Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "light-reading"
Light Reading
Light reading is something I do all year round. When the world is being especially grim, as it is right now, then that’s the time to turn to books that help you escape.
I was not surprised the sales of Wodehouse rocked up during the pandemic. People need an escape and lighter reading can be a great way to have that escape. (Especially if you really can’t go anywhere to get that escape another way!).
Light reading for me also includes reading short stories and flash collections, no matter what their theme. I just love short reads (and getting plenty of value for money by having lots of stories in one book!).
I do wish genre fiction wasn’t looked down on by some. It is snobbery.
Genre fiction helps subsidize the more literary works and everyone has different tastes in books anyway.
I was not surprised the sales of Wodehouse rocked up during the pandemic. People need an escape and lighter reading can be a great way to have that escape. (Especially if you really can’t go anywhere to get that escape another way!).
Light reading for me also includes reading short stories and flash collections, no matter what their theme. I just love short reads (and getting plenty of value for money by having lots of stories in one book!).
I do wish genre fiction wasn’t looked down on by some. It is snobbery.
Genre fiction helps subsidize the more literary works and everyone has different tastes in books anyway.
Light Reading
I have a soft spot for what could be considered “light” reading.
By this I mean humorous fiction (Wodehouse, Pratchett), short story and flash fiction collections (though I should add some of those can be dark in tone though they are not especially my cup of tea), and the kind of non-fiction which entertains me and helps me learn something new at the same time.
I definitely don’t want academic works. My experience of those is they don’t read well, at least to me, and there is often far too much jargon in them.
Novel wise, I’m not after the dark, grim ones. Am not a huge fan of dystopian fiction. (Especially since you could argue we are seeing so much of those themes on our news bulletins!).
I do love crime fiction (and the ones that can combine humour tick a second box for me).
I like feel good literature. For me. It is one major point to reading. Books and stories should take you into their worlds. They don’t necessarily have to be dark ones.
By this I mean humorous fiction (Wodehouse, Pratchett), short story and flash fiction collections (though I should add some of those can be dark in tone though they are not especially my cup of tea), and the kind of non-fiction which entertains me and helps me learn something new at the same time.
I definitely don’t want academic works. My experience of those is they don’t read well, at least to me, and there is often far too much jargon in them.
Novel wise, I’m not after the dark, grim ones. Am not a huge fan of dystopian fiction. (Especially since you could argue we are seeing so much of those themes on our news bulletins!).
I do love crime fiction (and the ones that can combine humour tick a second box for me).
I like feel good literature. For me. It is one major point to reading. Books and stories should take you into their worlds. They don’t necessarily have to be dark ones.
Books For The Darker Times of Year
January can be the gloomiest month of the year. Christmas is over and it is still ages before spring turns up. It is a great time for getting more reading done though!
One of the simple delights in life is curling up with a good book in a cosy chair with a hot drink or several to hand.
For me, January is definitely not the time to be reading anything gloomy in itself. I want something to make me smile or laugh (Wodehouse, Pratchett and Austen are my go-tos for this).
I also like to read plenty of short fiction (it’s so often easier to find funny short stories tor flash fiction than novels - well that’s been my experience).
But if there is anything positive to be said for January, it is a good reading month. Escaping into a world contained in the pages of a book always seems like a good idea to me but never more so than when it is dark and cold outside.
One of the simple delights in life is curling up with a good book in a cosy chair with a hot drink or several to hand.
For me, January is definitely not the time to be reading anything gloomy in itself. I want something to make me smile or laugh (Wodehouse, Pratchett and Austen are my go-tos for this).
I also like to read plenty of short fiction (it’s so often easier to find funny short stories tor flash fiction than novels - well that’s been my experience).
But if there is anything positive to be said for January, it is a good reading month. Escaping into a world contained in the pages of a book always seems like a good idea to me but never more so than when it is dark and cold outside.
