Ah yes. The categories. Books here are arranged by their genre, mostly because 1) people usually like a certain genre and find it easier to pick based on that and 2) my usual system of picking books is rather erratic, and no one really understands it, even me. Let's just say it involves "Oh look at the pretty shiny gold cover" or "that one sounds cool". Aka, I'm the person who judges books by their covers.
Don't know what a genre is? I got you! Here they are, in my own words, with helpful tips to know if your reader would like them. Updated when I make a new category. Usually.
Dystopian:
Dystopian novels are broken worlds. Usually they involve corrupt governments and revolutions and wars, but sometimes they're really chill. There's also a Utopia, but I find those are really similar to Dystopias and I group them together because I'm lazy like that.
Dystopias are very versatile, with some being like hardcore revolution (The Hunger Games or Divergent), and others not so much (The Selection, which is a romance and dystopia all in one). A lot of people like them, so if you don't know, you can always start here.
Romance:
Romance novels are love stories. They are also very versatile, with the current day Rom Com romance (The Fault In Our Stars,To All the Boys I've Loved Before), or romance combined with other genres (like the aforementioned novel The Selection). Romance is very common in YA novels.
Romance is also very versatile, and often isn't the main genre of book. Any book I categorize as romance has an epic love story, as opposed to one that's been there the whole time. That means some books that have romantic elements won't be on the romance list, but I think it's easier that way. Mostly for me. As I've stated before, I'm pretty lazy.
Mystery:
Mystery novels are those books that get you on the edge of your seat, with wheels turning in your brain and your heart pounding. They're super great for getting back into the swing of reading if you've been in a slump, because they're just so good you don't wanna put them down.
Not gonna lie, mystery novels tend to have their own little nuances, but they tend to have two things. Plot twists (my second favourite kind of twist, following the ones made of bread and dipped in cinnamon sugar), and confusion. There's your murder mysteries (One of Us Is Lying), but there's always other ones if you don't like reading about death, because I don't always enjoy it either (The Inheritance Games). Pick your poison, I guess.
Mature:
These aren't their own genre, but there are some books out there that I cannot always recommend buying for someone else. Mostly because either they're steamy (not the fire kind, the *other* kind) or they're graphically violent. Most of the books I read fall under the second category, because your dude loves some crazy fight scenes, but if you find a book with this category, be warned that there may be some of that. I always say when in doubt, don't buy these for someone else, but if you know them well enough who am I to stop you?
Fantasy:
These books are too good to be true. Literally. They're in a world that's unlike the one we live in. Some of them are based in a different world entirely (Throne Of Glass) and some are based in a world much like ours but not entirely, (The Shadowhunter Chronicles, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson). I read a very diverse selection of fantasy, but I'll always make sure to indicate what type of fantasy it is whilst rambling about world building.
These books are good for readers who like getting out of their own world, your own dreamer. These tend to have a lot of complicated worldbuilding, but leave you wanting some sort of magic afterwards.
Where's the Sci-Fi category?
I don't exactly read a lot of Science Fiction, mainly because my poor brain threatens to combust if it has to do science outside of a school setting, but if I recommend a Sci-Fi, maybe I'll make it a category. Maybe. Probably.
Oh, and if you've made it this far, you may like the "Teso Rambles" category, aka me rambling about a book, series, troupe or author I particularly enjoy. These aren't really intended to help you on your journey, but they are fun to write, so I leave them.