Thanks to G Reads! for hosting! And TGIF!

The question this week:
Gateway Books: Which particular books opened you up to a new genre? 

There are so many, but I’ve narrowed them down.

 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


Sure, I could go back even farther and say Harry Potter, but Harry Potter didn’t exactly open me up to this genre. Harry Potter is a force and after reading it, I didn’t think oh, I have to go read more of these types of books.
But The Lightning Thief did.
Riordan’s tale of young Percy and his gang of demi-gods was an entertaining and wild adventure. The clever retelling of the gods on Olympus and their never ending battle was exciting and fresh.
I sent it to my Mom to read. And she still loves talking about it.

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler


You can’t go wrong with Mr. Chandler. His writing style, unique and synonymous with the genre, is beautifully crafted in this novel. I know, I know. The Big Sleep is perhaps his most well known, and I did read that one first, but nothing stole my heart like The Long Goodbye.


Chandler at his best and the first author to trap me into the world of pulp fiction.

Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione


Can you believe I found the fourth book in this series at Target? 
There I was browsing the books section minding my own business and my eye caught the fourth book’s cover. I flipped to a page and was immediately engrossed. Very heavy romance and I, never having read romance before, was immediately sucked in. Couldn’t Put It Down. 
But I couldn’t start with the fourth book! So I went to my local bookstore and picked up Pleasure Unbound. And there opened for me an entire door into the world of Paranormal Romance novels. 
Thank YOU Larissa Ione.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer


I could lie, but I won’t. I hadn’t thought about YA books really until Twilight. The striking color caught my eye and after a bunch of back and forth, with a little push from a friend, I bought it and got sucked into the world of Young Adult.
I don’t think it’s the best book, but like any gateway book, like a gateway drug, it’s fun, flirty and opens my curiosity to explore the genre a whole lot more.
I moved on quickly to Vampire Academy, Unwind, Hunger Games, Hush Hush, Princess Diaries, Shiver trilogy and still counting!

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton


And I can’t leave this out. 
I always loved to read, even when I was younger, usually Baby Sitters Club, books by Avi, Scary Stories series, Goosebumps, etc. But this book I love so much, I have read it and re-read it so many times, it has to be on the list. It was the first “bestseller adult fiction” I read and started my obsession with buying books at the local supermarket. (I was like nine or something.)

Thanks for reading! and tell me about your gateway book!