how I felt about both Fahrenheit 451 and Lord of the Flies, it’s probably no surprise that The Hunger Games wasn’t on my TBR when it first came out. I mean, who wants to read a book about kids having to kill other kids? But, of course, it’s so much more nuanced than that, and I ended up really appreciating this series on an intellectual level as well as getting totally sucked in to the story.
EVERY NOW AND THEN (Karen Kingsbury)
Okay, this is going to make most of you laugh, but I remember this so vividly. I borrowed this from my local library years ago at a time when I was pretty much exclusively a historical fiction reader. So to read a contemporary-set novel was stepping out of my comfort zone at the time. But then the character used—wait for it—his Blackberry! I seriously felt like I’d stepped into the twilight zone for a few moments. Talk about re-calibrating my reader brain! 😂
AGAINST ALL ODDS (Irene Hannon)
This wasn’t quite as dramatic as my experience with the Karen Kingsbury novel, but it was my first foray into romantic suspense. (Remember, I was a historical fiction reader!) It was a step out of my comfort zone at the time, but it spawned a whole new genre-love for me.
BORN OF PERSUASION (Jessica Dotta)
Once I discovered my love of romantic suspense, it probably wasn’t too much of a leap to branch out into Gothic, but I’m going to include this one anyway. The saddest thing about reading this book was that it’s only the first in the trilogy and I haven’t had time to read the other two yet! 😭
MIND OF MINE (C.F.E. Black)
Science fiction isn’t usually my jam either, but when I read the premise of this novel, I knew I wanted to read it. Imagine sharing your memories with fifteen other people, all in the name of research and knowledge. *shudders* It was out of my comfort zone, but a great read.
I’m glad you’re giving the Harry Potter books a chance! Have you or will you watch the films, too?
My TTT.
Oh my gosh. I couldn’t finish Lord of the Flies either. It made me sick to my stomach.
There’s a few on here that I haven’t heard of, and I was kind of lucky (maybe unlucky?) that I didn’t have to read Lord of the Flies in school. I still haven’t read that one actually. I’m glad you included that one though!
But, but, but… Fahrenheit was a gripping book! Seriously, the dystopian fan in me really got into it, and for such a short (relatively) book, Bradbury had a whole lot to say. 13 Reasons Why was way outside my comfort zone, and it still bothers me, though I don’t regret reading it. I didn’t love it, but it was heavy food for thought.
I suspect I would enjoy Fahrenheit a lot more now as an adult, but back then I pretty much hated anything futuristic! And I haven’t braved 13 Reasons Why yet… 🙂
Ack! The peer pressure! Way to drag me to the fence on Ronie’s space opera, my friend!
Haha! Do it! 😍