Hello and Welcome!

Red House Books is going through a bit of a update!

I've always had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted this space to be but I've been detoured from my path by...lots and lost of other people's opinions and ways of doing things...

I'm committed to this little chunk of the interweb but I've also branched out into other places so! Now it's time to think of Red House Books as more of a hub of all things me! And Me is a hell of a lot of book love!

Stay tuned!

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Out of My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Hi guys!

Today is my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday :)

I wanted a meme that would tax my creativity a bit but also was fun and easy going. Top Ten Tuesday fits the bill perfectly!

This week's topic is books that I've enjoyed outside my typical genre / type / comfort zone.

My comfort zone falls squarely in the middle of a paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy world. But, I'll give just about anything the chance if the timing and circumstances are right.

Here are my top 10 - or rather 5 - books that took me out of my comfort zone and made me glad for it.


An adult contemporary rom-com. So very much NOT my thing. When it showed up in my mail box I was very much, thanks publisher for thinking of me but oh man, what am I going to do with this now!

It sat next to my computer for a bit and then one day I went to move it to a more convenient location and flipped through it a bit.

The format of emails and text messages intrigued me a bit and then I read the Author's Note and saw that it was written basically in real time, with each author in the dark about a lot of what the other was writing - I was more intrigued and then I read the first page / email correspondence and finally said, 'what the hell!' - and pretty much finished it in one sitting.
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

A Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre and I really really didn't like Jane Eyre so it wasn't looking good for Jane Steele

So many people were excited for this one so I though, before I pass on the ARC I got at ALA Mid Winter I would read a few pages to see just how much like Jane Eyre it was - aka - how much I just knew I wouldn't enjoy it.

I was wrong wrong wrong!

I started reading and couldn't stop and it's nothing like what I usually read and it was fantastic!

It comes out next month and I highly recommend it!
Hello? by Liza Wiemer

I met Liza Wiemer once at a blogger/ author party during BEA one year and she was the nicest person!

My reading / blogging slump caused me to miss out on a lot in the world of books and the fact that she had written a novel was one of them.

Hello? is a contemporary romance and I try to stay far away from contemporary in general and romance specifically.

But! It was Liza's book and there was lots of hype and it popped up on NetGalley and I hit that request button and the rest they say, is history!

I really enjoyed Hello? and honestly, if it wasn't Liza's book I don't know that I would have read it so jokes on me cause I would have missed out on a fabulous book!
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

It's non fiction, which I do read. But! It's an autobiography which, no way! I never, ever, never, ever, never, never read!

Seriously, I couldn't even tell you were the autobiography section in my very small local bookstore is! And I practically live there!

But, it's Felicia Day and I love her! She's weird and crazy and amazing and such a geek and she's totally my role model :)

So, I knew I had to have this but I was still supper duper scared I was going to hate it - or even worse - hate HER after reading.

I should not have worried my pretty little head one bit because I gobbled this one up.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Ok, so I do read adult mystery thrillers. I own quite a few actually and I very much enjoy them.

However, I tend to stay far far away from super hyped up 'bestsellers'.

Anything with an Oprah's Book Club pick or from NY Times Bestselling author - not my thing. I just don't trust the hype and I've been burned in the past.

The one though - it wasn't going away quickly.

Tons of requests came in for it at the library were I work. A few of my co-workers had read it and so, when it became available around the time of the last Dewey Readathon I thought, why not?

I don't know exactly what it was about this one...but I really really liked it. It's a murder mystery but a really really well done murder mystery. Very glad I gave into the hype!

3 comments:

  1. I want to read Girl on the Train, but it's completely out of my comfort zone! Ha ha. I know everyone that's read it has loved it, so I should give it a try.

    Great list!

    Dena @ Batch of Books

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never read a non-fiction book that wasn't school related but I was intrigued by the one by Felicia Day just because I loved her on a few shows. Though I admit to not having heard of most of the other titles I'm glad you stepped out of your zone and found some gems!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to hear you liked Girl on The Train, I still haven't read it yet, but hopefully soon!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/top-ten-tuesday-45/

    ReplyDelete



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