The last few weeks have been, well, kinda crappy. I won’t go into details let’s just say we’ve had better months in our lives.
Anyway, during this time, I kept reading, reading good books I should say, but what I wanted was something comforting. I wanted something that made me feel safe and happy. A book that allowed me to escape to a place so different from my own life that it would be a momentary relief from the regular day’s drudgery. (Side note: I don’t think I’ve ever used the word drudgery in a sentence until right now.)
I’ve been picturing the books on my shelf wondering what would fill the gap. There’s The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; always a favorite. I could go to Middle Earth. The new movie is coming out and I should read the book again just to be sure I’m properly re-acquainted with these wonderful characters. Fantasy has made up a large part of my reading this year which is not unusual for me since I do tend to go on reading binges. For as much as The Hobbit appeals, it wasn’t right this time. I wanted something I could fall into and imagine in great depth. (Please, I know this is more than possible to do with Tolkien’s work. I’m just saying it’s not the right time for me to pick this up. Besides, I think I have until the end of November to read it before the movie comes out so all good.)
What I wanted was historical fiction. Yes, that was it. I wanted to imagine hearing the swoosh of a long skirt dragging across stone floors, feel the heaviness of a velvet dress, the cold and damp corners of a castle. I wanted courtiers, royals acting badly, mistresses, and court antics. So, library, help me out. I found what I was looking for and got an email that my book is ready. It’s a new to me author and she writes exactly what I want to read right now. We shall soon see if success has been achieved.
Things were slow here on the blog last week but I’m hoping to fix that. I’m, for the most part, caught up with most reviews and will be doing some editing this weekend to get those reviews ready for public eyeballs. Posts will happen!
Now, go read. Happy Sunday.
Just Book Reading 
I enjoyed this. It reminded me of..me! Terribly presumptuous to say i know…but i go on reading binges as well. I also want a certain book, or type, an experience or feeling. When that happens, which is mostly always the case for me, then nothing else will satisfy. I have to find IT. Anyhow..i want to know which book you chose, and if it was satisfying. Will be waiting….
🙂 I knew I wasn’t alone. I’m picking up The Courtier’s Secret by Donna Russo Morin from the library. I have high hopes for it. I’m a sucker for historical fiction that way.
I hope your historical fiction read works out amazing! I am a weirdly picky historical fiction reader, so I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of this one.
My hopes are high too. I’ll be sure to report back on my find. 🙂
There are just times like that when things just stink – I hope they get better for you soon! I’m glad you’ve been finding some good books to dive into. Comfort reads are a good way to escape for a while. For me it’s usually sci-fi and fantasy, but I also love The Outlander books (for me they have the perfect balance of historical fiction with the time travel twist).
Thanks. I’m sure things will be back to normal soon.
I love the Outlander books too! I loaned them to a friend but they were on my list of possibilities. I’ve been reading so much fantasy lately I wanted to go back to an old favorite. My hopes are high for historical fiction.
Sometimes a good historical fiction just hits the spot. I am a sucker for them myself. If you ever want to check out a good one, you should check out J. Arthur Moore’s latest novel, “Up From Corinth: Book 2 of Journey Into Darkness.” I found it to be a heart-warming story about a boy’s commitment to find his father and who, in the process, finds himself, ultimately learning one of the most important life lessons, the need for people in our lives, the treasures that are family, friendship, and love.
http://www.upfromcorinth.com/
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll have to check it out.
I hope you like it as much as I did!
I hope so too. There are such strong feelings about this series and I’m afraid of being disappointed!