From: mattb@ctron.com (Matt Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
Subject: Re: Back to Books
Date: 9 Sep 92 16:38:16 GMT
Reply-To: mattb@olympus.ctron.com (Matt Brown)
Organization: Cabletron Systems INc.

janines@novell.com (Janine Schenone) writes:
>
>I have a problem, which I hope you R.a.b.belaisians can help me solve: 
>I am in a fiction funk. The problem is so severe that I believe 
>they should add a new diagnostic category to depression for people 
>who can't seem to find anything to read. 
>I am reading nonfiction books on parenting, spirituality, religion and
>such, but I cannot seem to find a book of fiction that interests me.
>This is surprising, as I usually thrive on a diet of novels only.
>Can anyone recommend a book that will knock my socks off? I'm looking
>for something entertaining but not empty. Nothing that might dampen
>the spirit, please. I could use a change of scenery, so something
>set in a country other than the U.S. might be nice.

I know it might be a few days late, but I have a suggestion. It is pretty
far off center, different from your past or current reading, yet I bet if
you try this with an open mind, you will find something that will interest
you, and it will re-stimulate your will to read.

And remember, you said you wanted something different, entertaining, not
empty, not a downer, etc. The suggestion, rather than the books themselves, 
might be what knocks your socks off.

Read children's literature. Specifically, children's picture books, then
children's fiction.

Don't laugh. I'm not talking about "Donald Duck Goes Skiing" types of books.

Go to a book store children's lit section.  Start looking for Caldecott and
Newbury Award winners (usually later editions have a picture of the medal
on the cover).  Pick one up and really look at it.  Drink in the quality
and beauty of the illustrations.  The words are few but speak volumes. Think
about what these words and images say to a child.  Think like one yourself
for a while. Read it to yourself, not to the kids. Most are short, and can
be read quickly, and then pored over to pick up missed details (the better
the books, the more hidden treasures).

Look at the extra-ordinary detail in the illustrations. Observe how they are
integral to the story.

My wife is an elementary school librarian, and children's lit is her specialty.
I used to chuckle at her reading kid's books all the time (it is part of her
job, but she loves the books so much that for her it is like getting paid to
have a hobby).  "Here, why not read some of this sophisticated, paradoxical 
adult stuff for a change?" I'd say.  "Why don't you look at my books, and I'll
look at yours?" she replied.  So I did.

Usually, I read some of the authors you do, plus science fiction and military
history. I was reading to the kids all the time, but I had never really looked
at the books in detail.  When I did, I was astonished.

And here's the key. I found that I became refreshed enough to tackle the 
adult stuff I had been neglecting, in part as a result of looking at the
kid's stuff.

Now this may not be for everybody.  If you approach it cynically and
sarcastically, it will seen smarmy and cutesy.  If you can approach it with
an open mind, and recover some of the innocence of a child, it will be a
regenerating experience.

From that point, you can either go back to adult novels refreshed and eager,
or dive into children's fiction (especially the historical fiction) for   
another dose.  

My suggestion: anything by Chris Van Allsberg for starters.
In fiction, _Liddy_ by Katherine Patterson, or anything by Avi
(Liddy is about migrant mill workers in Lowell, Ma. and is excellent).

I'd suggest more, but I'm bad with authors names (don't want to give "off
the top" approximations).  If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll
check the home library for details.

Matt