Topic of the Week: Genre-Bending Books June 22, 2009

Malena Lott

Genres help readers pick books based on what they enjoy, while they help publishers market and booksellers shelve books. Popular genres include thrillers, romance, mystery, women’s fiction, chick-lit, science fiction, et al. Some books, however, aren’t easily classified. This  week on LitChat we’ll discuss books that don’t fit squarely on a typical genre shelf.

We’ll conclude on Friday, June 26th with guest host Malena Lott, author of Dating da Vinci. Dating da Vinci follows young widow Ramona Elise as she experiences her own renaissance, with the help of a sexy young Italian immigrant named Leonardo da Vinci. Mostly chick-lit in style and vibe, Dating da Vinci breaks the mold with its serious undertones of dealing with grief. While the story reaches to entertain, the subtext about loss is a bridge over the waters of typical chick-lit.

Malena Lott is the author of The Stork Reality (Dorchester) and Dating Da Vinci (Source Books). Malena hosts a book blog called Athena’s Bookshelf, is working on a new women’s fiction novel, and a screenplay.

Follow Malena on Twitter at @MalenaLott.