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What’s not in my comfort zone? My husbands books!

I don’t really read outside of my comfort zone that often. I read a lot of YA, some NA and on rare occasions, epic fantasy. My husband, on the other hand, reads no YA or NA. So, you can probably guess our shelves look very different from each others. And they do. His is filled with fantasy, classics and even some poetry. Both of us love adventure stories, but mine have a bit more (or a lot more) romance.

However, there are plenty of books on his shelf that I have been eyeing for a while. Yet, I still haven’t picked them up. So, I thought I’d share a few that interest me in the hopes that maybe some of you are looking for a story a little outside of your YA comfort zone. Because I sure live in that zone.

Books out of my comfort zone

Titles link to Goodreads page.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickmandragonsofautumntwilight –

“Life-long friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each other holds secrets from the the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales with strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chanced encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff draws the companions deeper into the shadow forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.

No one expected them to heroes.

Least of all themselves.”

⇒ I have to admit, I had absolutely no interest in this series. That is, until I heard my husband and his friend talking about some of the plot and I became very intrigued.

malus darkblademalusdarkblade2The Chronicles of Malus Darkblade (Vol. 1 & 2) by Mike Lee and Dan Abnett –

“The dark elves are feared throughout the Old World for their evil, savage ways, yet one member of this despicable race stands out for his treachery and cunning – Malus Darkblade. He displays all the Dark Elf qualities – he is unscrupulous, cruel, cunning and ambitious. Seeking to extend his influence and his power Malus went off in search of an ancient treasure. After many trials he eventually found the treasure, but by doing so awakened the daemon Tz’arkan, called the “Drinker of Worlds” by some. Now he is faced with a stark choice – recover five items of unimaginable power within one year or forfeit his soul for ever! These books chronicle his treacherous journey as he fights for his life and his freedom.”

⇒ Can we just talk about those covers for a second? He looks effin’ badass, how could I not look at this book and say “I want to read it!”? Then you read the synopsis and you’re like, “Take my money!”!

the serpent queenThe Serpent Queen (Gotrek & Felix) by Joshua Reynolds 

“Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire, or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between, and depends entirely upon whom you ask… Travelling to the mysterious south in search of a mighty death, the Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson and his human companion, Felix Jaeger, find themselves caught up in a battle between warring kingdoms. Captured by the sinister Queen Khalida and forced to do her bidding, the adventurers must brave the horrors of the sun-soaked Land of the Dead… And the dead do not rest easy.”

⇒ I’ve actually started this book before, and I enjoyed what I have read. The two friends are pretty funny together, and the world is very elaborate.

houseofleavesHouse of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski 

“House of Leaves begins with a first-person narrative by Johnny Truant, a Los Angeles tattoo parlor employee and professed unreliable narrator. Truant is searching for a new apartment when his friend Lude tells him about the apartment of the recently deceased Zampanò, a blind, elderly man who lived in Lude’s building.

In Zampanò’s apartment, Truant discovers a manuscript written by Zampanò that turns out to be an academic study of a documentary film called The Navidson Record, though Truant says he can find no evidence that the film or its subjects ever existed.

The rest of the novel incorporates several narratives, including Zampanò’s report on the fictional film; Truant’s autobiographical interjections; a small transcript of part of the film from Navidson’s brother, Tom; a small transcript of interviews of many people regarding The Navidson Record by Navidson’s partner, Karen; and occasional brief notes by unidentified editors, all woven together by a mass of footnotes. There is also another narrator, Truant’s mother, whose voice is presented through a self-contained set of letters titled The Whalestoe Letters.”

⇒ Ok, technically, this has been on my shelf for years and I haven’t gotten around to it. BUT, it is one of my husband’s favorite books and he has been telling me to read it forever. Also, his friend recently got me The Familiar by the same author for my birthday, so I should probably get to this sometime soon.

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski thelastwish 

“Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.

And a cold-blooded killer.

His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good. . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.”

⇒ Another one that is kind of not from my husbands shelf. We both play the video game The Witcher so we bought this for us. But, I’m saying it’s on his shelf because it is more his type of book than mine.

ivanhoeIvanhoe by Walter Scott –

“Banished from England for seeking to marry against his father’s wishes, Ivanhoe joins Richard the Lion Heart on a crusade in the Holy Land. On his return, his passionate desire is to be reunited with the beautiful but forbidden lady Rowena, but he soon finds himself playing a more dangerous game as he is drawn into a bitter power struggle between the noble King Richard and his evil and scheming brother John.”

⇒ We own two copies of this book, yet I’ve never read it. I shall include this into my Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (I’m sure it’s already on the list, anyways).

 

bookrev (5)

What are some books you want to read that are out of your comfort zone?

What is your reading comfort zone?

19 Comments

  • Reply Library Huntress 02/02/2016 at 7:36 am

    I’m a pretty eclectic reader and will try just about everything. Having said that, I do shy away from bigger books. I want to work on this, and plan on finally reading Outlander this year (almost 900 pages, gulp).

