Non-comfort reading

[girlyswot]

In preparation for the journey, I made a brief visit to Barnes and Noble this afternoon. While there, I took the courageous decision to read things I don't normally read. All my purchases thus came from the various genre aisles that I normally eschew in favour of 'fiction/literature'.

My first stop was Romance where I found 'The Spymaster's Lady' by Joanna Bourne. I've read bits of this on Absolute Write and liked it, and I think moonette1 also enjoyed it, so I have quite high hopes for that one.

Next, I took a deep breath, thought of rhetoretician and turned into the SF/F aisle. Scary! I know there are people who find bookshops in general to be scary and panic-inducing places and I suddenly found myself having a lot of sympathy for them. The only book I recognised was 'The Princess Bride'. Most of the books had covers so awful that I couldn't even bring myself to read the blurb. I kept imagining what these publishers might do to 'Anat'. Finally I saw a familiar name - Lois McMaster Bujold - and clung to it in relief. I know some of my flist read and enjoy her books and, if nothing else, I'll be able to read more of ankaret's stories. I wanted 'A Civil Campaign' because of the Heyer links but they didn't have it, so I got 'Young Miles' which I think is a compendium of three novels.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, I went to more familiar territory - the Crime section. I found an Amelia Peabody I haven't read and I was very pleased to also find 'Die for Love' which girlspell had recommended. I shall enjoy imagining stmargarets among all the romance writers.

I'll probably slip in a couple of ankaret's M&B's too. So now I'm all set. Well, I still have to pack...

Comments

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I've been somewhat alarmed (hollow laughs from my writing group who've seen the outright panic) at discovering that I am, apparently, writing a fantasy novel. Since I never read them, I didn't know that was what I was doing! Anyway, we'll see how we get on. I'm looking forward to Bujold.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

Of course you read fantasy books. Harry Potter is fantasy and to suggest anything else is just pure ignorance on the part of the reader (i.e. ME - or so I've been told.)

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

LOL! I remember that debate. And actually, it's true, I do read fantasy books when I'm seduced into thinking they're something else, such as children's boarding school books.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

You weren't around the first time it came up. That time I was told, in a very patronising fashion, by a nineteen year old, that if only I had read as much as she had and had her superior understanding of genre and the obligations it lay on the author . . . blah, blah, blah. The same wretched child had earlier told me (in similar patronising fashion) that if only I listened to classical music (like wot she did!) I would realise the true genius of the score of the Harry Potter film music . . . blah, blah, blah. I was so pleased to see her announcement that she was leaving the fandom wing to the appalling drivel that was Deathly Hallows (or some such grand statement).

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, if we were only all as wise as 19 year olds, the world would be a much better place. I knew everything back then. ;)

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I knew everything back then

And, of course, forty-something women knew absolutely nothing, had never studied anything, didn't read anything and just listend to Richard Clayderman.