It is important to think about genre conventions when writing a book. However, as an avid reader who just wants to enjoy books, I focus on books that make me think, books that illustrate the historical, cultural, and psychological forces that shape individuals and events. Books that help me understand the how and why of things that happened. Yet, I also enjoy mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. Below I've listed some of my favorite books and authors. You'll notice a few of the best young adult novels on the list. 

Books with Layers--Historical, Cultural, and Psychological

The Things They Carried  Tim O'Brien
A Lesson Before Dying  Ernest Gaines
Invisible Man  Ralph Ellison (not the novel by H. G. Wells)
The Book Thief  Markus Zusak
The Great Gatsby  F. Scott Fitzgerald
Cry, the Beloved Country  Alan Paton
The Grapes of Wrath  John Steinbeck 
Things Fall Apart  Chinua Achebe
The Color Purple  Alice Walker
All the Light We Cannot See  Anthony Doerr
Speak Laurie Halse Anderson


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Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fahrenheit 451  Ray Bradbury
The Giver   Lois Lowry
Lord of the Rings  J. R. R. Tolkien
Station Eleven  Emily St. John Mandel
Cloud Cuckoo Land  Anthony Doerr
Handmaid's Tale  Margaret Atwood

Mysteries

Agatha Christie mysteries
P.D. James mysteries
Louise Penny mysteries
Lianne Moriarty books
Rebecca  Daphne Du Maurier
Gone Girl  Gillian Flynn
Girl on the Train  Paula Hawkins