General Literary Rambling

Most people don't know this, but what I really wanted to be when I grew up was an author.  I had a head full of stories and was often in LaLa Land... nowadays, my head is more full of medication schedules (did we give Sean his allergy/asthma meds), activity schedules (can I work 4 hours, make a dr appt and still pick up the kids on time?), meal plans (how often is too often to make tacos?), and other day to day dilemmas that plague motherhood.  Instead of writing my own stories, I spend at least an hour or two a day reading the stories other people write. [Note: No, I usually don't sit for an hour or two reading... I read while kids are at dance, while waiting at the Dr's office, while waiting for the kids to get out of school, etc those caught moments usually add up  to an hour or two a day-- and yes, for a really engaging plot line, I will forgo sleep.]

Like much I do in my life, it's both feet in the water, don't check the depth and hope I remember how to swim... so I've fallen into a reading genre I NEVER imagined I would: Paranormal Romance.  In case you're wondering, this is the same category (albeit young adult fiction) that the Twilight Saga is in.  I surreptitiously started with the Twilight Series-- and was amazed and amused to find how many of my friends had fallen into this series (some even falling passionately in love with Edward or Jacob).  But for me, it turns out, Twilight was the tip of the iceberg.  And I must say, like many things, what  lies below the surface can be so much more engaging and interesting that what rests on top.  Imagine having only eaten chicken nuggets your whole life and then being fed a roast duck.  You're either going to love it or hate it.  Well, in a sense, [Amanda if you key my car for saying this, I will know it's you...]  Twilight is the Chicken Nugget of Paranormal Romances.  Yes, there, I said it... I have sampled other poultry and found you cookie-cutter predictable and lacking in flavor.




Presently I'm just shy of halfway through the 5th book of Richelle Mead's Succubus series, Succubus Shadows, and I'm just loving every moment of it.  Mead has a way of taking Judeo-Christianity, wrapping it in intrigue and throwing in a few steamy scenes to make it interesting.  I've fallen in love with her character, Georgina Kincaid, a succubus with a conscience.  What appeals to me most about Kincaid is not that she is a force of hell who gets to have wild sex with complete strangers and steal souls for Hell.  Nope, not it at all, it's that she knows she's no longer  human yet has forged friendships with people and protects them from her true life.  Wait, did I just say I love a character who's a lying slut from hell... well, clearly I need to explain why.  I can see myself here... no, I'm not a lying slut from hell.  I mean I have lied, but I don't sleep around and I'm a little worried about the ultimate destiny of my soul.  There's something about how Mead has constructed the character that gives you hope for Kincaid's redemption.  After all the cast of characters in the book does include Angels.

I realize if it's redemption I'm interested in, then reading the source (i.e. the Bible) would be a good start.  I didn't say I'm not also doing that as well... but I am enjoying exploring the concepts of heaven and hell in a fantastical (as in based in fantasy) sort of way.  Looking at traditionally recognized Judeo-Christian writings such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the forces of good and evil play out, my wanderings and musings on just what is good and evil and what does this mean for me  are not necessarily giant intellectual leaps. 

I forget now why I called Twilight a Chicken Nugget, but I did say I was rambling, didn't I? Ah yes, now I recall... the Twilight Saga is a well-constructed amusement.  It makes a good movie because it lacks nuance. You can revisit it (either in book or movie format) and discover nothing new.  Like a chicken nugget, it is disposable.  [OMG I'm sorry Amanda... I don't think less of you for loving it so much].  What's truly silly about this pretentious post I've written, is the books I'm reading, while completely engaging to me, will never make the Pulitzer list.