Christina and Lauren's Genre Swap Challenge
Christina 🫀
Two things in which I pride myself as a “spooky librarian” are (1) leaping into scary unknowns and (2) finding opportunities to make a believer out of skeptics of the horror genre. So when an idea to swap fiction genres with my LPL colleague Lauren arose — yes, this means I too will have to cross the threshold into a genre I rarely engage with — I leaped at the challenge to introduce her to a reading experience that would thrill the senses...but maybe not in the way she’s used to.
Lauren is a voracious romance genre reader who has dipped her toes into horror just a bit with Jade Song’s aquatic literary horror Chlorine and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s menacing Mexican Gothic. But she’s now looking to swim out to the deeper end of horror’s depths, and I am excited to be her water wings!
Before choosing Lauren’s book, she made it very clear I should stay clear of certain tropes while welcoming others and appreciating a compelling plot:
Lauren’s Wish List
- Absolutely no cannibalism (gosh darn it)
- And preferably no insect horror
- Doesn't mind plenty of gore (yippee!)
- Not opposed to zombies or ghosts
- She wants a real page turner — something that’ll grab her from page one
My first instinct was to recommend Delilah S. Dawson’s Bloom for its short length, compelling plot, and “fun” twist. But this book unfortunately features one of the two tropes she specifically asked me to avoid. My second instinct was to reach for Isabel Cañas’ The Hacienda— historical horror about a house that needs exorcising and has a touch of romance throughout. But this book isn’t quite the challenge she’s looking for, seeing as it’s got a few similarities to Mexican Gothic.
We finally shook hands on an unhinged favorite of mine, CJ Leede’s Maeve Fly — ingredients include a quirky but psychotic female protagonist, a dash of dark humor, a pinch of lust, and several spoonfuls of violence. (Mwahahaha!)
My hope is that, after finishing this book, Lauren will gain a newfound lust for blood as much as sensual spice. And I hope the book she’s thoughtfully chosen for me will inspire a desire to cherish romantic matters of the heart — instead of the usual urge to rip said hearts out of chest cavities.
Should any of these recommendations catch your interest, dear reader, here is a list of more horror books both you and Lauren might enjoy!
Lauren 💖
Wow. Christina has written such a fab introduction. How do I even follow it up? I guess I’ll jump right in and hope Christina thinks the water is nice! I’m not sure which one of us had this idea to exchange genres and try to win the other over to a genre that is so antithetical to where they like to spend their time, but I too was tickled by trying to get a consummate horror reader to love the sappiest of genres: Romance.
When Christina and I sat down to chat about what our likes and dislikes would be for our book exchange, we also talked a little bit about her previous experience as a romance reader. Which I found out was lackluster (and it made me weep a little). The last time she read a romance was in 2016 (Fangirl)! And most of the other romance books she could remember reading were YA, like Anna and the French Kiss. She said that romances sometimes make her cringe because she remembers being that over-the-top, swoony girl, and she wanted to avoid secondhand ick. But let’s face it, who wasn’t a little awkward and weird with their first crushes, kisses, and love interests? Christina also shared some tropes, vibes, and plot points that she wanted:
Christina’s Wish List
- Up for something spicy, but doesn’t want wall-to-wall smut
- Loves a cozy town, witchy vibes (like Practical Magic, both the books and the movie), and enemies-to-lovers storylines
- Not opposed to monster romance (but it's not her first choice)
- Enjoys morally grey characters, but wants to be just as excited about both protagonists in the novel
- HARD YES to queer romance, including any variety of LGBTQ+ characters
So if you haven’t noticed from my previous blogs, I like a romance spicy and full of monsters. Early when we were plotting out how we’d do this exchange, Christina mentioned that it would be fun to keep a little bit of each genre: horror and romance in each other’s books. But she threw me for a loop by wanting something cozy! My first thoughts had been Her Soul to Take, which is SPICY and cult-y with cabin-in-the-woods vibes — not exactly cozy. Then I thought of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, but it’s very low on spice and has more of a found family/fantasy feel than a true Romance. If those sound up your alley, I encourage you to check out my full list of romance picks, opens a new window for Christina.
But weighing out Christina's preferences ultimately led me to Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti. It’s queer; it’s cute; it has a haunted house. The romance is swoon-worthy. Hopefully, it’s just cozy and smutty enough to satisfy Christina’s wish list. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks about it in our follow-up blog post in March.
Until then, feel free to read along, and let us know what you think of both books. Comment your thoughts below, and we may feature some highlights along with our own next month!
—Christina James is a Readers' Services Assistant, and Lauren Taylor is a Senior Children's Librarian at Lawrence Public Library.
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