You’re Reading Crime Fiction Wrong
Let me guess, you all read that title and your backs went up, right? “How DARE this impudent person say bad things about my tastes in crime fic!” “I know what I like, and if you’ve got a problem with that, TOO BAD!”
We get you. Nobody likes to be told that they’re doing something wrong. But hear us out, gentle readers. With reading, as with all things in life, it’s easy to fall into a rut: reading the same books by the same authors or reading only the same tried-and-true genres.
There is nothing wrong with gravitating toward the same favorites. But when it keeps you from discovering new things, then it’s not such a good thing. And reading only the same things dulls your enjoyment of them. Even your favorite food becomes dull and tasteless when you eat too much of it, and your favorite earworm song turns into a DUNE-worthy sandworm when you listen to it too often.
All right, perhaps I exaggerate just a bit. But I digress.
So, what are some good ideas for adding variety to your crime fiction TBR pile?
For me, my go-to subgenres in mystery at the moment are historical mysteries, the classics like Agatha Christie, and cozies. But I need a brain break sometimes, so I’ll turn to a harder-edged police procedural, or a psychological thriller. And sometimes I need a break from mysteries altogether, so I’ll spend some more time with my other favorite genres, like science fiction and fantasy.
Think about the things you’re interested in outside of reading. Do you like history and art? Are you a true crime buff? Or are all things science and tech your cup of tea? Maybe hunt out some mysteries that are themed around those things.
Maybe you could try reading something that’s the opposite of what you usually read. If you usually go for hard-boiled mysteries, try out a couple of cozies–and vice versa. Do you mostly read contemporary thrillers? Try out one of the classics.
Ask your friends, family, and book club buddies what they’re reading these days. Maybe one of their favorites could become one of yours. (Or maybe not, but that’s life.)
Browsing at your local library is a good way to find new reads. More than once, I’ve encountered a new favorite just by wandering down the shelves and picking out a book that just happened to catch my eye.
While you’re at the library, see if there are any genre-specific book groups, either in person or online, that can recommend new reads, or you can ask the library staff if they have any recommendations. The same applies to your favorite local bookstore: ask the staff if they can suggest any new authors to check out.
Use this opportunity to go on a road trip and visit bookstores you’ve never visited before. (It doesn’t have to be an actual on-the-road trip if circumstances don’t permit. Visit the websites of a store you’ve never visited before.)
If you’re looking for new titles and authors to read, and you find that most of the books and authors you read are from one particular demographic, use this as a good opportunity to check out authors from different backgrounds and different life stories, including authors of color and LGBTQIA+ authors. Let’s not avoid what is a rather uncomfortable truth: white and cishet authors still tend to get the lion’s share of the spotlight, and by extension, much of the available shelf space in a lot of bookstores.
Websites like We Need Diverse Books are a good resource for recommending BIPOC-owned and LGBTQIA+-owned bookstores near you. Check out those stores’ sites and see what mystery titles they have in stock. Or better yet, pay them a visit in person if you have the opportunity, and browse the shelves or ask the staff if they have any favorites to recommend. And by all means, encourage your friends to visit those stores if they haven’t been before.
Whatever methods work for you, try to make it a point of regularly checking out new books and new authors you’ve never read before. Your bookshelf will be a much more exciting and interesting place because of it.
And remember, our tried-and-true favorites will still be there on your shelf when you decide to pick them up again. And look at it this way; they’ll be glad to have some new friends join them.
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Erin Roll is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader. Her favorite genres to read are mystery, science fiction, and fantasy, and her TBR pile is likely to be visible on Google Maps. Before becoming an editor, Erin worked as a journalist and photographer, and she has won far too many awards from the New Jersey Press Association. Erin lives at the top floor of a haunted house in Montclair, NJ. She enjoys reading (of course), writing, hiking, kayaking, music, and video games.