What do you read when you want to just stop thinking? Maybe you spent your summer in a classroom, the economy is stuck in the doldrums, the politicians are posturing and debtageddon hovers. That's when you want a book that offers escape. When I was going through a dreadful divorce, I found solace in romance novels by Katie Fforde. At other times I've read about vampires and Swedish detectives. Right now the lassitude is so dire, I just want something that is totally engaging yet totally escapist. What would you read?
16 comments:
I'd recommend a murder mystery that takes you by the neck and doesn't let go. Perhaps Ethel White's Some Must Watch or M.M. Kaye's Death in Kashmir. (I am presuming you have finished Agatha Christie).
I read trash - chick lit, the Sookie Stackhouse novels and tacky historical fiction.
Or I return to one of my old favourites, a book that I know I can lose myself in.
Hope you are feeling more positive soon.
I usually go for a mystery or fantasy. Right now I'm reading Game of Thrones and it's the perfect summer reading. Occasionally I'll go for something a little trashy - you know, a woman's romantic escapades - but I always feel kind of disappointed in the book by the end...something about the style of those books doesn't fit as well with me as the mysteries and fantasies.
And there's always YA, of course...it's comforting to reread a book I loved ten years ago. Hope you find your perfect piece of escapist lit soon.
-- Ellen
@neer-I'll check out Ethel White. Read Agatha Christie ages ago, not recently.
@Sam-Sookie Stackhouse-that's amd idea! I was going to borrow the 1st one from my daughter when she finishes it.
@fatbooks-Game of Thrones did occur to me--also Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I like the idea of pure fantasy.
Mysteries. Cold Comfort Farm. P.G. Wodehouse. All like a warm hug to me.
When in doldrums I read to escape too. My go to book... Whitney My Love for historical romance & Calvin & Hobbes for good ole laughs. Works everytime ;)
For escape, there's nothing like children's literature...especially those you might have missed because you were either too young or too old. Like the Boxcar Children. Or the Sammy Keyes mystery series. One of my favs is The Flight of the Cassowary by John LeVert.
Chick lit!
For pure escape that won't let you up from your couch, I'd heartily recommend The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, the pseudonym of a Swedish married couple.
It purely entertained!!!
Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)
When I need to be cheered up, I tend to either go for 'tradition' mysteries (aka, no blood & core or suspense, more like a puzzle; if you haven't given Laurie King's Mary Russell series a try yet, it's wonderful...starts with The Beekeeper's Apprentice but really finds its footing w second one, A Monstrous Regiment of Women) or classic authors who I can depend on for a fun story and happy ending (Wilkie Collins, Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, etc.). When I have fibro-induced brain fog but still want to read, I go for children's books (especially classic ones: right now I'm listening to Treasure Island) or maybe a Georgette Heyer novel. Usually, I just stop reading until my brain works better, though!
I read Fantasy, lots of World of Warcraft, DragonLance paperbacks. There's something very soothing about the experience.
I also used to read Nora Roberts novels (haven't read one in a while). They're excellent escape pods.
Hope you find just the right thing to read.
wodehouse he is great or Saki short and funny ,all the best stu
@Frances-I ended up picking up a Henning Mankell. The writing is flat, but it has a plot (& a mystery).
@Aisle B-Calvin & Hobbes is the best. Fabulous vocabulary, too.
@Betty-I LOVED the Boxcar children. That would be pure nostalgia!
@bermudaonion-I haven't read enough chick lit to know what's good!
@Judith-I heard that couple interviewed on NPR. They were very entertaining.
@Eva-I picked up The Beekeeper's Apprentice on one of my non-authorized book-buying sprees, and I definitely want to get to it soon.@Mayowa-when I get time, I'm going to reward myself with a really long fantasy novel!
@stu-I thought you only read the serious stuff! Wodehouse is a good idea, and I have never read him.
If I want to read without wanting to think, I usually go to a piece of FanFic.
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