Hi Friends,
This year, I have gotten into reading thriller books. I don’t know why I have never been interested in them before, since I am a fan of horror movies. It could be the fact that the horror/thriller genre is mainly geared more towards adult books.
If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, than you know I generally only read young adult and some middle-grade books. This isn’t to say I won’t pick up an adult horror, but they aren’t my first reading choice. Still, I thought I’d share my tips for getting into this widely popular book genre. Keep in mind this is from a newbie’s perspective.
It might be tempting to read something along the lines of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ by Alvin Schwartz, but that book might freaky you out enough to not give the genre a chance. I would suggest reading an easier thriller, since you are simply dipping your toes in this genre pool. I recommend starting with something like Fear Street: The Beginning by R.L. Stine or They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman.
‘It’ by Stephen King maybe the ultimate scary book, I mean what Stephen King novel isn’t creepy. However, many of King’s novels are huge commitments. Give yourself sometime to work up to the longer books and keep your first couple of reads short. A lot of Neil Gaiman and Gillian Flynn books are under 400 pages. Also, they aren’t going to keep you awake all night.
This tip doesn’t only apply to thriller/horror newbies in my opinion, but to all readers. Don’t just read one genre. Once you get the urge to read thrillers, you may not want to take a break from them. However, that could lead to a reading burnout. Try spacing out your thriller reads, and including other genres, too. Perhaps only reading one thriller a month might be a good idea. It is always nice to have a contemporary and fantasy book on your TBR. If you still want something in the paranormal realm (with, of course, a romance element) you could always go for the ‘Twilight’ books. Yep, I did just recommend them.
So those are my tips for a getting into this ever-growing genre. I know there aren’t a lot of tips, but I think the are main ones that are important to keep in mind. Leave any tips you might have in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and share this post! Finally, if you’d be so kind as to follow my blog as well, it really does help!
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny