This week’s TTT topic is books I enjoyed that are outside of my comfort zone. These books could be genres I’m not typically interested in, subject matter I’m not usually drawn to, etc. I don’t push myself much since I insist that reading be a fun and pleasurable experience for me, and not a growing or learning experience (at least not all the time) so I only have five picks this week.

1. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
I went in to this thinking it’s bookish and it could be fun, but I didn’t have very high hopes. It’s a memoir and I’m super selective of which ones I read, so I wasn’t entirely sure it’d be a win for me. But it ended up being very fun! I’m actually reading the sequel right now, and it’s delightful. Helene is very funny.

2. Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie
This is adult urban fantasy, which I seriously never read. It wads an Audible Daily Deal one day, and my friend sent it to me because he thought I might like it. Guys, I’ve binged the entire series since. And it’s weird because there’s no romance! That’s another thing that makes it a very non-Jana book. The audio is fun, and I like the fantasy elements and the banter between characters. I’m looking forward to the release of the next book in October. It must be noted that I hate the book cover so much.

3. The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
I read this only because I heard the audio was really good. There’s pretty much no romance and I’m not usually a steampunk fan, but the audio was amazing and I ended up loving this book!

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This one was out of my comfort zone because I hate crying. lol. As such, I tend to avoid WWII fiction. It’s also narrated by Death, which worried me. But it’s such a beautiful story.

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
I’m not a fantasy for fantasy’s sake kind of person. I don’t love magic on its own. Either one of these story elements require romance, and there’s none in this. lol. I’m also not so much a middle grade fan right now, but I knew I had to give Harry Potter a shot. I really loved it! Now I just have to read the rest of the series.

Which books have you really enjoyed that were outside your comfort zone?