10 Surprisingly Good Books Out Of My Reading Comfort Zone

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is 10 books we've read within the last year or so that were out of the norm for us -- not our usual genre or out of our comfort zone. This was a pretty easy list to compile because I branched out quite a bit in 2015, and I'm proud of myself for continuing to expand my reading repertoire.

What books have you enjoyed lately that were out of your reading comfort zone? Do you have any suggestions for me to try?

1. Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
"Saga" was my first true graphic novel. I read it along with a few co-workers at the library and we are all hooked -- and obsessed with Lying Cat! My co-workers surpassed me and have read all five volumes, but I've only read through volume 3 so far. I want to stretch out the enjoyment since it'll be a while before volume six comes out! I was shocked at how much I enjoyed reading a graphic novel and I've been inspired to check out other graphic novel series. After I finish volumes 4 and 5 of "Saga," I want to read "Rat Queens" and Brian K. Vaughn's other series, "The Last Man."

2. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
"Red Rising" is total sci-fi -- but it's accessible and inclusive. The Red Rising trilogy is a great introduction to the genre for people who don't think they like science fiction. And since I absolutely LOVED it so very, very much (best book I read in 2015!) it's inspired me to seek out more science fiction, a genre I wasn't particularly interested in before.
(my review)

3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
"Ready Player One" is a science fiction-lite book I read after I tore through "Red Rising" and was craving more of the genre. I loved it! (And it's nothing like "Red Rising," which goes to show what a diverse genre sci-fi is. There's something for everyone here.) I also read and liked Cline's newer release, "Armada" last year.
(my review)

4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Young adult -- not my wheelhouse. Sure, I've read and enjoyed the ubiquitous YA stuff like the Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies, "Cinder," and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." But my track record with contemporary YA is pretty much a disaster. I just can't do it -- sub-par writing that makes me itch for my old copy editing pen, teenage angst, irritatingly naive characters... Because of that, I had pretty low expectations for "I'll Give You the Sun" -- and no one was more surprised than I was when I ended up going gaga over it and recommending it to everyone I know. Jandy Nelson's writing was amazing and I loved the story.
(my review)

5. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
I've got nothing at all against non-fiction and I'm always resolving to read more of it, but that rarely happens. I actually managed to read three or four non-fiction books last year (I also really liked "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory" by Caitlin Doughty) and "The Devil in the White City" was my favorite. It's a dual narrative about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and a serial killer terrorizing women in the Windy City during the same time period.
(my review)

6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
As with non-fiction, I'm always saying I want to read more classics and then I seldom do. But I did actually read this dystopian critique on censorship last year -- and I loved it. It's the perfect classic novel for a booklover.
(my review)

7. The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown
I read a lot of chick-lit through my teens and mid-20s, but I've grown out of the genre in recent years. As a knitter, I couldn't resist this cute Christmas story with a side of knitting and an extra helping of quirk. It was a totally fun, fluffy, feel-good book, and we all need one of those every once in a while.
(my review)

8. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
I never would've come across this cult classic if it weren't for one of my library co-workers raving about it. It was written in the '50s, and the story -- about a 21-year-old American girl living it up and undertaking wild adventures in Paris -- is set in 1955. It was fun and funny with some poignant moments.

(my review)

9. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover falls under the "new adult" genre -- for younger twentysomethings -- and since I don't really like YA and I don't read much chick-lit anymore, it seems like exactly the wrong thing for me to read. But this was my second Colleen Hoover book and I liked it surprisingly well -- and much better than the first book of hers I read. I suspect it was all the bookish references... ;)
(my review)

10. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
I listened to "Storm Front" on audiobook and enjoyed this paranormal urban fantasy story about Harry Dresden, the only wizard listed in the Chicago phone book. I haven't decided if I want to continue the series or not, but I did like "Storm Front" and the audiobook narration was great.
(my review)