To expand your reading material, start by reading the following book genres and subgenres.
When people think about literary works, the main book genres that usually tend come to mind are romance, thriller or fantasy. This is unsurprising, particularly because these three categories are constantly hitting the top of the bestseller charts, as those like the co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns WHSmith would certainly know. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to these genres, it is equally vital to attempt to diversify your reading material and check out new genres. Nevertheless, the world of literature is interesting and the list of book genres and subgenres is diverse, varied and wide-ranging. Throughout 2024, one of the biggest patterns in book genre popularity was the increase of dark academia. So, what is dark academia? To put it simply, dark academia is a subgenre which blurs thriller, mystery, fantasy and even sometimes romance. Dark academia novels always include a story which occurs within an educational setting, such as at a college campus or a boarding school. Generally-speaking, there is a defined moody and bleak aesthetic to dark academia which entices readers, such as darkened libraries and gothic towers. Although it varies from book to book, dark academia novels commonly tend to include morally-grey main characters and motifs of jealousy, deception and vengeance. The beauty of dark academia is that the writers frequently build an extremely descriptive setting which engrosses viewers right into the story.
Since we are in 2025, it is the ideal time for bibliophiles to expand their perspectives and check out brand-new book categories. Although it is natural to lean towards our preferred book genres, expanding your reading material will make you a far more skillful reader in the future, as people like the head of the private equity owner of Waterstones would undoubtedly concur. There are an abundance of new book genres to try for adults, in addition to an entire myriad of subgenres too. One of the much more niche subgenres which is increasing in popularity is called 'bizarro fiction'. True to the name, bizarro fiction involves stories which are unusual, ridiculous, funny and sometimes even surrealistic. They oppose traditional fiction writing and go against our typical ideas on what makes an enjoyable book. Several enthusiasts of these books appreciate the unpredictable, astonishing and perplexing nature of these stories; just about every bizarro fiction book is completely one-of-a-kind and unparalleled to any other book that you have actually read before. For readers who are becoming tired of reading the same old plots, recycled themes and overused expressions, bizarro fiction is the ideal subgenre to mix things up.
One of the most significant mistaken beliefs in the book sector is that non-fiction books are boring. This could not be further from the honest truth, as individuals such as the CEO of the investment fund which partially owns Amazon Books would certainly verify. In contrast to common belief, nonfiction is more than just useful schoolbooks. Although there are really many different subgenres of nonfiction which are worth exploring, memoirs are the very best area to start off. Memoirs are life stories which are written by the actual person, whether it be a historical account from a war hero, a dive into an A-list celebrity's career or a painful re-telling of a survival story. Memoirs really make a few of the absolute most interesting books to read simply because they discuss real-life occasions and real-life people in an imaginative, figurative and descriptive way.