Genre's at the Library

Genre's at the Library:

The library Fiction collection has had genres assigned to titles.

This is a great way to quickly recognise books in areas that you like to read and also to open up new genres that you may enjoy reading.

We have also started a true stories collection which includes biographies, memoirs, stories of true life events and travels.

Read more about different genres, here are some definitions taken from articles written by McKenzie Jean-Philippe 'The Ultimate Book Genres List to Help Pick Your Next Page-Turner', 'The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter' by Writers Write, findmeanauthor, book-genres.com and ReadWriteThink.

True Stories

Biographies and Autobiographies

Serving as an official account of the details and events of a person's life span, autobiographies are written by the subject themselves, while biographies are written by an author who is not the focus of the book. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Memoir

While a form of autobiography, memoirs are more flexible in that they typically don't feature an extensive chronological account of the writer's life. Instead, they focus on key moments and scenes that communicate a specific message or lesson to the reader about the author. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Humorous Fiction

A brief look at the definition of the Comedy Fiction Genre or Comic novel, brings us to the most obvious point first: A comic novel is usually a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative, sometimes above all other considerations. It could indeed be said that comedy fiction is literary work that aims primarily to provoke laughter, but this isn't always as obvious as it first may seem. (findmeanauthor)

Historical Fiction

These books are based in a time period set in the past decades, often against the backdrop of significant (real) historical events. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

History

These books chronicle and layout a specific moment in time, with a goal to educate and inform the reader, looking at all parts of the world at any given moment. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Contemporary & Social Issues

What’s the best definition for the contemporary fiction genre? Books in the contemporary fiction genre are made up of stories that could happen to real people in real settings. The books do not fall under other categories or genres. They usually take place in the same time period the reader is living (the present), with things that are currently, or could be happening, in the same time period. The contemporary genre also contains informal and conversational dialogue, and sometimes even regional dialects. (book-genres.com)

Classics

You may think of these books as the throwback readings you were assigned in English class. (Looking at you, Charles Dickens.) The classics have been around for decades, and were often groundbreaking stories at their publish time, but have continued to be impactful for generations, serving as the foundation for many popular works we read today. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Mystery & Crime

These are also known as ‘whodunits’. The central issue is a question that must be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. This novel is characterised by clues leading to rising tension as the answer to the mystery is approached. (Writers Write)

Detective and Mystery

The plot always revolves around a crime of sorts that must be solved—or foiled—by the protagonists. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Suspense and Thrillers

While they often encompass the same elements as mystery books, the suspense and thriller genre sees the hero attempt to stop and defeat the villain to save their own life rather than uncover a specific crime. Thrillers typically include cliffhangers and deception to encourage suspense, while pulling the wool over the eyes of both the main character and reader. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Relationships

Our Relationships genre includes romantic novels but is far wider and encompasses all kinds of relationships- familial as well as friendships as long as the relationships are a focus of the book.

Fantasy

While usually set in a fictional imagined world—in opposition, Ta-Nehisi's Coates's The Water Dancer takes place in the very real world of American slavery—fantasy books include prominent elements of magic, mythology, or the supernatural. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

New Adult

New Adult (NA) books feature college, rather than school-aged, characters and plotlines. It is the next age-category up from YA. It explores the challenges and uncertainties of leaving home and living independently for the first time. (Writers Write)

Young Adult

Young Adult (YA) books are written, published, and marketed to adolescents and young adults. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) defines a young adult as someone between the ages of 12 and 18, but adults also read these books. These are generally coming-of-age stories, and often cross into the fantasy and science fiction genres. YA novels feature diverse protagonists facing changes and challenges. (Writers Write)

Action and Adventure

Action and adventure books constantly have you on the edge of your seat with excitement, as your fave main character repeatedly finds themselves in high stakes situations. The protagonist has an ultimate goal to achieve and is always put in risky, often dangerous situations. This genre typically crosses over with others like mystery, crime, sci-fi, and fantasy. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Dystopian Fiction

A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system. (ReadWriteThink)

Horror

Meant to cause discomfort and fear for both the character and readers, horror writers often make use of supernatural and paranormal elements in morbid stories that are sometimes a little too realistic. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

Though they're often thought of in the same vein as fantasy, what distinguishes science fiction stories is that they lean heavily on themes of technology and future science. You'll find apocalyptic and dystopian novels in the sci-fi genre as well. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)

Graphic Novel & Comic Book

The stories in comic books and graphic novels are presented to the reader through engaging, sequential narrative art (illustrations and typography) that's either presented in a specific design or the traditional panel layout you find in comics. With both, you'll often find the dialogue presented in the tell-tale "word balloons" next to the respective characters. (McKenzie Jean-Philippe)