Where to Start: Historical Fiction

This installment of where to start is adult historical fiction. As with the YA version, I'm not including historical fantasy, or alternate history/steampunkish sort of things. Those genres will be getting their own where to start. This is just regular historical fiction that is not considered YA. Also there will be no time travel, so nothing like Outlander will be on here.

Some Staples in the genre you should probably try first:
Philippa Gregory-She's written dozens of historical fiction series. The Tudor Court series is probably her most well known (that's the one that has The Other Boleyn Girl in it)
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Pillars of the Earth series by Ken Follet
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Aubrey and Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien (you've probably heard of the first book: Master and Commander)

Some current popular titles you'll likely hear about first:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Lisa See-Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is probably her most popular, but she has a few historical books out there.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Thomas Cromwell Trilogy by Hilary Mantel (you probably know the first book: Wolf Hall)
Sarah Waters-Her most popular is probably Fingersmith.

Some random popular titles:
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Melanie Benjamin-Would start with The Aviator's Wife.

Where to Start: YA/MG Historical Fiction

Now I'm going to move onto historical fiction. For the sake of this list, historical fiction means basically any book that takes place in the past. I tend to have the cut off time period be the eighties for historical fiction. FYI, if it was written in a historical time period, I don't count it as historical fiction that much. For example, Sherlock Holmes was not considered historical fiction when it was written. Therefore, I'm not counting it as historical fiction. I am not counting historical fiction that blends over into fantasy-like areas. There will be separate lists for that (which will likely be quite long because I adore historical fantasy).
This list is just going to be young adult and some middle-grade historical fiction. The next where to start will have the adult historical fiction on it.

Some staples of the genre you should probably read first:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (note: this and TKAM are usually sold in the adult sections but the main characters are tween age so sorry lit crowd, it counts as MG as well)

Some popular books in the genre:
The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen (she also has a few other historical ones out there)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (also check out Fever 1793)
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Some personal recommendations:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (as well as the two companion books)
Princesses of Myth series by Esther Friesner
Logan Family series by Mildred B. Taylor

Where to Start: Historical Mystery

Historical mysteries are exactly what it sounds like: a mystery that is set in historical times. This genre is also wide and varied. Sometimes it can crossover into cozy mysteries and sometimes it can crossover into fantasy territory. For the record, I don't count things like Sherlock Holmes as historical mysteries. Because at the time it was written it wouldn't have been considered historical fiction. So things like that will not be on this list. But if you find yourself liking historical mysteries, absolutely give Holmes and Agatha Christie and so on a try.

Some staples to look into first:
Lady Julia series by Deanna Raybourn
Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Dr. Laszlo Kriezler books by Caleb Carr
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Some random popular titles:
Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King
Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom
Gaslight Mysteries series by Victoria Thompson
Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

Some Personal recommendations:
Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander
The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley

Where to Start: Cozy Mysteries

So cozy mysteries. You've probably seen these books before and had no idea there was a name for them other then mystery. If the picture on the cover has a shop of some sort, a four-legged animal of some kind, and a pun in the title it is more then likely a cozy mystery. The cozy mystery is mostly like regular mysteries except that it's usually even more formula, it tends to involve sleuths who are not necessarily PIs/detectives first, and the mystery is usually secondary to catching up on what's going on in the main character's life at the moment. There's a cozy mystery series out there for anyone. If you can think of a hobby, there's a mystery series for it. Hell, I saw a series based on stamp collecting once. Yes, it's usually always a series. I've yet to see a standalone cozy mystery, but I'm sure there's one out there. It's a large genre with many popular authors who've written tons of books. Getting into this side of the mystery genre can probably seem daunting. But it's not impossible.

