Genre Study: Genre Blends – Intro Meeting

Join us for our first meeting of a brand-new Genre Study! We’ll kick off a two year study of Genre Blends on Thursday, February 5th, from 2-4 at the Elmhurst
Public Library.

Please RSVP to Elizabeth Hopkins: hopkinse@lislelibrary.org

What’s Genre Study?

Learning about popular genres is one of the fundamental goals of the Adult Reading Round Table. Designed for library workers who want to keep their RA skills up-to-date, Genre Study is an in-depth review of a particular genre over a two-year period. We will be studying Genre Blends from 2026-2027. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about some of the OG genre blends and authors, while also gaining exposure to new trends and fresh titles.

ARRT members are welcome to attend however many meetings work with their schedules.

We will generally meet on the first Thursday of even-numbered months. Meetings are in-person and locations will rotate throughout the Chicago-land area.

Traditional Blends Assignment:
Our first meeting will focus on Traditional Blends. Please come prepared to discuss two books total from the lists below. We recommend you choose titles or genres that are out of your usual, comfort-zone reading in order to get the most beneficial experience!

Historical Mysteries

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee
• Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
• A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
• A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
• Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl by Fiona Britton
• The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
• A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

Magical Realism

• The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Regan Barnhill
• When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
• The Enchanted Hacienda by Jennifer Cervantes
• The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

Romantic Suspense

• When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
• The Obsession by Nora Roberts
• Whiteout by Adriana Anders
• You Can Run by Rebecca Zanetti
• Malice at the Marina by Carol Ericson
• Dark Water Disappearance by K.D. Richards
• Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan
• Backcountry Cover Up by Denise N. Wheatley

Space Opera

• Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
• Flight of the Sparrow by Fallon Demornay
• Meru by S. B. Divya
• The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
• Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho
• Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes
• The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor