Themes are the (sometimes) hard-to-define elements of a book that hook a reader—we’ve talked about them before, from our initial announcement to suggesting ways to use them with library patrons. Now by popular demand, we built a resource within NoveList and NoveList Plus that allows you to see at a glance how our themes are organized.
Here is a peek at our new browsable themes:
Not sure where to start? We recommend just diving in. Since genre fiction is a rich resource for themes, it made sense to group our browsing experience around genres.
Some story themes span multiple genres (fish out of water), but others are more directly linked to specific ones. For example, first contact and alien invasions are familiar science fiction themes, while academies of magic are popular within fantasy. Romance readers know and love their favorite themes more than perhaps any other genre fans (marriage of convenience, anybody?). We also created some themes specifically for juvenile books. The “realistic fiction” theme page targets themes for ages 9-12 through teen, while our “just for kids” page centers on themes developed for our very youngest readers. So, for books about anything from making new friends or living with invisible disability to life after high school or misfits united, we’ve got you covered.
Ready to learn more? There are two easy ways to access themes in NoveList:
- In the navigation pane at the top of your screen, select Browse By and then Themes.
- Do a keyword search for “themes” and select the Lists & Articles tab. More themes info is also available in our Idea Center.
Let us know what you think. Tell us your favorite theme!
Victoria Caplinger Fredrick is the Director of Book Discovery at NoveList.