Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Fluff Reading
Some days its nice to just have some fluff reading to enjoy-- something that you can just pick up for a few hours to reward yourself or blow off some steam, but that you don't have to have a huge relationship with. That's what I was looking for today. Sarah stayed home sick, and I have spent the last couple days working on taxes. Now that I have both of the rough drafts done I wanted something easy to read that would allow me to dump some stress. I was also hunting around the house to find the Prisoner of Azkeban. (Have any of you seen it? Is it in Provo, by chance?) While searching the shelves I found the prequel to the Wheel of Time series and the 2nd Mrs. Pollifax book. New Spring got the nod first and I read around 75 pages of it. I am feeling that Robert Jordan can't write a short book. I also think that a person who is a Wheel of Time afficianado would like it best. I couldn't keep going. Then I turned to The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax. This is a perfect book for some enjoyable escapism. If you are familiar with the Mrs. Pollifax books, this is the one that is primarily set in Turkey. Later on in the series the plots start to become formulaic, but there are some principles about these books that I really like. They are spy books, but the violence isn't gratuitous. I like that she basically believes in people. Yes the bad guys are bad, and hardened, but one of Dorothy Gillman's beliefs seems to be that most normal people are basically good. Another one is in common with J.R.R. Tolkien--that normal people can do incredible things. I guess that is something that I need to hear occasionally. So, if you want some light, slightly suspenseful reading, Dorothy Gillman is a good choice. I always laugh when I read the part in this book where she needs to drive the helicopter to get the good guy to the airport on time. Nicely done! I should add, that I think well-written fluff reading should be part of everyone literary diet.
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Mom, I thought you made a really good point at the end--that well-written fluff reading should be part of everyone's literary diet. It made me think of a perhaps parallel principle. I think that all levels of life are really important, the deep levels as well as the more superficial (meaning everyday) levels. Some books are like that, exploring deep issues, as others are lighter "fluff"--but good fluff always teaches true principles, like how you said Dorothy Gillman believes that people are basically good, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, a few weeks ago I was sitting in sacrament meeting and thinking about some things I've been trying to work on, when I thought, somewhat impatiently, "Mary, you need to focus on the Savior and the sacrament!" But after a minute I thought that thinking about those "superficial" issues were really connected to those deeper things by the Atonement. It's like a wheel with spokes--those little things are on the outside, touching our daily actions and choices, but they are an evidence of the power of the Atonement and a connection to deeper things. Sorry if this is a little random for a book blog comment (and long) but it made me look at surface-level stuff a little differently, and I think that same principle is in the reading of books. So thanks for letting me know about a good fluff option, Mom!:)
I have read a few of Dorothy Gillman's Mrs. Pollifax's adventures and I have to say I agree with everything you've said. They are the perfect fluff books for a relaxing afternoon! I love a book that allows you to read it quickly, understand it, but not feel like you've wasted an entire afternoon reading something of no worth.
ReplyDeleteThere are another series of books written in a similar vein about a male private eye and his cats. I can't remember what it is called... or who the author is... but the protagonist lives in a remodeled apple barn. Anyway, if anyone knows what books those are, can you please tell me? For a year or so in high school those mysteries were the ones I picked up in high school when I wanted some fluff. I'll keep my eye out for what they are called so I can really recommend them to you!
Those are good. I have a couple of them. I think they are called something like The Cat Who _____. The protagonist is Jim Qwilleran and his 2 Siamese cats are KoKo and YumYum--recognizable names for us Mikado fans. The one that I have is called The Cat who Smelled a Rat. The series is by Lilian Jackson Braun. Another good one is the cooking mysteries by Diane Mott Davison (I think). The first one is called Death by Chocolate. Fun stuff, and they include recipes.
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