Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction

by Diana Tixier Herald

Covering nearly 6,000 titles in such popular genres as crime, adventure, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Herald's best-selling reference defines each, describes its characteristics and subgenres, and groups authors and books according to type or subject. You'll also learn about some of the latest subgenres that have emerged. Find the best read-alikes for patrons and build a fiction collection that appeals to the broad spectrum of readers that you serve with this thorough guide. Covering nearly 6,000 titles in such popular genres as crime, adventure, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Herald's indispensable reference defines each, describes its characteristics and subgenres, and groups authors and books according to type or subject. You'll find everything you need to know about traditional genre literature, and you'll learn about some of the latest subgenres to emerge - e.g., virtual reality, bioengineering, and biothrillers. A entirely new chapter covers historical fiction, and there are also lists of resources for further research, including numerous genre-related online sources. Invaluable as a reader's guide, and as a resource for bookstore personnel, Herald's work will also be useful to publishers and writers of genre fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

553 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

I've had a lifelong passion for fiction and for putting people together with books. I never learned how to read, I just knew how from a very young age. I was thrilled to start kindergarten since I was sure I would find some books I hadn't read yet. I usually read between 300 and 500 books a year, mostly science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thrillers, romance, historical,and YA.

I write books about books. I get so much pleasure out of reading I want to share great reads with others. I started a web page in 1996 to serve as an update to my books or a preview to future editions. Many of my GoodReads reviews are drafts of the annotations I will be using in future editions of Genreflecting, Teen Genreflecting, Fluent in Fantasy, Strictly Science Fiction, or the yet unnamed guide to paranormal fiction.

My husband and I live in a sustainable earthship home we built on the edge of a remote Rocky Mountain canyon. We have 2 adult bio-kids and several who joined our family through fostering. We have grandchildren who love to read, too. Yay!

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Honestly, with Goodreads' Groups, Listopia, and recommendation features (both by algorithm and by request from the community), a book like this isn't necessary. Maybe slightly more so for librarians than for readers like me, but, yeah, a skim of my favorite sections gave me no titles of interest.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd been able to find a more current edition, but this gave great background on different genres, and titles/authors to recommend.