By Richard Jay Parker
Was chatting with some friends over the weekend re their summer reads and was struck by the fact that two of them were holding back on reading THE LOVELY BONES until after their holiday.
I’ve never consciously chosen a lighter read because I’m taking it on holiday but I’m sure it’s a subconscious part of my selection process. By lighter reads I don’t mean I exclude violence and dark subject matter. However, my poolside literature seems to be material that is in a comfortable context or genre rather than the sort of books I would normally jump at. The sort of books that challenge my perception, morals and make me rewardingly uncomfortable in the process usually go on hold for two weeks.
It’s a personal choice but I’d much rather something accessible and juicy over anything too heavy or intellectual while I’m relaxing. It’s got to be immediately engaging and capable of giving me that excuse to remain horizontal longer than I'd normally do in the middle of the day. But at the same time my holiday brain wants the experience to be effortless and thoroughly entertaining.
I suppose it’s the equivalent of watching a glossy Hollywood movie on the plane over art house material that’s often more rewarding.
It’s probably why good thrillers are so popular as holiday reads. I’ve got plenty of them that still have sun lotion on the pages. I certainly hope that there will be a few copies of STOP ME that will be christened in the same way.
No comments:
Post a Comment