On books for those looking for a new fandom

Fandoms have become an increasingly important part of our world’s society. But if you’re already impatiently waiting as the biggest SuperWhoLock fan you know, a lingering Marshmellow, or starting to lose your interest in Pokemon, it might be time to find a new thing to obsess about and discuss at length with the fandom community. Here are my suggestions:

• Brandon Sanderson books - I couldn’t not put this, as Loverboy frequently chatters at me about his latest theories and does plenty of research on the 17th Shard forums. The Sanderson community is intriguing and very loyal and has all sorts of ideas about what’s going to happen next and how the cosmere all connects. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers.

• Borderlands - This is a fandom that I’ve been hearing more and more about as I get deeper into SFF reading, but that I haven’t yet delved into. I’m intrigued by it and excited to learn more about this contemporary fantasy world and see why so many people love these books.

• Shadowhunters/Infernal Devices/Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - The two series are technically complete, but there are plenty of companion books still being released. There are many devoted fans of these series who will happily talk your ear off about why Magnus Bane is the greatest or how they feel about the new releases.

• Nightvale - The popular podcast has a few companion books that take place in the same strange world. Huffington Post also tells us that many people compare the Nightvale world to Louis Sachar’s Wayside School books - and that there are some creepy similarities.

• Beauty and the Beast - This fandom is large with a few very dedicated followers and plenty of less-dedicated ones. In this fandom, people read every version of the tale that they can get their hands on. A few to start with: Beauty by Robin McKinley, Beastly by Alex Flynn, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, or Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodges.

What bookish fandoms would you recommend to other readers? Which non-bookish fandoms are your favorites?

On TBR books that intimidate me #5

The last few months have been tough on my TBR list. I’m still adding books at a crazy rate, but I’ve been reading a lot less than I did the first few months of the year. With moving and school starting, I’ve been incredibly busy and haven’t had as much time to read for fun. Since I’m still adding the same amount of books, my poor TBR list is bursting even more than it was when I started this blog. And there are still a handful of books that scare me a bit.

• Summerland by Michael Chabon - Once, several years ago, I was asking for books recommendations from my brother and he stated that this book was one of his favorites. I checked it out from the library, but it was so much thicker than I’d anticipated and I ended up returning it without even opening it. Now, it’s just been sitting on my TBR for years. I’ve found it in three different public libraries and thought about checking it out, but I always decide against it because I never seem to be in the mood to tackle a book as thick as this (though it isn’t actually that big). Will I ever actually get around to it? Time will tell….
• Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - I absolutely Beauty & the Beast stories, so one day, I added a bunch to my TBR. Now that it’s been awhile, I glanced back over them…..and I was kind of surprised that I added this one. It looks like a romance novel, it sounds like a romance novel, and a lot of my friends who tend to like romance novels gave it very high ratings. I don’t typically enjoy romance novels, so I’m a bit hesitant to try this one out - even if it is a fun BATB story…

Do you have any books you’re currently afraid to read? Any BATB stories I should try out?