Where to start with Cozy Mysteries:

Staples of the genre (series that have been around for years that are a good idea to start with):
Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie
Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown
Aunt Dimity Mysteries by Nancy Atherton
Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Bruen
Agatha Raisin series by M. C. Beaton

Shop-owner/Hobby type mysteries
Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke
Goldy Bear Culinary Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson
Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle
China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert
Booktown Mystery series by Lorna Barrett

Historical Fictionish type cozy mysteries:
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen (also check out her Molly Murphy series)
Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood (also check out the great TV show it spawned)
Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

Paranormalish type cozy mysteries:
Psychic Girl Mysteries by Victoria Laurie (also check out her Ghost Hunter Mysteries)
Bewitching Mysteries series by Madelyn Alt
Ophelia and Abby Mysteries by Shirley Damsgaard
Witchcraft Mysteries series by Juliet Blackwell (author also has several other series that are popular)

If you really want to find a cozy mystery that's to your taste check out Cozy Mysteries Unlimited that has a large database of all the cozy mysteries out there. It also gives a helpful calendar for new releases.

Where to Start: Mystery/Thrillers/Suspense

So, I've been debating and debating how to go about this list. Mystery in adult land is somewhat complicated because there are all these subgenres. There's cozy mystery, historical mystery, thrillers, and even a bunch of urban fantasy books out there could be considered mystery. I've decided to break it down into four categories: mystery, cozy mystery, and historical mystery.
Mystery for this list is going to be any book that has a mystery as the central part of its plot. I'm not including historical or fantasy settings. Just regular crime solving. I'm throwing in thrillers/suspense as well because honestly, the line between regular mystery and thrillers has always been a bit blurred so I'm just going to do them all at once.

Classics of the genre that are a good idea to read:
The Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Poirot series/Miss Marple series/or And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Lord Peter Whimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers
Philip Marlowe series by Raymond Chandler

Some popular staples:
Millenium series by Stieg Larsson
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson

Some random personal recommendations:
Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs
Nikki Heat series by Richard Castle

Where to Start: YA Mysteries

Mystery is a genre that is near and dear to my heart. It is in fact, very often a subgenre of many of the books I read. Luckily there are many mystery options out there to choose from. Here are some of the mysteries to start with in the YA section:

Some YA Mystery Staples:
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
The 39 Clues series by various authors
Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard

Some Popular YA Mysteries
Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter (also check out Heist Society and her new one, Embassy Row)
The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting
The Agency series by Y. S. Lee
Death By Mysteries by Linda Gerber
Confessions series by James Patterson

Some Personal Favorites:
Bad Kitty books by Michele Jaffe
Deadly Cool books by Gemma Halliday
The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Prep School Confidential series by Kara Taylor
Jasper Dent series by Barry Lyga

Where to Start: Adult Contemporary Fiction/Realistic Fiction

Here's where to start if you want more realistic fiction, but with adult characters. Please note, I'm not including romance or mystery here. Those genres will get their own lists in the future.

Some staples (please note, note, there are a lot of staples, this is just where to start):

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult

Some more current popular titles:

Room by Emma Donoghue (movie is coming soon)

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but with these books under your belt, you should be able to move on and figure out what you want to read next.

Where to Start: YA Contemporary/Realistic Fiction

From here on out, we're going by genres. First, repeat after me: YA is not a genre, it is a book category, much like adult fiction or middle-grade is. YA can be anything from contemporary to fantasy to mystery to urban fantasy and heck, most of the time they blend the genres anyway. It is NOT all the same. Please, stop saying this. Especially if you haven't even read beyond Hunger Games.

YA Contemporary/Realistic Fiction: This is YA that takes place in present day. There is no magic/special powers/aliens or the like happening. Just real people and real problems. A lot of times this can be code for romance. But most of the time it's usually just a blend of romance and drama.

Staples of YA Realistic Fiction you should read pronto, because otherwise you'll get funny looks if you say you haven't read them:
Looking for Alaska (or Fault in Our Stars) by John Green
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Some Popular YA Contemporary Authors:
John Green
Laurie Halse Anderson
Maureen Johnson (would start with 13 Little Blue Envelopes or Bermudez Triangle)
E. Lockhart (would start with The Disreputable History of Frankie Landou-Banks)
Sarah Dessen (would go with Just Listen or The Truth About Forever)
Rainbow Rowell
Gayle Forman (would start with If I Stay)
David Levithan (would start with Every Day)
Simone Elkeles (would start with Perfect Chemistry)
Morgan Matson (would start with Amy and Roger's Epic Detour)
Jennifer E. Smith (would start with This is What Happy Looks Like)
Courtney Summers

