Greetings, Saloners!
I believe I’ve missed two or three Sundays in a row. All kinds of busyness, including one kid’s birthday, another’s trip to camp, rolling out a new theme for my blog (come see it!)… and so on and so forth and all the rest, et cetera et cetera et cetera. (That was a quote from a movie; did you recognize it?) Anyway, I’m very glad to be back, and I look forward to finding out what y’all have been up to. :)
I posted reviews of a couple of books this week, Finding Nouf (reviewed here) and The Position (reviewed here). I enjoyed both books tremendously. Although they were very different from each other in practically every possible way, one thing they had in common was that both belong to genres I don’t read very often. Finding Nouf is a whodunit, and The Position is… almost… chick lit. That is, it’s about love and marriage and family dynamics. So I am feeling pleased with myself for having strayed a bit from my comfort zone and discovered two books well worth reading.
Then I came across Heather’s review of her first graphic novel and it got me thinking about comfort zones some more. The graphic novel is a genre that is waaaay outside my comfort zone. I mean I have zero interest in that stuff. I don’t know why; I am a very visual person and I adore all kinds of art & graphic design. You’d think graphic novels would be right up my alley. Well, gee. Maybe they are. I wouldn’t know because I’ve never read one.
Hmmmmm… Maybe I should try reading one.
But not yet. Because I have an awesome-looking big meaty beginning-of-a-series well-within-my-comfort-zone HISTORICAL NOVEL all ready to go: The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett. Sixteenth-century Scotland, here I come!!!!
Which genres are outside your comfort zone?
17 Comments
Plenty of things, but graphic novels, certainly.
The only ones I’ve been remotely tempted to read are two by Posy Simmonds, Gemma Bovary (some of which I read in serial form in a newspaper) and Tamara Drewe, a modern version of Far From the Madding Crowd. I haven’t actually gone so far as to read them yet, though.
One of my daughters went through a manga phase, rather enjoying books like Fruits Basket series — one problem being that each one costs about £5 yet only took her about 30 mins to read.
My brothers and I enjoyed the TinTin books as kids (”Billions of blue, blistering barnacles!”), so I was pleased when I saw that graphic novels were in vogue for adults. Although I admit that I don’t seek them out.
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, was assigned for my ed course called “Reading in the Content Area.” I think the instructor wanted us to think about multiculturalism as well as ways that adolescents approach reading that might differ from our generation’s reading habits. It was a quick read - too quick, for my liking. I suppose that’s part of the thinking about what should appeal to the short attention spans of today’s middle and high school students. I put some modern copies of “Comics Illustrated Classics” on the leisure reading rack in my classroom this year, however, and the students ignored them.
A graphic novel would be a stretch for me. Heck, I’m not too sure what it is. I’ll need to click on the link to check it out.
I’ve never ever considered a graphic novel but there does seem to be tremendous passion for the genre. I’m also a bit shy to jump into the vampire stuff, altho I have read an Anne Rice book.
I haven’t read the Dunnett myself, but friends who are readers of historical fiction speak very highly of her work, so I hope this is going to be the beginning of a very long reading experience for you.
The King and I! ;)
I’m reading a graphic novel - my first! - right now, and I would agree that it is outside my comfort zone. It took awhile for me to adjust to having to look at the drawings as well as the words (and now that I am, the story makes much more sense). I also read The Invention of Hugo Cabret this week - a children’s book, so not entirely out of my comfort zone. But it’s written in a rather odd way, it’s not entirely a graphic novel but it relies on pictures more than most books. The author describes it as almost a silent film, and that’s really the only way that I can think about it now.
Maxine, my son went through that too. I don’t get the appeal of those, but (to quote my son) whatever. :)
Sara, I bet if those comic books didn’t contain the word “Classics” in the title, the kids might read ‘em.
Fred, when you find out, let me know!
Care, ha ha, I never thought of vampires as a genre (VampireLit?), but I feel the same way. I’ve never read any Anne Rice but I did read Twilight and it was not my thing At All.
Ann, I’ve heard good things about it too — comparisons to Patrick O’Brian!
M, yup! :) My son has a copy of Hugo Cabret. It does look kind of interesting.
I don’t read chick lit, true crime, or any book whose description includes the phrase “coming of age in the sixties.”
Graphic Novels used to be outside my comfort zone. In spite of a husband who loved them as a kid, and collected them (and pulls them out every once in a while to read them). However, while I think a novel is meatier, weightier and possibly more satisfying, I do enjoy the quick read of a graphic novel, have discovered that some stories can be better told through the medium, and while I’m not an artist (or even a graphic designer), I can appreciate the effort and artwork that the artists put into these novels.
I was going to suggest Persepolis as a place to start, but perhaps starting with Shaun Tan’s elegantly drawn (and wordless) The Arrival is a better option. Hugo Cabaret isn’t a deep novel, but it has a novelty to it that is quite wonderful.
And, I think it’s a good medium for reluctant readers. My second, C, was struggling with reading chapter books until I got her Babymouse (very cute) by Jennifer and Matthew Holm. She read all of those, and several other graphic novels, and has since graduated to full-blown books. So, they do have their use.
Veronica, ahem! How can you say you don’t read chick lit when I know for a fact that you read Bridget Jones’ Diary? ;)
Melissa, very interesting about them being good for reluctant reader. Though I wouldn’t classify myself that way, of course. I’ll keep Shaun Tan in mind. Completely wordless, huh. Don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.
Graphic novels and science fiction are well outside my comfort zone. I have two science fiction books on my tbr pile that I have to review which will force me to read them but I am a bit nervous about it!
Well, I’m not at all a graphic novel reader. I also do not go near the Harlequin and other such romance (Blech!) novels. I’m not big on travel guides, either. And I don’t do L’Amour. Other than that, I’m usually flexible.
A few weeks ago I would have said that graphic novels were totally out of my realm of comfort, but I’ve read so many interesting reviews lately that I have finally added on to my TBR list!!
I bet you will LOVE Dunnett. Beware, though, Lymond is like the lit version of crack, and you may find yourself huddling outside the bookstore at 5 in the morning waiting to buy the next fix - er, book - in the series.
Erin, I used to feel that way about sci fi. I read my first sci fi novel in desperation when there was NOTHING else to read (this was in 8th grade, but still) and much to my surprise I fell madly in love with it. I hope the same happens to you! :)
Kool-Aid Mom, ha ha, I forgot about travelogues. I can’t read them either! Even when I’m reading regular books I tend to skim over the descriptions of places. Especially descriptions of nature. Yawn!
SmallWorld, I just looked at your TBR list — nice idea to have the whole list right on your blog — but I couldn’t tell which was the graphic novel. What are you planning to read?
Ella, yup, 20 pages into the book and I have to agree with you. In fact why am I sitting here blogging when I could be reading?
Is the quote from “The King and I?” I think that westerns are outside of my reading comfort zone.
Beastmomma, King and I, yes! Westerns, though. I kinda like Westerns. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger is a very fun one.