New Year, New Genre: What’s in Store for Your Reading Journey?

Posted on December 31, 2024 at 7:00 am

Shake up your reading in 2025 by trying a new genre!

These booklists offer numerous voices in both realism and speculative fiction, from classics to present day. Within each list, you’ll find a wide range of subgenres, award winners, and authentically authored voices (aka own voices).

The intent of each genre list is to be representative, not comprehensive, and provide titles that might appeal to readers who are new to the genre. Fans of each genre may find some new titles to explore as well.

The lists have been curated primarily by our collection development librarian for adult materials, along with library staff and other sources, and are available on OverDrive and in the Libby app.

We invite you to explore a new genre or several and enjoy your reading journey in 2025. Use these links to jump to a genre or scroll through them all.

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Science Fiction | Westerns | Additional Lists | Other Resources

Fantasy

The fantasy genre features magical and supernatural elements that don’t exist in the real world.

Fantasy brings us the worlds of faeries and elves, swords and sorcery, magic and mayhem, as well as a variety of subgenres: dark, high, historical, comical, and contemporary, just to name a few.

These worlds often have their own logic and physical laws that differ from, or can be juxtaposed to, the reality the reader experiences in their daily life.

Browse the Fantastical Worlds to Discover booklist.

Horror

The horror genre is meant to startle, scare, shock, terrify, disturb, and even repulse its readers. This genre often explores the themes of violence, death, and psychological terror, and may contain preternatural or supernatural aspects. You can often expect dangerous situations and sinister intentions as well as haunting or suspicious settings that ramp up suspense and fear.

The scary stories in this booklist may send you scrambling under the covers with a flashlight.

Browse the Frightful Horror & Other Spooky Reads booklist.

Mystery

The mystery genre, also called “whodunnits,” can be boiled down to presenting an unsolved question and the attempt to answer it by the end of the novel. But that doesn’t really seem to do the genre justice. Sometimes, the protagonist tries to solve a puzzling problem, a serious crime, a crazy caper, or they are thrust into a situation that only they can figure out.

Mysteries include detective novels, cozy mysteries, capers, and police procedurals—all with their twists and breakthroughs.

Browse The Case of the Checked-Out Mystery booklist.

Romance

Romance novels place the romantic relationship of the characters at the forefront of the story and end on an upbeat, emotional note. Romances can be sweet or sexy, with different levels of heat (the lack or inclusion of explicit details), from chaste love to detailed descriptions of intimate encounters.

Some subgenres include historical, fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and contemporary romances, such as those which are set in bakeries, libraries, and offices or while traveling.

Browse the We ♥ Romances! booklist.

Science Fiction

Science fiction (sci-fi) novels take readers on journeys to faraway galaxies or underwater realms or alternate realities right here on Earth. Science fiction may introduce otherworldly characters and/or advanced and imagined technologies.

There is usually an element of the fantastical in science fiction, whether the story is based on the “hard” natural sciences (such as physics, chemistry, astronomy) or the “soft” social sciences (such as psychology, anthropology, sociology). Subgenres include alien invasion, Afrofuturism, utopian and dystopian fiction, space opera, space westerns, cyberpunk, and steampunk.

Browse the booklist Explore the Universe of Science Fiction.

Westerns

The traditional westerns focus on the American west during the late 1800s with depictions of cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, Native Americans, and settlers. Contemporary westerns focus on modern times, often in rural settings, such as ranches, deserts, and reservations. Some westerns even blend with other genres such as science fiction, fantasy, and romance.

Themes can include survival, morality, and the clash between the wilderness and civilization, rural and suburban. Westerns most commonly have a protagonist, antagonist, and victim and an inciting incident to kick the story off.

Browse the Westerns for Westerners booklist.

Additional Lists to Try

• Libros en Español: Learn or sharpen your understanding of the Spanish language by reading in Spanish. This booklist includes fiction and nonfiction for various ages.
• Dark Academia: This literary genre focuses on dark themes set in academic institutions, usually with aspects of secret societies, intellectualism, and/or gothic, mysterious atmospheres.
• Fantastic Over Fifty Fiction: These stories of adventure and discovery feature characters who have lived for at least a handful of decades.
• Keen on Classics: With over 1,700 choices, this extensive list contains fiction and nonfiction from authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, James Joyce, and George Eliot.
• Retro Reads: Dive into books from before the 21st century, including novels by Ursula K. LeGuin, Raymond Chandler, Neil Gaiman, Alica Walker, and many more.

Other Resources

If these genres and lists don’t appeal to you, we have other resources to help you find great reading all year long.

• Digital Resources: Online tools like NoveList Plus and SelectReads provide tailored book suggestions based on your interests. Find new books and authors based on books you already enjoy or define the type of protagonist you like to read about to uncover new titles.
• Even More Curated Booklists: Our collection development librarians create wonderful booklists that you can find in our catalog, as well as even more lists on OverDrive and the Libby app. You’ll find lists for kids, teens, and adults on a variety of topics, including seasonal holidays, informative nonfiction, and popular, intriguing subjects.
• Book Butler: This personalized service is provided by our library staff, who help you find books curated just for you, based on what you’d like to read.
• Online Reading Challenges: Through the Beanstack website and mobile app, you can sign up for reading challenges that encourage exploring new genres and tracking your reading.
• In-Person Book Suggestions: With so many books on the shelves, the choices can be overwhelming. You can talk to library staff and let them know the type of book you are looking for. Staff are always ready to provide reader advisory services.

We hope your reading journey in 2025 has as many twists and turns, adventures and contemplations, conflicts and resolutions, surprises and delights as you seek.

Happy reading!

Tags: adults, booklists, books, fantasy, fiction, horror, mystery, nonfiction, reading, resolutions, romance, science fiction, teens, westerns