Best novels to read
What type of genera you like?
Among the 10 most popular fiction genres, we gathered information about the best books for each category based on the book reader reviews from different ages, education, nationalities, and genders to have a close estimation to help book lovers to find the best books to read.
There are many great books all around the world that may not be in our lists, but this matter is very subjective and doesn’t lower their values in our comparisons.
Some other genres, like women’s fiction and historical fiction, will be found in other main genres. Rarely novels focus on one single genre, and usually, they incorporate themes from multiple categories.
Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of art. Oral storytelling predates writing. But after humans learned how to imply shapes, drawings, and alphabet, storytelling entered a new phase. Like any other product created by humans, storytelling evolved along with history. Every culture has its own fictional stories and styles, and authors have adapted their manuscripts based on many factors existing in society.
As a book lover, how should you choose the books that you like?
The first step is to look at the genres and see where you can find your passion.
The action sequences turn into an adventure, and the protagonist will be on a personal journey or to different geographical locations. It is fast-paced and the tension mounts as the clock ticks. These stories offer to solve problems in both violent and non-violent situations. This genre usually mesh with other genres such as horror, suspense-thriller, science-fiction, fantasy. Good examples would be The Cruel Sea, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Anything that doesn’t happen in the real world can be found in this genre. Animals, objects, and imaginary creatures talking or behaving like humans and other subjects like supernatural humans with magical powers are in this category. It also has many sub-genres, and sometimes it is categorized with sci-fi. Good examples are Alice in Wonderland and StarWars series.
There is a time when the chronicles of a family or a number of interconnected families have to face with their own issues, values and other subjects that exist in this genre. Historical events, changes in social circumstances, and trickling up and down of wealth and positions are the main subjects of the family sage genre. It also has sub-genres like romance, historical fiction, and drama. Good examples would be The Kite Runner and The Thorn Birds.
The main purpose of horror genre is to scare, shock, disgust, or startle the readers. The eerie and frightening atmosphere create horror and terror. The protagonist deals with supernatural or demonic beings. Gothic, occult, paranormal, survival, dark fantasy, and sci-fi horror are sub-genres of horror. Good example of horror genres are Pet Sematary and It.
In literary fiction anything can happen which can be both exciting and unnerving for the reader. It also doesn’t fallow specific rules compare to other fiction genres and creative storytelling make them more outstanding. This genre targets smaller section of the market and publishers are less interested to it. Good examples are The Handmaid’s Tale and The Goldfish .
It is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction. A police officer or detective as the protagonist tries to solve a crime. Murder is usually the case to investigate. The audience is challenged to solve the crime by the clues and evidences provided before the detective reveals the answer at the end of the novel. Good Examples are The Da Vinci Code and Gone Girl.
This genre is about the relationship and romantic love between two people. Some obstacles keep the two apart for most of the novels. The lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship, eventually end up together. Women are mainly the primary fans of this stories. You can find romance in most of the other genres too. Good examples are Indigo and Pride and Prejudice.
Its content is imaginative but based on science. The story features scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts and relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters, themes, which is what makes it mainly different from fantasy. Authors create new worlds and use genre-specific words. Although the story is imaginary, they are usually possible according to science—or at least plausible. The concepts can be advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universe, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It is often distinguished as either hard or soft. This genre has many sub-genres, but Sci-Fi/ Fantasy is sometimes categorized together. Good examples are Hardiguards and the Holy Mountain and The Dark Tower.
A character in jeopardy dominates these stories. Thrillers present readers with the feeling of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation, and anxiety. This genre involves pursuit and escapes with a lot of clues to follow. It is a villain-driven plot and contains cliffhangers to attract the readers’ attention and usually surprises them with a climax at the end. Some threats are surrounding the protagonist, which can be physical or psychological, or both. It is fast-paced, and the tension mounts as the clock ticks. The protagonist should also overcome a big challenge in a limited time frame. Thriller-suspense has numerous overlapping sub-genres. Good examples are The Silence of the Lambs and The Bourne Identity.
Young Adult has become more popular and is categorized based on the audiences, not by the topic. These books are written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age, but half of YA readers are adults. The protagonist faces multiple challenges and learns and grows during the plotline. Many genres by topic mesh together and are available in YA. It often crosses into fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and horror genres. Good examples are Harry Potter and Hardiguards.