I feel pretty good about my efforts to get back in the habit of reading on a regular basis. I'll admit I'm not reading every day, but I am picking up a book several times a week. Reading is good for you and fun, too (if you're doing it right)!
Early this year, I reread Dracula. (I wrote about how proud I was of myself here.) This spring, I finished one of my Sherlock Holmes collections. (More pride in myself here.) And this was all part of my deliberate attempts to enjoy the pleasure to be found in a good book. (Happily, I didn't give up after I read some so-so stories.)
After Sherlock, I wasn't sure which direction I should take next. Should I stick with the "classics" that I already own and probably read years ago in college? Should I find out what my friends are reading? Or perhaps I should just randomly choose something more modern at the library. So many choices!
As it happens, my son had just finished a book and he was anxious for me to give it a shot. I wasn't sure what to expect from a book titled Mogworld with what looked like a zombie on the cover. Hmm, there's also a bunny rabbit on the cover. This could be interesting. I was also hesitant because I'm not a gamer, and I don't think I fit into many of the target-audience categories. (The author, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, reviews games in a video series titled Zero Punctuation on escapistmagazine.com.)
I have to say, however, that I was pleasantly surprised. It opened at a magic school, but this is no Harry Potter wannabe. Add a necromancer and hijinks ensue. No, really...hijinks, antics, and mischief. There is also adventure, and a major plot twist that completely caught me off guard. I snickered, chuckled, and laughed (or at least smiled) on virtually every page. The style reminded me of Douglas Adams (though no one is really in the same category as Adams). I could also imagine it as a movie in the style of Mel Brooks. There are certainly some adult situations and language, but it wasn't enough to bother or offend me.
I may not be the audience for whom he was aiming, but he hit the target nonetheless. (See what I did there? "Aiming"? "Target"? Give me a break. It's late and I amuse myself.) I admit it: It actually held my interest and made me eager to find out what was going to happen next.
I'm glad I tried something new. And I'm glad I'm rekindling my joy of reading.
What have you been reading lately?
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