I wandered into the Mysterious Bookshop on my lunch break this week and found myself trying to describe my taste in mysteries to one of the people working there. Witty but not silly. Not Scandinavian noir grim but not a cozy mystery either. A twisty puzzle of a plot but decidedly not a thriller. Possessed of rich character development and a protagonist I can get attached to. Preferably with a historical setting featuring an intrepid lady detective like Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell or Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock series. If there’s a slow-burn romance unfolding over the course of the series, even better.
It took me years to figure out exactly what kind of mysteries I enjoyed and to let go of the idea that I should be reading the buzzy domestic thrillers that were seemingly dominating the mystery space at the time. I think I was midway through a Veronica Speedwell mystery when I finally realized that I prefer to be reading from the perspective of the person investigating the mystery than the person at the center of it. It felt like a revelation. I wouldn’t have been surprised to look up and see a lightbulb crackling to life above my head.
Once I zeroed in on those kinds of mysteries, the quality of my reading experiences drastically improved. I even found myself reaching for more mysteries in my reading life. This may sound blindingly obvious, but I think that the secret to enjoying genre fiction is to zero in on what elements work for you and what don’t, regardless of what the standard bearers for the genre are. You’ll be shocked to learn that whenever someone says they don’t like romance, I have to fight back the urge to protest that they just haven’t found their right kind of romance.
Of course, it could be that mysteries (or romance or fantasy or sci-fi) just aren’t your thing. But it also seems like when readers venture into a new genre, they sometimes pick up the most popular titles in the space when a lesser known title could actually be the perfect fit for their reading tastes. Maybe, like me, you’re a total wimp when it comes to serial killers and suspicious husbands but you’d love the adventures of two friends running a marriage bureau and solving mysteries in post-war London. Or maybe Emily Henry isn’t your thing but a space princess moonlighting as a spymaster and the buttoned-up royal head of security who’s been pining for her for years might be.
Of course, casting a wide net means coming up with an occasional dud. But I value what reading the books I didn’t like has brought to my life too. My adventures with Andy Weir taught me that I don’t need my sci-fi to be scientifically accurate but that I do want a really rich web of interpersonal relationships between the central characters. (I’m a space opera girl all the way.) Every miss increases the chances of the next title you pick up in that genre being a hit. Once you have a rough idea of what you value in a genre title, you can even push yourself a little. Maybe you really want gorgeous sentence-level writing but would be equally delighted to find it in a Gothic fairy tale or a mysterious walled city.
As much as I wish I had a patented ten-step method to home in on genre Nirvana, it’s a cycle of sampling, reading, reflecting, and then reading some more. You might surprise yourself. I certainly have. Yet there’s always something lovely about that sense of discovery, like the satisfying clunk of a key in the right lock. It’s a back and forth in a mystery bookstore and a stack of paperbacks brimming with possibility and for me, one of the great delights of the reading life. I can’t wait to see what I uncover next.
Currently reading: Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym. I’m an avowed comedy of manners aficionado and I think Pym writes some of the very best.
What’s bringing me joy this week:
Afternoon tea at Lady Mendl’s. I would highly recommend if you’re a tea lover and find yourself in NYC. The interior is perfectly eclectic, the tea freshly brewed, and the scones accompanied by clotted cream, jam, and lemon curd.
Some really good writing days. My editing process is wildly stop and start—something I’m very much trying to get better at!—but I like to think I’m building momentum.
A rewatch of North by Northwest and learning the fantastic fact that Cary Grant’s suit is (deservedly) ranked as the best in film history.