<p>Good junk is wonderful. Way upthread, before my logorrheia about Latin American boom authors, when I said what I was currently reading . . . it is pretty much quality junk. Last night I read the part where Inigo gets a letter from Angelica in which she says she still loves him, and half- (but not completely) apologizes for trying to kill him after she seduced him the last time they saw each other.</p>
<p>The more you read, the easier it is to separate the “good junk” from the bad. There was a time when I thought it was a character flaw not to finish a book – now I’m just not willing to waste my time.</p>
<p>Bad junk is just deplorable though.</p>
<p>I really like good writing, and am a bit of a snob about junkily written fiction.</p>
<p>And I never finish books I don’t like either.</p>
<p>I try to alternate between reading something interesting, but a “tough read” with a “junk” type book. I feel, after reading the tough book, that I deserve a break! I will usually read something like “The Devil Wears Prada,” or the like - now that’s junk! But fun :)</p>
<p>Oh, but Allmusic, that is the true worth of junk, when you realize that you have read this same story before in a slightly thin disguise, in about chapter 3, then you can skip to the end, read it, and be done. I even allow myself to feel a little superior.
I do miss, however, the feeling I had at about age 12-16, when everything I read was new and fascinating, far more exciting than the real world.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the Traveling Pants, too. I can’t seem to get through The Devil Wears Prada, though. Guess you gotta be in the right mood. Like sometimes when I want to watch a B movie on TV. Not a good movie. Something that I don’t have to pay much attention to . . .</p>
<p>sjmom, 90% of what I read probably qualifies as junk. I just finished Tamora Pierce’s most recent book (YA fantasy) and just started the latest Dick Francis.</p>
<p>Doesn’t CC count as “junk”?</p>
<p>I like some legal and mystery junk–Michael Connelly and Henning Mankill. Grisham on a slow day.</p>
<p>My absolute FAVORITE junk writer is Susan Howatch. She’s an English writer who writes classic Bronte romances–updated to the 20th century with beautifully delineated themes about the Anglican church, organized religion and Affluenza. Think of it as Chick Lit ++. I recommmend ‘Absolute Truths’, ‘Glittering Images’ and ‘Glamorous Powers’. All are great reads–but start with the earliest one first as the characters continue through all the books.</p>
<p>For years I have followed Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin series and would buy the newest the day it came out. I sorely miss him. These books are not called junks only because many literary people also love them.</p>
<p>I also fell in love with the magical realists during my Latin American Lit studies–I especially like Cortazar’s short stories.</p>
<p>A more recent favorite (can’t have too many favorites, can we?) in the magical realism category is Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues. Robert Johnson shows up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and passes his guitar on to Thomas-Builds-the-Fire, who then hits the big time with his band. Absolutely wonderful…I swear you can hear that fabulous slide guitar if you listen carefully. I worked for many years in a PNW reservation community, and Alexie’s voice is, like always, dead on, and he tells a compelling tale.</p>
<p>I miss Patrick O’Brian too.</p>
<p>If you like mysteries- especially literate ones- Sarah Caudwell books aren’t to be missed.
Unfortunately she died after writing only four.
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Caudwell[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Caudwell</a></p>
<p>I’m now reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. </p>
<p>This is the first work of fiction I’ve actually enjoyed reading in my entire life.</p>
<p>Team of Rivals</p>
<p>About Alice by Calvin Trillin</p>
<p>It is a short and absolutely lovely read. A true love story. As you get to the end make sure there is a kleenex at hand. I finished it at my local coffee shop and had to turn my head to hide the tears.</p>
<p>I’m reading Team of Rivals too, orig. I can’t believe the hoi poloi of Washington went out to ‘watch’ the first battle of the civil war–with picnics!</p>
<p>Yeah, um, I just don’t know about magical realism and baseball. That would fall under ‘fantastic fable’ for me. In my mind, magical realism is connected to abject poverty and the surreal quality of life that envelops the desperately poor–Alexie’s books are another good example.</p>
<p>Enough by Juan Williams
The United States of Walmart by John Dicker
The Price of Admission by Daniel Golden (just to become really annoyed)
and re-reading all my Barbara Pym novels</p>
<p>cheers, you are further along than I am but I do recall from hs history about the “festive” atmosphere at the battles of Bull Run and Mannasus(?).</p>
<p>What I have found curious is the seemingly homo-erotic feelings so many men had for each other in those times. It may be just a language “thing” but the sentiments among male friends were extremely strong.</p>
<p>And of course the intelligence and ambition of Lincoln, Chase, and Seward were quite amazing.</p>
<p>Having used Alice, Let’s Eat as our food bible on my first cross country trip, I just don’t know if I can bear to read About Alice.</p>
<p>You can recall your hs history lessons? Wow.</p>
<p>When my mom recommeded TOR, she gave me a fifteen minute analysis of Lincoln’s “definitely NOT-homosexual” activity but reading the account, I believe there must have been greater tolerance in the 1800’s–and greater opportunity since so many grown men shared beds. </p>
<p>Lincoln is a bloody comet of intelligence. Blows in off the prairie on the back of his amiable storytelling skills (put that on your top ten EC list!) and becomes a key figure in launching a global tolerance movement that still reverberates in 2007.</p>