What kind of books do adults like

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. Another genre that encompasses many others, women's fiction is written specifically to target female readers, often reflecting on the shared experiences of being a woman in society and the protagonist's personal growth.

Nonfiction : "Writing or cinema that is about facts and real events" - Merriam-Webster. 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. Traditionally penned by professional chefs or even your favorite celebs , cookbooks offer an appetizing collection of recipes, specific to a theme, cuisine, or experience chosen by the author.

Typically written in the first-person, writers use their own personal experiences to reflect on a theme or topic for the reader. Many acclaimed authors—like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison—combine these pieces into collections of social commentary.

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. 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.

With poetry—a form of written art— authors choose a particular rhythm and style to evoke and portray various emotions and ideas. Sometimes the message is clear like a straight-forward love poem while with others, the meaning is hidden behind a play on words—it all depends on the writer's style, intent, and chosen theme.

Whether the focus is on emotional well-being , finances, or spirituality, self-help books center on encouraging personal improvement and confidence in a variety of facets of your life. Like its much-loved television counterparts, true crime books chronicle and examine actual crimes and events in exacting detail, with many focusing on infamous murders, kidnappings, and the exploits of serial killers.

For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter! Your Best Life. Type keyword s to search. Related Stories. Life of Pi. The Three Musketeers. The Call of the Wild. To Kill a Mockingbird. Little Women. Vintage amazon.

The Walking Dead: Compendium One. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. The Night Fire. That way, Zimmerman said, adults would feel less self-conscious about their reading choices. On Monday, Masthead members participated in an exclusive conference call with author John Green.

Listen to the full call below. Green chose to write about these experiences, he told us on Monday, because they mirror his own.

It's really scary. Both for Green and his characters, one core difficulty of the experience of mental illness is articulating it. Throughout the book, Aza struggles to explain her internal experience to the people around her.

She is the subject of an ancient prophecy, one that foretells a looming apocalypse. Save Noor—Save the future of all peculiardom. But V is in hiding and she never, ever, wants to be found.

Add to cart. Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only days left. Then the unthinkable happens. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. Maybe she will finally find a new home—a real home. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. Ultimately, Ada discovers she needs to brush off the destiny others have chosen for her and claim full ownership of her body and her future.

In this incredibly powerful story about strength in the face of trauma, Melinda is an outcast at her high school after she called the police during an end-of-school party. But the other students don't know she was sexually assaulted at that party, or that the person who hurt her is still at her school. Slowly, Melinda learns how to find her voice and fight for herself, making this novel not only a realistic depiction of how we process trauma, but also an inspiration to readers looking to speak up for themselves more.

Why it's great for adults: It's a powerful story of learning to find your voice. This book takes place in Nazi Germany, where Liesel love of reading pushes her to steal books from Nazi book-burnings, personal libraries, and anywhere else.

When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement, Liesel's understanding of the state of the world grows as the space she is allowed to occupy shrinks. This book is intense and was initially not published as YA fiction, but was quickly adopted by the genre due to the narrator's young perspective. Camino is waiting for her father to land in the Dominican Republic when she learns that his plane has crashed — at the same time that Yaharia finds out that her father was killed on his flight from New York.

The girls soon learn that their shared father kept their relationship as half-siblings hidden , bonding through the pain of loss and forgiveness. This book is heartfelt and often gut-wrenching, and if you love it like so many readers do, " The Poet X " and " With the Fire on High " are two others by Acevedo to pick up next.

Though sexier and grittier than many of its YA counterparts, this fantasy series lovingly dubbed "ACOTAR" is one that's arguably been read by more adults than teens. This is a light "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, but Sarah J Maas takes the story far beyond the classic tale. While hunting a wolf, Feyre is captured by Tamlin, a faerie. Feyre adapts to her new home and captor, but as her feelings grow, so does the looming threat of a wicked shadow that threatens the world of the Fae she now loves.

Sometimes, sci-fi or dystopian novels can get complicated to follow, but the world-building in "Ready Player One" is done in such a way that it's easy to imagine the characters and settings.

When the creator of OASIS dies, he leaves behind clues inside the game that lead to the ultimate prize: The inheritance of his fortune and control of the game. Set in , this story is an intergalactic, dangerous scavenger hunt — and a page-turner throughout all of it.

Though this book is by no means a fantasy story, it feels like there's whimsical magic sparkling between the pages. It's about two Black girls from very different backgrounds who are determined to find love and happiness in a world that wants to deny them both.

Junauda Petrus manages to let us into the most intimate spaces of a soul as we watch this romantic relationship unfold. It's an emotionally intense favorite for so many adults and teens looking for a great novel centering on BIPOC and queer protagonists.

Why it's great for adults: The magical descriptions that depict soulmate-level love. Muir is a teenager about to age out of the foster system, having spent her entire life packing light and not getting emotionally attached to anyone, anywhere, or anything. I loved this book as an adult because I wanted to reach out to Muir and tell her that she wasn't alone, but instead got to read the story of her discovering that for herself, with plenty of great characters to help her along the way.

Why it's great for adults: The emotional depth of the main character feels relatable. This is one where you root for the main character so hard that by the time the end of the book comes around, the story is permanently part of your heart. It includes his classmates, his parents, his sister, and all the people around August that make his transition into elementary school one of trial and triumph.

Why it's great for adults: The natural desire to protect August from the real world. Liz believes she's too much for her small town — too Black, too awkward, too poor — so her sights are set on Pennington College where she dreams of playing in the orchestra and becoming a doctor — until her financial aid falls through and her dreams fall apart. Liz remembers that her school offers scholarships to the prom king and queen, so even though prom is the last thing on Liz's mind, she'll do anything if it means getting out of Indiana.

This book was hailed as one of the best YA contemporary novels of When Tanner's family moves, he decides to hide his bisexuality and coast through his high school graduation. But when his new friend Autumn dares him to take a prestigious class where he has to write a book in four months, he can't resist opening up.

This novel tackles big topics of sexuality, identity, religion, and friendship, seamlessly weaving all these elements together.

Why it's great for adults: The wise-beyond-their-years friendship between Tanner and Autumn. If you're looking for a YA full of complex emotions, this book hits the nail on the head. Grace was adopted at birth, and after putting up her own child for adoption, goes looking for her biological family. She soon finds out that she's the middle child of two very different siblings, Maya and Joaquin.

Joaquin's struggle with anger and distrust after spending 17 years in foster care is what made this novel really stand out to me because the author nurtures the emotions of her characters in such a unique way.

Why it's great for adults: The thoughtful, thorough depiction of teenage struggles. It's a twisty story within an impeccably built fantasy world, making it an adventurous, picturesque rainy day novel you won't be able to put down. According to the universe, every moment of our lives is carefully calculated with a million possible futures. But if you ask Natasha, life boils down to science and facts.

Natasha's family is 12 hours from being deported when she meets Daniel, who is torn between following his dreams of being a poet and following his parents' expectations.