Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren’t My Typical Genre

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week’s theme is Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren’t My Typical Genre.

Last year I didn’t really read many books that went out of my comfort zone. So to rectify that, and also to see if there’s another genre I would end up loving as much as I do fantasy, one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to branch out and read more books I wouldn’t normally pick up. For this week’s Top Ten I have highlighted five books I read recently that weren’t my typical genre and five books that are on my to-read list which, hopefully, I’ll be able to get around to soon.

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Top Books I’ve Read Outside my Genre Comfort Zone

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Whenever I read books set in the past they always seem to be time travel books. I put All the Light We Cannot See on my to-read list after seeing so many amazing reviews and thinking to myself ‘I should really see what all this hype is about’.

When I got around to reading it, it was easy to see why so many people have loved this book; it is beautifully written and, though hard to read in places, it doesn’t shy away from the ramifications that World War II has on both the main characters.

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My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

This was another book I’d heard people talking about a lot, always with so many positive things to say about it. I went in expecting to read a cute and fluffy story about the relationship between Sam and Jace, and while that was in this book there was also so much more.

Darker topics are explored and the author does an amazing job of giving them the proper development they need to fully hit the reader. Plus Jase’s family completely stole the show for me.

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13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

I hadn’t really heard much about this book before reading it but I was definitely intrigued by the blurb; it certainly sounded interesting.

While reading 13 Minutes I found myself constantly trying to guess who the ‘attempted murderer’ was. There were so many twists and turns I was always guessing and every time I turned another page there was more information that had me changing my mind.

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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I was very late jumping on the Fangirl bandwagon, but better late than never. To be honest the main reason I read this book was because I wanted to read Carry On and obviously I had to start Fangirl first.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The blurb didn’t give much away but following Cath through her first year at university, watching her lose her sister, connect with her roommate, and her relationship with Levi grow was great fun to read.

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The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is one of my favourite authors. The very first book of hers I read was Just Listen and I adored her characters and the stories she told. The Truth About Forever, after Just Listen, is my favourite of her books.

It has all the same trademarks of Sarah Dessen’s stories; the romance and the hardship the characters all come through in the end. I loved Macy and Wes and their growing relationship, the two of them are so sweet together.

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Top Books I Plan to Read Outside my Comfort Zone

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This book has got a lot of good reviews, recognition, and it sounds amazing. It’s definitely on my to-read list for this year; it sounds like it has beautiful writing, compelling characters, and a brilliant plot. I can’t wait to start it.

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Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood

I only recently put this book on my to-read list but it sounds pretty good; a girl with a curse, family turmoil, secrets, and lies all over the course of a summer. And even though it hasn’t been released yet it still has some good reviews.

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I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

There is a lot of recognition for this book and I’ve heard a lot of brilliant things about it. I’ve had it on my to-read list for a while now but I’m hoping to get around to it sooner rather than later.

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Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson is an author I’ve seen a lot of lately. There are some amazing reviews for all her books and, while I’ve added The Unexpected Everything to my to-read list, I’ll end up starting this one first. I love the idea of the to-do list Sloane leaves for Emily, it sounds like it’ll make an amazing story.

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Another book that’s been around for a while that I haven’t yet read. There are mixed reviews but it sounds interesting, and it’s certainly a unique premise. I’m interested to see where the author takes the story.

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So what do you think? Did you take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, if so let me know what some of the books are that you’ve read recently that were out of your comfort zone.