This Is The One Reddit Thread You Need To Read If You're Tired Of Reading The Same Genre

As any consummate reader knows, the more you read, the less, you realize, you have read. So much has been created. So much is waiting, ready to be consumed at the library or bookstore or in a great-aunt's attic. And as we learn our tastes, we each have a genre, a sub-genre or a "genre" that we consider ourselves to be cultivators of.

Yesterday, redditor r/hentobee posed a question to the /r/books community. Er, maybe it was more of a challenge. "State your favorite genre and pick three books of that genre that a beginner should read, three for veterans and three for experts," they wrote, noting that a similar thread had become popular on an /r/suggestmeabook message board. "I thought that it would be great if it is done in /r/books as it will get more visibility."

And ooh, boy, did it get more visibility. Within a day, the question has garnered nearly 6,000 comments, and some of the top comments themselves snagged hundreds, if not thousands, of points. Hundreds of mini-syllabi poured in, laying claim to genres like "Out at sea" and "Golden age of murder mysteries." And then, of course, came the "edits" - the books people forgot, omitted, allegedly mis-filed or ranked incorrectly. It's like a really widespread, chatty book club.

The great outpouring, which hasn't slowed down yet, is indicative of the way reading, which by definition is a solitary activity, still manages to cultivate a strong sense of community. And it does so by encouraging, by thriving on the act of sharing. Think about it: sharing books is one of the great ways to connect with a person in your life. It's kind of magical, really, the way words on a page can serve as a transcendent experience for a whole slew of people. And even if they've never met, even if they are just avatars and words on a screen to one another, they've been through that literary portal together. It's a space of common ground.

So in the spirit of sharing, we've shared some of our favorite reading lists from this now-viral reddit post. Also, we gotta know: What is your favorite genre?