I am a reader...I have always been a reader...I will always be a reader! First, before any other form of entertainment, I will select a book. When I am bored, it will chase away the boredom, and when I am sad, it will make me laugh. When I am anxious, the perfect book will calm my nerves, and when I need a friend, I have go-to characters to play with me. That being said, I wonder why some people proudly proclaim that they NEVER watch television. Their disdain for it is so evident that they make the rest of us feel like we are missing I.Q. points because we enjoy an hour in front of the "Boob Tube."
There are amazing scientific shows on now that introduce us to concepts we might never have understood. The History Channel teaches me things that I wasn't ready to learn when it was offered to me in high school. News Magazines give me in-depth information on current happenings and interviews with some very interesting people. "Big Bang Theory" makes me laugh and "Scandal" keeps me at the edge of my seat. I enjoy Sunday dinners with the Regans on "Blue Bloods", and "Sherlock" definitely has me trying to beat him out in clue finding. Actually, even MacGyver-like Doctor Hank Lawson saving everyone in the Hamptons helps me pass the time.
In other words, there is a time and place for everything in our lives, and the more we are willing to experience, the more we will get out of these lives. Television characters will never replace the "friends" I have made in the various books I have read throughout my life, but they certainly add a bit of spice. As I previously mentioned, this blog has opened me up to different genres through the past year. The medical thriller is one I generally stayed away from in the past. Although I used to read Robin Cook until hypochondria took over completely, I found most medical thrillers trite and redundant. I took a chance on a Michael Palmer book several years ago and found his protagonist captivating and the storyline quite interesting. I think his mixture of politics and medical mystery added a depth that I enjoyed. His sudden death last year was quite a loss, and I am glad to see that his son Daniel, an author in his own right, is taking his dad's ideas and running with them. Michael discussed his idea for the novel Trauma with Daniel shortly before he died. I definitely saw the father/son collaboration in the pages of this book.
After the trauma of Trauma I needed something light, and I almost always turn to David Rosenfelt to fill that role. His fiction always makes me laugh, so I decided to take a chance on his non-fiction and read Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure. In this humorous tale, Rosenfelt takes us with him when he loads three RVs up with 25 rescue dogs and 11 generous friends and acquaintances and takes a cross-country trek. He and his wife, both dog lovers, decided to move, and they found people willing to help them. This book is written in typical Rosenfelt style, and I had fun taking part in their adventures.
Aside from those two books I want to remind everyone that The Fixer by Joseph Finder came out this week. All three of these books would make great Father's Day gifts as well as a great present to give yourselves.
Happy Reading,
Beverly