Sunday, October 17, 2010

My guilty pleasure

Sometimes, as moms do everywhere, we need an escape. I'm sure most moms spend a considerable portion of their day worrying about their kids- whether they are too doing too little for them, too much for them, feeding them right, yelling too much, etc. We all have those little go-to things that rejuvitnate us when we have a minute to ourselves. Well, for the past 18 months or so, my guilty pleasure has been Christian Historical Novels. Pretty ironic for someone who has not darkened the doorstep of a church other than going to weddings for the past 25 years.
Oh, it started innocently enough. When I was still employed at the library, a set of books with attractive, old-fashioned looking women on the covers called to me from the shelves across from the circulation desk. I had not been a regular fiction reader since I was in my teens, opting instead for biographies and historical monographs, but something about these books made me give them a second look. I borrowed them and started reading. What I found in those pages were good stories with interesting, believeable characters. I could read through a chapter and not have to go back and re-read paragraphs to make sure I didn't miss anything. All these books required of me was the time to immerse myself in the story and enjoy. I noticed about 1/2 way through the first book that the characters seemed to talk about God a lot more than the average person might. I was mildly shocked to find that the books had been published by Bethany House, a publisher specializing in Christian books. I didn't even know such things existed! After this first series, I was hooked. I read just about everything by Tracie Peterson I could get my hands on.

Then I started investigating. Turned out this Christian fiction genre is a pretty big thing. Now the only thing I like better than reading the books is researching which books I'm going to read next! There seems to be a nearly endless supply of authors out there, writing about everything from pioneers in Kansas to debutantes in Newport. There are Christian fiction bloggers, Christian fiction lists on Amazon, and dozens of author websites. While one of the common threads all these books have is the characters' belief in God and faith, most of the books I have read so far (I would guess somewhere in the area of 75) aren't heavily preachy or scripture-laden. Sure, I've run across an author or two who veers into this area. When I find myself reading that kind of book, I just cross that author off my list. Most of the authors appear to be more intent on producing a good story than saving my soul, thankfully.

There's lots to like about this genre. Having always been a really visual person, I appreciate good cover art. The covers of many of these novels (especially the newer ones) appeal to someone like me, who buys a bottle of wine if I like the label. The reading is easy and entertaining- I don't feel like I need to have a dictionary handy and if I nod off in the middle of a paragraph, I can pick up where I left off with ease and not worry that I've missed something critical. I find most of the books I have read are meticulously researched, and refer to real historical events, many that I have limited knowledge of. I like the whole idea of a series where one character is followed from her teenage years into mature adulthood. Right now I'm reading the Copper Brown series by Jan Watson. Copper is 15 when the series begins, and through the books the reader gets to know her as she grows from child into an adult. Some authors aren't afraid to tackle difficult subjects such as rape, and even deaths of major characters. Most have happy endings, but the heroine often has to endure many hardships to get there. There is no swearing or smut, neither of which I've ever been a fan of reading (or watching, for that matter).

I think by far the biggest benefit that these novels afford me is the chance to escape to a world of long-ago where I don't have to do the thinking about the situations in the characters' lives. I'm used to imaging scenarios in the lives of my own ancestors and those of my clients. Lots of the details between the lines of the records I examine depend purely on what I can conjure up based on my knowledge of the times and places these people existed in. When my brain gets tired of trying to imagine what life must have been like for those real-life people, I can escape into a world that someone else has researched and dreamed up. I don't plan to become a regular church goer anytime soon, but I'm a total convert to this genre of books!