I used to be a literary snob. Unless a book was on a list important books to read I would not give it a chance. In high school I prided myself on reading through the classics. I never touched a mystery, a romance, adolescent books, etc. I only wanted to read books that had a purpose and a place in the literary cannon. I was hooked on classics and my shelves were filled with books such as Camus's The Stranger, Hugo's Les Miserables, Bronte's Jane Eyre. Guilty pleasures included Austen, Plath, Zora Neale Hurston and later Barbara Kingsolver.
Then I met Andrew. I continued to read my way through my snobbish book collection--it wasn't any surprise that I was an English major--while he rapidly turned pages in crime novels. The summer after we got married I had a lot of time on my hands and a lot of books at my fingertips. Andrew and his sisters were all reading Harry Potter and I decided since it was required reading for a class I took in college, I could work my way through the rest of the series.
Potter was simply a gateway drug. After devouring books 1-6, I started thinking about lowering some of my literary standards. On a road trip we listened to a Sue Grafton novel and I decided I needed to get to know Kinsey Millhone.
After reading my way through her mystery alphabet I continued to gorge myself on mystery after mystery with a few works of Christian fiction, some humor and even a few adolescent lit. novels on the side.
After reading my way through her mystery alphabet I continued to gorge myself on mystery after mystery with a few works of Christian fiction, some humor and even a few adolescent lit. novels on the side.Like an addict, I couldn't stop reading. Andrew and his dad began introducing me to their favorites.
I took a Skinny Dip with Carl Hiassen, solved crimes with Steve Martini's Madriani and fell in love with John Sandford's handsome Lucas Davenport. His sisters and mom unknowingly persuaded me to read my way through Lori Wick's body of work as well as several of Georgette Heyer's historical romances.
On my own I discovered Meg Cabot's Airhead, Heather Wells and Princess Mia. I laughed through The Nannie Diaries, shopped with Rebecca Bloomwood in EVERY Shopaholic book, and traveled with The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
Even with all of the fluff, I have taken some time to read "good" books that top bestseller lists and have gained recent literary acclaim. I read Stieg Larson's Girl ... series, Tana French's In the Woods, The Likeness and Faithful Place. I've enjoyed Water for Elephants, The Help, Memoirs of a Geisha, Life of Pi, and other recent classics but haven't found myself tied down to my narrow literary ways. Even though I always enjoyed reading, once I let myself go down the road of popcorn fiction I learned how to zoom through books.
So today I am thankful that there are hundreds of authors out there that have taught me not to take reading and myself so seriously. There are still some books that cause my nose to turn up, but I've tried to have a more open relationship with the books on the shelves at the local library. There is a place for classics but now I see that there is a place for just plain fun. At the end of the day I would rather journey with Paul Madriani on a journey to find Liquida than hang out with Herman Melville and tonight that is just what I am going to do.
hmmm..."read through" georgette's historical romances?? mom says "there is having a brush with georgette...and then there's TRUE dedication." :)
ReplyDeletetwilight yet? teen trash at its best but we cycled a set of the series through the health dept when i worked there and i read the second one in a day - totally hooked. never in my wildest would i have picked it up but they were a really good read (albeit mindless and silly, just good trashy stuff to keep around!). i loved shopaholic. yaya sisterhood has a prayer growp series. elementary like twilight - so much so that i almost didn't make it through the first book, but they are decent. my aunt gave me the series to read when oliver was born and nursed all day long. i had to take a break from them though so i've just started the 5th of 6 books recently.
ReplyDeletewelcome to the world of reading for pleasure :)
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