What Do You Read? Why Do You Read?

                                                                         

 After my post last week about the book Read Dangerously--an invitation to read subject matter that may make you uncomfortable, even as it expands your awareness of society-- I kept thinking about this topic. 

Reading dangerously is certainly a good thing--but it's not the only thing. There's comfort reading--books that will make you feel good. In my case it's pretty much always a book I've read before and can trust not to give me any unpleasant surprises. In fact, the day after I finished Read Dangerously, I took Josie to the library and while we were perusing the books, I found myself taking down Little Women and diving into that sweet, moral world. It doesn't hurt that this is a book my grandmother read to me when I had measles and wasn't allowed to read. I've read and re-read till my copy (previously my grandmother's) has fallen apart. So (spoiler alert) Beth's death won't be an unpleasant surprise.

Other of my favorite comfort reads include P.G. Wodehouse, C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Madeline L'Engle, Elizabeth Goudge, and Rosamund Pilcher. When I'm feeling fragile and reluctant to immerse myself in reality, these do the trick.

I like to read to learn, as well--good historical fiction such a Mary Renault or James Michener or Edward Rutherfurd has taught me a lot. Sarah Vowell's non-fiction is equally enjoyable and instructive.                                                        

And there's reading for escape--for a cracking good story you can get lost in for a while. Thinking of John Grisham, Neil Gaiman, Tony Hillerman, Laurie R. King . . . just the tip of the iceberg. Those are some I re-read, but there are many, many others.

What's your reading fancy? And what categories have I missed?

                                                    

Bestsellers for 2007

Malaprop's Books is a fine independent bookstore in downtown Asheville and the booksellers there have been supportive of Elizabeth from the beginning, thrusting her on all comers who wander in off the street looking for books about the area.

Recently I saw the list of their top ten bestsellers for 2007 . . . and somehow felt compelled to share.

1. Coming in at number one (no surprises here) was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (she who is richer than the queen.)

2. Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell, a critically acclaimed local story by a local guy.

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, a great story with a surprise ending.

4. Oh, my goodness! Look who's fourth!

5. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon An addition to this hugely popular series.

6.The Inheritance of Loss byKiran Desai Kiran Desai's first novel, "Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard," was published to unanimous acclaim in over twenty-two countries. Now Desai takes us to the northeastern Himalayas where a rising insurgency challenges the old way of life. In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga lives an embittered old judge who wants to retire in peace when his orphaned granddaughter Sai arrives on his doorstep. The judge's chatty cook watches over her, but his thoughts are mostly with his son, Biju, hopscotching from one New York restaurant job to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS, forced to consider his country's place in the world. When a Nepalese insurgency in the mountains threatens Sai's new-sprung romance with her handsome Nepali tutor and causes their lives to descend into chaos, they, too, are forced to confront their colliding interests. The nation fights itself. The cook witnesses the hierarchy being overturned and discarded. The judge must revisit his past, his own role in this grasping world of conflicting desires-every moment holding out the possibility for hope or betrayal. A novel of depth and emotion, Desai's second, long-awaited novel fulfills the grand promise established by her first.

7. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar and Neil Gaiman "The Good Fairies of New York" tells the fish-out-of-water story of two Scottish thistle fairies who find themselves in Manhattan. The fairies hook up with two humans, Kerry (complete with colostomy bag) and Dinnie (antisocial in the extreme), finding time to help both get their acts together. A book that brings together race riots and Scottish folklore, "The Good Fairies of New York" is anything but a typical fairy fantasy.

8. And in eighth place . . .

9. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk - A fascinating and challenging murder mystery/love story set in the competitive community of manuscript illustrators in Istanbul.


10. And for the trifecta. . .!

So, it's not the NYT bestseller list --- I still thought it was pretty cool . . .