It can be very easy to stay firmly within your comfort zone, reading only those books that meet your requirements. And I have been very guilty of this in the past. For a long time, I only read romance. I never read young adult or children’s books. But about 15 years ago, I started changing all of that.

I was gifted a popular young adult series, and I loved it (at the time), so I started reading other young adult fantasy books. From there I opened up to more young adult books, then children’s. I also started reading adult fantasy and even some science fiction. I started reading books with more social justice themes and cultures very unlike my own. And I’ve found some of my favorite books and authors. I might have missed them if I had stayed in my comfort zone.

Now, I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone, at least when it comes to reading. It has only helped me to become more open and understanding as a human.

Here are some of the books that pushed me out of my comfort zone that I fell in love with:

The Martian by Andy Weir (Science Fiction)
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Medical Memoir)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (WWII)
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Social Justice)
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Thriller)

This is Not the End by Sydney Bell (Polyamory)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Translated Work)
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Social Justice Memoir)