Island Murders by Wanda Canada is a story that grabs you by the throat on page one and keeps on choking. Dead bodies pile up like magazines on the back of the toilet. I lost count—six dead in the first half of the book? Plus one house fire and one attempted house fire, and shots fired in the main character’s back yard. Before I even get to know people, they’re dead. Hey, I get it—people are getting killed; who has time for characterization?
Murder mysteries are not my favorite books, but I read them sometimes. I never relate to the main character. Me? I’d be cowering somewhere with my eyes closed, afraid of finding yet another body—or being the next body.
I think murder mysteries are the snacks of the literary world. They’re usually not good for a full meal, like Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, or Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. But sometimes you don’t want a full meal. You just want a little nosh, a nibble. And that’s when a murder mystery or a romance or Janet Evanovich’s humor comes in. Sometimes it’s just right. Years ago when we lived near a small branch library I got tired of trying to select interesting books from their small assortment and began reading alphabetically by author. Haphazard, yes, but I discovered some great books that way.
Time to ‘fess up. What do you like to read when you’re not reading War and Peace or Anna Karenina? What are your go-to “snacks”?
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ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't read "serious" books. I did, when I had to (the French classics), in school. But if you want to compare books to meals, then I prefer to have six light meals a day than 3 heavy ones. Easier to digest, the energy last longer, and I don't feel bogged down by philosophical conundrums or sad endings. Go popular fiction!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'll just 'confess' that I mostly read historical romances with the occasional "full meal" book thrown into the mix. I read mostly for pleasure (same thing goes for movie and tv watching). It's my escape. So, in general, I like the light, happy stuff. I once read a Tom Clancy novel and was depressed for days because of all the killing. War and Peace -- not going to happen, my friend. And I absolutely LOVED The Secret Life of Bees...but it was a heavy meal and I couldn't eat for quite some time after that! I recently tried to read The Witches of Eastwick -- I thought, 'hey, it's by John Updike...he's supposed to be this incredible writer...maybe reading him will make me a better writer.' I made it to the 2nd chapter before I threw in the towel -- couldn't tolerate the sentences that were a paragraph long! So, I'll have to side with Carole on this one....give me six light snacks a day!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite meals are tapas--and my favorite books are mysteries or have an element of suspense. Fiction (and I only read fiction) needs to transport me elsewhere--someplace I can't get to any other way, where people are braver than me, smarter than me, and say the things I wish I'd said.
ReplyDeleteMysteries for me - the best are English. Christie is of course the queen of mystery writers though Dorothy Sayers is a close second. I also like Deborah Crombie and Elizabeth George who write about English detectives but are both Americans. I find a prolific author and try to read their works in the order they were written. I don't care for the "hard-boiled" crime fiction and never anything that really happened - too disturbing. When I'm not reading mysteries I prefer non-fiction. Especially enjoy journal type books - I read Karl Klaus's gardening journals every winter to get ready for spring.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you call them snacks! I love Philipa Gregory.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm a pretty eclectic reader. I like mysteries but prefer them to be bloodless. I enjoyed the No.1 Ladies Detective agency by McCall Smith - bloodless but took me to Botswanna. And I really enjoy historical fiction. And fiction that introduces me to another country/culture - such as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Never thought of books in terms of meals - but I do know that there are some books that must be like Chinese meals - immediately filling but leave you hungry for another within minutes. That occurred after reading Art and Fear by Bayles. Then there are others that leave a nasty aftertaste and might drive me away from reading altogether. Coraline by Gaiman was such a book. I picture stories when I read - with that one I could only see black and white stick figures. I guess I like 'lighter' meals - not the classic 7 -8 course meal. And I'm not partial to 'snacks' - I want a little substance whether I am really eating - and really reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone! You're giving me some great ideas for upcoming reading--and some new insights into some of you, too!
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