Reading

I've become a bit of an eclectic reader of late. My general strategy in the past has been to look about the bookstore or library until a book's binding or title pops out at me. It is amazing how much you really can tell about a book by those two elements. Of course, you can also do the "short book" game, detailed elsewhere on this blog.

Lately though, I've fallen back into the habit of reading less stressful books. Really, if a book is going to make it into your soul/stay with you for life/all that, it has to be pretty dramatic an a bit stressful at time (i.e. Never Let Me Go was a lovely book, but not very cheery).  But I'm pretty well stressed lately, so I've been defaulting to easier reading choices.

I read a fair number of children's books (obviously).  The reasons are pretty simple: children's books are generally pretty low stress (except The Golden Compass which was just unpleasant) with happy endings.  A lot can go on, and I actually do have a deep respect for the amount of work that has to go into these books, but they also do tend to be short and easier to follow.  That, and I write a children's book series (not a published one, but still), and it is important to see what others are doing.

One really unusual reading habit I've gotten into lately is the multiple readings of books by the same author in a row.  I've never really done that before, but now it seems more like becoming familiar with a certain feeling.  Like Cherie Priest's work and those of Nick Hornby.  There's a general emotion to reading them.  It is the same for series because, nearly always, they too have the same author or authors throughout.

Then there is the Japanese light novel.  Ah, they are nice.  Pictures and everything.  Quick reads with generally happy endings. 

What I don't read, however, are mystery books (or suspense).  I think I've watched too many cop shows, 'cause I generally figure it out pretty quick.  That, and they seem to play on the assumption that the reader is ignorant to some element of the script- i.e. a setting ("Let's set it in New Mexico!"), a time period ("World War I sounds good- no one knows about then!"), a character trait ("Oh ho!  Let's give her OCD!"), or a particularly creepy crime (use your imagination).  I almost always dislike them, even if I enjoy the characters.

A wonderful way to find a book is to look for the fantasy plot in a general fiction context.  Like the sneaky sci fi/fantasy book that is considered good enough to be placed in the general fiction section of the bookstore/library (i.e. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, Never Let Me Go, lots of works by Haruki Murakami).  They are pretty hard to find though :|  Requires lots of patience.

I also read comics, because I'm awesome like that.  Nerdy.  Yes.  Anyway, I usually go through other peoples' favorites lists.  Things pop up fairly often.  I can also search by theme.

Themes.  Hm.  I love distopias in general (The Handmaid's Tale in particular), as well as afterlife-focused books (Lovely Bones, Elsewhere, The Great Blue Yonder, Afterlife).  Pre-life themes are even more exciting to me, but quite hard to come across.  I'd give an example, but this sort of thing often comes as a twist.

Going to sleep now- cheers.