A Good Read - then and now

It seems like I have read all my life. However, when I really think back to what I read early in life, I cannot remember much before the Nancy Drew books that our across-the-street neighbor gave me as a young girl. Many of the dust-cover-less, faded blue, hardback books were published in the 20's and 30's, and some in the 40's. I devoured these books, although I had no notion of what a pocketbook was. (I later learned that this was a small purse, but that was news to me.) Mystery after mystery I followed Nancy page by page. I recall the words "hors d'oeureves," I had no clue as to the pronunciation - so in my head they were "whore da-ors." It wasn't until many years later when I connected the french word with what I had read in those mysteries. Innocence, what can I say?

My parents never really censored my reading. Neither parent was particularly well-educated, which is not to say that the were not smart. Not at all. Both my parents were/are quite intelligent. However, they had no background in literature, and by the time I was in eighth grade, I suspect I had read more "literary" books than they had ever desired to. Their lack of knowledge about certain books gave me a lot of freedom to choose books at will. In the eighth grade I was fascinated by Russian pre-revolutionary history. Somehow I came across the name, Dostoevsky. The first book I read by him was "Crime and Punishment." The book vividly recounted the murder and robbery of an old woman by the protagonist and his subsequent drop into the hell of haunting delirium then to redemption for the deed he had done. In 1968, it felt forbidden to be reading this novel because the graphic detail was so complete. The subject seemed tainted, and so I was fascinated. I read a few more books by Dostoevsky, but none captured my imagination as C&P did. I have since tried to read it again, but I can not. The 19th century style is long-winded and dusty. I've no patience for it any longer. Life is too short!

What kind of reading do I enjoy today? I enjoy science fiction, mysteries, and a dab of fantasy. One of my favorite authors is Anne McCaffery, and I really have enjoyed her Pern series. I also like historical fiction. A friend turned me on to Diana Galbadon and her Outlander series. I'm on the 4th book in the series, and is it ever a good read. A lot of Scottish history and lore, Gaelic words and poetry and song, a bit of time travel (pretty well done, too), and S-E-X (for those so inclined to like that sort of thing. :-). The first book I found to be a bit of a slow start in the first couple of chapters, but after that - hang on, it's a bumpy ride. One thing I like about her books is that there is a lot of action. The story is certainly not a dull one. Quite enjoyable.

I like a good mystery, too. Some more than others. I like mysteries that occur in other countries or times - somewhere (somewhen?) I have not been. That facilitates my ability to suspend my own frame of reference and just drink in the atmosphere of the story. I like PD James' novels - where I can traipse through language both familiar and foreign. (Love those English colloquialisms!)

What is on your summer reading list?