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 science fiction for August since we made pigs fly earlier this month when we opened our new building. 🙂
Science fiction may be intimidating for the uninitiated, but it doesn’t have to be! Yes, science and technology play key roles in this genre, but it is not all technical talk. There is a lot of speculation about how science and technology will advance but also on how these innovations have and will impact us as humans. In an increasingly tech-dependent world, this is something many of us have begun to think a lot more about!
Our science fiction collection doesn’t circulate as heavily as genres like suspense and romance, but our patrons who love science fiction are loyal and avid readers of the genre. I have also done a couple science 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.
Science fiction has multiple subgenres. In our booklet, we cover dystopian, hard science fiction, soft science fiction, space operas, military science fiction, science fantasy, and alternate history/time travel science fiction.
Whether you’re a complete newbie to science fiction or a veteran science fiction reader, there should be something new for you in the booklet.
We also have some cool science fiction recommendation lists already uploaded on our Readers’ And Viewers’ Advisory Resources page on the right-hand sidebar under Fantasy/Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction.
You can also use the “science fiction” tags and categories feature on the top left-hand side of this post to search for other science fiction recommendations on the blog. Just click on it, and you can pore through every single post that highlights a science fiction book.
If you are still not finding anything new and appealing to read (or you are not interested in science 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.
Happy reading!
What’s your favorite genre? What new-to-you genre are you exploring in 2026? Who’s your favorite science 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:
Adult Reading Round Table Steering Committee. The ARRT
Popular Fiction List: A Self-Evaluative Bibliography for Readers’ Advisors. 5th edition, 2019.
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.
Neal Wyatt and Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 3rd edition. ALA: Chicago, 2019.
Syndetics Unbound library catalog enrichment service.
Berryville Book Buzz 