Saturday, April 18, 2009

Could Be Time for Smut


She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.

Louisa May Alcott

I used to read one to two books a week. Since taking this job of reading 200 essays a day on a computer screen, I don't have the energy at night to pick up a book. If I do, my mind (not to mention my eyes) only has the strength to read three paragraphs at a time. With the brain fry I experience at night, I now understand why people watch reality TV - and drink.

I’ve always read with such passion, rarely not finishing a book. Now, I’m fickle. The other night a friend saw Journal of a Solitude on my counter and said, “Don’t you find that book depressing?” Yes, I thought to myself. Might be why after a month I'm only on page 10. Her comment gave me license to take that one off my list. Maybe I'll return to it another time, another place in life. Maybe not.

Perhaps because my time is more limited now, I'm forced to become choosier as to how I spend it. Out of necessity, as we do need clean laundry and food to eat every now and then (and there is that garden of mine I want to tend) not many productive hours remain for my own private pursuits. But I definitely need something easier on the mind and eyes while I sink into my chair at night. Staring at the television is not fulfilling my creative needs. Perhaps this is where smut might edge its way onto my shelves.

I’ve always been rather a snob with my choices of reading material, often chastising my friend the history curriculum leader of our state, former editor, and great writer in her own right, for reading garbage. I often trip over boxes and boxes of bodice rippers in the far recesses of her kitchen or next to her easy chair. Her defense – that she works hard and reads such loaded material all the time, that the last thing she wants to read about are people’s troubles and screwed up lives. That she just wants to race through the words and get to the good stuff.

Hmmm. Although it is words put together well that attracts me to a good book, along with a good story and characters I see sitting next to me, at this point in time, smut just might be my ticket as well. But for me, it will still have to be well-written smut. In the past couple years I have re-read Lolita (scumbag Humbert Humbert) and Lady Chatterley's Lover. I enjoyed the romp in the Outlander series (or perhaps that main male character that I would like to bed about 5000 times.) But I don’t do Nora Roberts, vampires or paranormal, and I’m not a mystery fan. Any suggestions for quality bodice rippers with an actual story line and good character development? Big print a plus!

10 comments:

  1. I find I can no longer concentrate on a book for very long. Not sure why that is. Stress? Old age perhaps? The pitter patter of little feet and the screaming of big mouths? Probably...I read maybe one book a month now. I used to read 10...

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  2. Sorry, all the good stuff is in the vamp novels! :) I don't know. I'm like your friend. I just want to read a good book that moves at a decent pace and gets me to the good stuff. Good stuff being smut, but also peaks and valleys of my characters and some surprises along the way. Yup, the vamps.

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  3. Isn't it poopy whe real life intrudes on your druthers? (Maybe try DVDs. You'll get the escape factor without having to invest as much time as a book.)

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  4. Ah, the working world and waht it does to our "me" time. I really liked The Time Traveler's Wife. And Water for Elephants. Both good but easy reads.

    I did read all four Twilight books over break. Not well written, but definate steamers. Not really vampires BTW.

    What kind of job do you have where you read 200 essays a day???

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  5. BTW I tagged you for a meme at my blog.

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  6. OH god, yes. And it's 900 pages but trust me, I don't read much and I couldn't help myself. Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. Read it! Plus, what a cool new voice his characters have. You want to love them, hate them, defend them, defeat them.

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  7. First, CRIMSON, PETAL AND THE WHITE is something I read years ago and still remember enjoying the hell out of.

    Right now, I'm reading DIETGIRL, which a pal of mine gave me this weekend...it's by a blogger who blogged about losing weight, and who can't love that?

    I have many recommendations for everyone, but I feel you, honey. But I've decided that an excellent book reminds me of why I wanted to grade crap student essays to begin with.

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  8. I'm not reading much either because I get about two sentences in and I'm unconscious. I don't have any good smut recommendations, but did recently read the Kite Runner which was awesome. Also, the Blind Assassin which, in your current condition, you probably wouldn't make it through. It was a tough one. Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) was a dream read. Very easy and an interesting story. I also enjoyed Zippy by Haven Kimmel.

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  9. I'm seeing a trend here with people not being able to concentrate, or falling asleep a few pages in! (What's the average age of readers on this blog?) I also used to read, anything I could lay my hands on, but found that around age 50 I began to experience those conditions above. I tried switching to books on tape, but found that my mind drifted, and I spent so much time backtracking to the last thing I remembered that it wasn't worth the effort. I like Anne Rivers Siddons, Jude Deveraux, FATAL FLOWERS by Rosemary Daniell, Pat Conway, Jane Austin ... oh wait, this isn't my blog, is it? I tend to get carried away. Sorry.

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  10. Ok, so I decided I had to go sit or lay down for a while and close my eyes, because I've been reading blogs by all you authors for, well, for too long. I put back the recliner, closed my eyes, sighed deeply. And saw the words in my head..."Pay ConWAY". Oh my god! How could that have happened? Rushing back to the computer, I had to go back thru all those blogs I read, and all the title postings I might have clicked on, to get to the one where I wrote that damning word. I know his name, people! It's Pat ConROY. A momentary oops! Whew. I feel better. I can nap in peace now.

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Let me know what you think. Every word you write, I appreciate.

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