Do you ever find yourself in a reading rut? If so, you’re not alone! Each of us enjoys our favorites. However, if we are honest, ruts hinder us from making new discoveries.

That’s why the Genre Explorers Book Club invites you to expand your reading horizons beyond your favorite types of books. Each quarter, I select a genre or theme and build library displays and suggestion lists in the library’s catalog. You get to choose the books you read!

Recently, members of the book club met to share their experiences with the “classics reimagined” genre — books in which modern authors have altered aspects of an original classic by creating a new spin. Coincidentally, most of our readers chose revised fairy tales and myths.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try one of their favorite reimagined tales below to enliven your reading experience:

• “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer: A cyborg strives to save her world from a devastating plague. Multiple club members favored this suspenseful, futuristic reimagining of Cinderella!
• “The Plated Prisoner” series by Raven Kennedy: Looking for a spicy and exciting romantasy? Consider this retelling of the King Midas myth. You’ll fall into a fantasy world filled with political manipulation for power.
• “Poisoned” by Jennifer Donnelly: A sinister evil is motivating Snow White’s stepmother to kill her. Snow White and her friends must find and defeat the real enemy threatening her throne.
• “March” by Geraldine Brooks: John March, the father of the four sisters in “Little Women,” is off fighting in the Civil War. Although absent from the original classic, Brooks brings him to life in this story.
• “Shield Maiden” by Sharon Emmerichs: The ancient Beowulf legend is both honored and reborn when his disfigured niece embraces a magical power to protect her people.
• “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller: The author envisions a beautiful story of love and destiny between Achilles and his friend, Patroclus.
• “Clytemnestra” by Costanza Casati: Clytemnestra, an intelligent and powerful Spartan queen, plots her revenge against her captor, Agammemnon.
• “All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother” by Danielle Teller: A fun and easy read, this story transforms Cinderella’s nemesis into a strong and supportive stepmother.
• “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey: In this reimagined Russian fairy tale, a childless couple love a magical snow child as their own.

Join the Genre Explorers Book Club by reading a standalone mystery this spring. This theme is perfect for those who enjoy the thrill of solving crimes but don’t want to commit to reading an entire series. Browse suggestions in the library’s catalog under the “Standalone Mysteries” category.

A great place to start is by reading the library’s One Grand Book: “Winter Counts” by David Weiden. Then attend his author talk at 6 p.m. Friday, March 28, at Granby Library.

The next Genre Explorers Book Club meetings are at 6 p.m. May 12 at Kremmling Library or May 14 at Hot Sulphur Springs Library.

Shelly Mathis is a library associate at Grand County Library District. She can be reached at smathis@gcld.org.