Stuck in a reading rut? Want to expand your reading horizons in 2026? You’re in luck! Every month this year, we will be delving deep into popular genres at the library. If you’re already a fan, find readalike suggestions for popular authors and ideas for similar genres to explore. If you’re brand new to the genre in question, you will find a helpful explanation of the hallmarks of the genre, a breakdown of its most common subgenres, and explanations of what readers find so appealing about the most popular authors writing those types of books. Let’s explore literary fiction for April!
Literary fiction might be one of the most intimidating genres in our collection for many readers. But it doesn’t have to be. We have a much smaller number of patrons who check it out than other genres, but like our fantasy fans, the ones who do are very loyal and engaged and always on the lookout for a new great author or title to enjoy. I have also done a couple literary fiction reader’s advisory readalike lists over the years. That’s the service we offer that provides tailor-made suggestions for people based on their own personal reading history and preferences.
Literary fiction doesn’t really have subgenres in the sense that many genres have. For the sake of convenience, however, in this literary fiction booklet, we cover 3 different subsets of literary fiction–prizewinning literary fiction (prestigious, often experimental works), popular literary fiction (more accessible, less experimental examples), and magical realism (literary fiction plus supernatural and/or magical elements in an otherwise realistic story and setting).
Whether you’re a complete newbie to literary fiction or a veteran literary fiction reader, there should be something new for you in the booklet.
We also have some cool literary fiction handouts and recommendation lists already uploaded on our Readers’ And Viewers’ Advisory Resources page on the right-hand sidebar under General Fiction, especially for popular literary fiction and magical realism.
You can also use the “literary fiction” tags and categories feature on the top left-hand side of this post to search for other literary fiction recommendations on the blog. Just click on it, and you can pore through every single post that highlights a literary fiction book.
If you are still not finding anything new and appealing to read (or you are not interested in literary fiction), use our Google Form or contact the library in person or by phone or email to request a reader’s advisory consultation. I will write you a personalized list of suggested authors and titles based on your reading preferences.
If you’re a literary fiction fan, you might also want to try out our adult book club. We read a nice variety of literary fiction, classics, genre books, and nonfiction. This year, our literary fiction titles have already included work by Louise Erdrich and Claire Keegan, and we have an Emily St. John Mandel book on the schedule for this summer. Reach out to us at the library for more information on the book club.
Happy reading!
What’s your favorite genre? What new-to-you genre are you exploring in 2026? Who’s your favorite literary fiction writer? Tell us in the comments! As always, please follow this link to our online library catalog for more information on any of our items or to place them on hold.
The following resources have been especially helpful in preparing this booklet and post:
NoveListPlus. Ebsco.
Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. ALA: Chicago and London, 2001.
Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 2nd edition. ALA: Chicago, 2009.
Syndetics Unbound library catalog enrichment service.
Berryville Book Buzz 