Genre is a term used to describe different categories of art. In literature, genre may be defined by the tone, topics, themes, or styles of writing. Larger genres can also be broken down into subgenres; for example, the larger genre of fantasy includes subgenres such as high fantasy, urban fantasy, and cozy fantasy. Genre definitions can be highly subjective, and a single book can often be categorized into a number of different genres! 

Exploring different genres is a great way to broaden your horizons. While many of us may have a specific genre that we tend to gravitate towards, by getting out of your comfort zone you may learn new things about yourself or the world around you!

• Displays: Throughout the months of September and October, check out displays around the library that feature books from different genres.
• Spine stickers: Many fiction books at CPLD have a genre sticker on the spine to help you find books in the genre you are looking for.
• Ask a librarian: CPLD staff are always available to help you find books from whatever genre you are looking for.
• Library blog: Check out our September blog post for recommended reads in many different genres—all of which you can find at the library!
• NoveList: NoveList contains information on over 260,000 books, and it can generate recommendations based on story elements such as genres, appeal factors, and themes. Currently NoveList is only available at the library (on our public computers or your mobile device when connected to our Wi-Fi).
• Award lists: There are many different awards that are given for excellence in all kinds of genres! The awards listed below are just the tip of the iceberg, but they can be a great place to start looking for your next genre read.
  • Hugo Awards – science fiction’s most prestigious honor; awarded by the current members of the World Science Fiction Convention
  • Nebula Awards – outstanding novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories; voted on by the over 2000 full, senior, and associate members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
  • Edgar Award – given, in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, by The Mystery Writers of America to the best in mystery fiction and nonfiction produced the previous year
  • Bram Stoker – superior achievement in horror, awarded by Horror Writers of America
  • Spur Awards – distinguished writing about the American West, awarded by Western Writers of America
  • Romantic Novel of the Year – recognizing and celebrating the very best in romantic fiction, awarded by Romantic Novelists’ Association

Genre definitions can be highly subjective, and a single book can often be categorized into a number of different genres! 

Mystery, suspense, and thriller in particular can sometimes be tricky to distinguish between. While the definition of each may vary from person to person, in general mysteries focus on a protagonist finding clues to solve a crime, suspense relies on the reader knowing more about the situation than the characters do, and thrillers usually put the protagonist in dangerous situations. 

Fantasy and science fiction both usually take place in a world that has fantastical elements, but while the fantastical elements of fantasy books are rooted in magic, the fantastical elements of science fiction are rooted in science. 

Biography and memoir are closely related nonfiction genres, but memoirs are written by the person who the book is about, while biographies are written by an author who is not the main focus of the narrative.

• Fantasy
  • subgenres include high fantasy, urban fantasy, cozy fantasy, sword and sorcerer, historical fantasy, magical realism, fairy tale, dark fantasy, steampunk
• Science Fiction
  • subgenres include Afrofuturism, dystopia, space opera, hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, cyberpunk, military sci-fi, space western, parallel universe
• Mystery
  • subgenres include cozy mystery, locked room, private investigator, police procedural, hard-boiled, espionage, legal, detective fiction, crime, heists, true crime
• Western
  • subgenres include contemporary, historical, western gothic, revisionist western, weird west
• Romance
  • subgenres include contemporary romance, dark Romance, paranormal romance, romantasy, inspirational romance
• Horror
  • subgenres include gothic, paranormal, body horror, psychological horror, monster horror, slasher, comedy horror, zombie horror
• Historical Fiction
  • alternate history, historical romance, historical mystery, regency, nautical, Victorian, medieval, historical saga, war
• Suspense/Thriller
  • psychological thriller, political thriller, romantic suspense, supernatural thriller
• Biography/Memoir
  • subgenres include travel memoir, confessional memoir, celebrity memoir/biography, graphic memoir/biography, historical biography, contemporary biography, group biography