Let’s Talk: A Genre I Am Afraid Of

I like to think of myself as a genre mafioso if you will. I’m willing to read anything and I have loved a book from most every genre. I have loved Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, Romance, Auto-Biographies, Non-Fiction, Historical fiction, Literary fiction, Poetry, Paranormal, Horror, Graphic novels, Mystery (thank you Agatha Christie) Manga, and  many other genres I am not thinking of at the moment, but the one big genre I seem to be missing to this list is this one: The Thriller. 

I’m just gonna go right out there and say it: I’m scared of Thrillers. They intimidate the heck out of me. The only thriller I own is Sharp Objects and I haven’t even read it yet. As a whole I don’t even know where to begin with it. I peak out at thrillers through the bushes and wonder “Hey, could you possibly be for me?” It’s crazy because I love reading quite a few blogs who almost exclusively read and review thrillers and I stand in some sort of corner browsing and curious, but still in so many ways afraid…. and I have no idea why. 

There are so many thrillers out there that have interested me in the idea of them, but when I go to pick them up I put them back down and say maybe next time. I even have some thrillers on my tbr that I’m super interested in reading, but there is something insane in my head that is keeping me from taking the plunge and letting myself enjoy the genre for what it is. 

It’s also crazy because there are elements of thrillers that in theory should make it irresistible: 

The psychological elements: 

The mind is fascinating to me. Learning and reading about the minds darker parts reels me in. 

The twisted nature: 

(Why I love horror) To see how things can be warped and twisted to be something different from what it was but more grotesque and evil then it was before is fascinating to me. In some part of myself that’s an element that draws me more then any other. 

The Crime: 

I love crime TV. Bones, CSI, BlindSpot, Psych, even stuff like 24 and Prison Break (which are not really crime crime shows, but they are full of action and well crime so I’m including them) Their is something about the forensics and getting into the mind of a killer that is intriguing to me. 

But then this is where I finally find my why. Movie thrillers and Tv Shows are so much fun to watch. They are fast-paced and entertaining and visually I’m always intrigued. However, I always wonder how that face-paced and live-action feel would be translated into written format in an entertaining way. (This is stupid logic I know, all I have to do is look at all the fast-based fantasies I own on my shelves to be proven wrong) 

So here is my plead for you. If you have read a thriller that you have really enjoyed and feel like it would be a good read for me give me a recommendation. (BTW I’m a HUGE fan of cool premises, so if it’s a bit quirky or weird or you just find the premise to be really cool I’d love to hear about it) Help me get over my fear of thrillers! My fear doesn’t even make sense to me and I need some great books to knock some sense into my head. 

Thank you for reading!

–Till next time!