    • Reply Molly 02/02/2016 at 6:27 pm

      I have Outlander too! Not only is it LONG, it’s a series! So if I end up liking it, I’ll have more long books to read after! lol I am reading A Storm of Swords and Gone With the Wind right now, both are about 1200 pages. It’ll take me at least 2 months to finish just one. At least I’m trying? haha

  • Reply Nicole Hagelberg 02/02/2016 at 10:24 am

    I read House of Leaves about two years ago and was a mind bend for me, but I’m glad I read it!

    • Reply Molly 02/02/2016 at 6:26 pm

      That’s what I’ve heard about it. I started reading it YEARS ago and I remember having similar thoughts. But I don’t remember any of it now. I’m hoping I can pick it up soon.

  • Reply Alisha 02/02/2016 at 11:47 am

    I also have House of Leaves and have never read it. I hope you enjoy his books!!

    • Reply Molly 02/02/2016 at 6:18 pm

      We should buddy read it together!

      • Reply Alisha 02/02/2016 at 8:42 pm

        YES! Can we?! It’s not that I don’t want to read it, it’s just always been intimidating for me and if we do it together I’ll have to push myself to actually pick it up and read it.

        • Reply Molly 02/03/2016 at 3:19 pm

          Absolutely! I’m horrible at buddy reads because I’m a mood reader. So you’ll have to be patient with me. BUT YES, let’s read it 🙂

          • Alisha 02/03/2016 at 3:41 pm

            Ahaha no worries, I’m the same way! Knowing our track record we’ll message each other at the same time saying we want to read it 😛

          • Molly 02/04/2016 at 12:35 pm

            Maybe once I finish Gone With the Wind? Which will be like…a month…it’s 1200 pages long! lol

          • Alisha 02/04/2016 at 12:49 pm

            Sounds good to me! Just let me know 🙂

  • Reply Greg Hill 02/02/2016 at 12:34 pm

    I read more YA now as a book blogger but prior to that I read mostly fantasy, and I remember the Dragonlance books fondly. I’ve thought about re- reading them recently but wasn’t sure if they would work for me like they did so I’ve held off. The other ones I don’t know other than Ivanhoe, which I’ve wanted to read but just haven’t yet. I kinda like the movie version (the 50’s version, not sure how many there have been).

    • Reply Molly 02/02/2016 at 6:18 pm

      YA is definitely dominating the book community right now. I actually don’t see a lot that DON’T blog about YA. I don’t exclusively focus on YA, but I’ve noticed that’s what I gravitate towards. Sometimes the books my husband reads kind of seem like a better story, though. I think it’s because there is more focus on the story, rather than the romance. Not every YA book is like that, but there are a lot that are.

      I actually know nothing about the story of Ivanhoe except the description, so I can’t even talk about film adaptations. lol

  • Reply Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog 02/02/2016 at 12:39 pm

    I read a lot of stuff but fantasy and really big books are ones I tend to not run to. Still I will try anything. I think it is great to step out of your comfort zone every now and then!

    • Reply Molly 02/02/2016 at 6:16 pm

      Big books seriously scare the crap out of me! I am always like “oh yeah, let’s do this”, then when I pick it up, I chicken out and grab a shorter YA novel. I’m trying to not do that. Right now I’m reading A Storm of Swords (about 1100 pages) and Gone With the Wind (1200 pages). BUT, I read a couple chapters a week. Both will take me AT LEAST 2 months to finish. And they’re tiny print. It’s kind of exhausting. haha

  • Reply Lexxie 02/03/2016 at 1:00 pm

    I am pretty much a genre omnivore, Molly. I love YA, NA, romance, suspense, fantasy, high fantasy, sci-fi… I think what is really out of my comfort zone is non-fiction, I usually get bored when things are too factual.
    The only thing my husband reads is sports biographies… so yeah, while I’ve picked up a couple of his books, they’re really not my cup of tea! Cyclists talking about doping in the Tour de France is not what I’d pick over a steamy romantic suspense 😉
    Your husband has some pretty good looking books on his shelf, though! I read Ivanhoe a long time ago, and I think I might like The Chronicles of Manus Darkblade.
    Good luck reading one of his books soon 😉
    Have a wonderful Wednesday and happy reading.

    • Reply Molly 02/03/2016 at 3:23 pm

      HAHA I don’t think I could read sports biographies. I would definitely pick the romance over that.

      He does have some great sounding books! But they’re almost all huge and have no romance – so I chicken out lol

  • Reply Tabitha Deasún 02/20/2016 at 3:32 am

    I highly recommend trying out some Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, they are so good. I wouldn’t recommend starting with the Dragonlance books though or even the Deathgate Cycle. Instead I’d suggest The Sovereign Stone trilogy. I think it’d be more up your alley from other reviews you’ve posted. It’s a really great trilogy, and since it’s a trilogy it doesn’t have as many books as the other series either so it’s easier to handle as a starter to get a feel for them.

    Personally, I’ve not read any of these particular books though some day I want to try the Dragonlance books or House of Leaves. Though my boyfriend said House of Leaves really, really messed with his head.

    • Reply Molly 02/20/2016 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you for the suggestions! I had never heard of either author until my husband brought home those books. I definitely want to read more non-ya fantasy, so I’ll have to give them a try 🙂

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