Some Popular Contemporaries to Read Now:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Duff by Kody Keplinger
To All the Boys I've Loved Before series by Jenny Han
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Where to Start: Middle-Grade

So you've discovered middle-grade fiction. It's great isn't it? I personally think some of the most creative books are coming out of middle-grade right now. If you're not reading middle-grade, you're seriously missing out on some fabulous books.
The definition of middle-grade can be...a bit broad. But for this list, I categorize it as books that deal with characters from ages 10 to 13/14ish. Mostly because that's usually how publishers categorize it. If you're ever unsure about whether or not a book is YA, Childrens, or Middle-Grade I suggest going to your local Barnes and Nobel and seeing where it's shelved. B&N tends to put books where the publishers tell them to put the books, and what it's being sold as, is usually what it is. FYI, the middle-grade section in these stores is in the childrens area and put under ages 9-12.
As with the classics, my advice is to start with MG books that happen to fall under genres you already love. There are also some staples out there which are a good idea to just read if you want to hold any sort of conversation with middle-grade book fans.

Staples you should read pronto:
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (yes, this is technically MG, though I say it's both MG and YA)
Percy Jackson series (and spin-offs if you want) by Rick Riordan (same)
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket (especially since there's going to be a Netflix series starting next year)
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

General Middle-Grade:
Holes by Louis Sachar
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

If you like Historical Fiction:
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare
Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomary

If you like Fantasy:
Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Peter and the Starcatchers series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

If you like Sci-Fi:
Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate

If you like Mystery:
The 39 Clues series by various authors
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene (also check out the Hardy Boys series)
The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart

If you like Contempoary/Drama fiction:
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (also check out Freckle Juice and Just As Long as We're Together)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

Personal favs: The Sister's Grimm series by Michael Buckley
Chronicles of Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Where to Start: Modern Classics

This week, I'm doing Modern Classics. For the sake of this post, I'm counting modern classics as any still relevant book published between 1950 to 1990. Again, this still gives everyone lots of overwhelming options to choose from. My advice from the where to start with classics still stands: start with books that happen to fall under genres you already like/are familiar with.

General Choices:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
East of Eden by John Steinback
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

If you like Romance:
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (or any of her other numerous books)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (also counts as fantasy, but I say it's perfect for romance fans)
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

If you like Sci-Fi:
Fahrenheit 451 or the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
A Wrinkle in Time (and sequels) by Madeline L'Engle
Dune series by Frank Herbert
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams

If you like Fantasy:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Earthsea Cycle series (and others) by Ursula Le Guin
Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
Discworld 1: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

If you like Mystery:
Kay Scarpetta 1: Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

If you like Action/Adventure/Thrillers:
James Bond Book 1: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
Jake Brigance series 1: A Time to Kill by John Grisham

If you like YA:
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

If you like Childrens:
Charlotte's Web (and others) by E. B. White
James and the Giant Peach (and others) by Roald Dahl
Ramona series by Beverly Cleary

Where to Start: Classics

Welcome to the first, of what I hope to be many, Where to Start feature. This feature is going to be my way helping people who have decided to explore new genres/types of books but have no idea where to begin. Trust me, we've all been there. There are so many books out there, it can sometimes be overwhelming. By dividing it up by genre/type of book I hope to make things a little bit more easier for everyone.

Where to Start: Classics

So you've decided you want to read more classics. Now, the term classic tends to be different for everyone, but I personally categorize classics as any book that has remained relevant that was published before 1950. Some do the cut-off at 1945, some at the thirties. It depends. I just personally do it at 1950.
Now, this still gives us a LOT to choose from. My best advice is to start with classics that happen to fall under genres/types of books that you already enjoy.

If you like Romance:
Jane Austen-Your best bet is probably Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

If you like Fantasy:
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis
The Oz series by Frank L. Baum

If you like Sci-Fi:
H. G. Wells-I would go with either The Time Machine or War of the Worlds
Brave New World by Alex Huxley
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (there's going to be a movie this fall so good idea to do this one first!)

If you like Mystery:
Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Hercule Poirot series or the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie
Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers

If you like Middle-Grade/YA:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

If you like Childrens:
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
The Secret Garden or A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive list. This is just to give people a starting off point. Next week: where to start with Modern Classics