Thursday 11 April 2013

It's not (quite) all about fiction

As a fiction aficionado, it may sometimes appear that I don't read anything else. Having recently uploaded a large proportion of my book history onto Good Reads it does show that I clearly prefer stories to facts. But there are some important exceptions; I recently reread one of my old philosophy textbooks, which is about delusions and rationality (and is fantastic), and am currently reading the God Delusion. I realise I'm pretty late on that bandwagon, but Richard Dawkins irritates me so much I had to calm down before I could pick it up. Still not sure it's a good idea, but some of it is interesting.

I also enjoy even less fictiony books; the last couple of books I got were a Rough Guides travel book - sort of an Argos catalogue, but for the world - and a recipe book for slow cooking. I don't even own a slow cooker. But seriously, some of the recipes are really good and I like trying to make new things.

It all depends what you read for - most of the time, for me, this is entertainment pure and simple. It also helps to distance yourself from the truth of a situation; I really enjoy sad books, but knowing it is fiction can somehow protect you from the brunt of all that emotional pummelling.


No comments:

Post a Comment