She's "Trying" Lord of the Rings... (reading outside the box)

So, I've never thought of myself as any sort of fanboy, of fantasy, sic-fi, or any "speculative literature." Sure, I like Star Trek as much as any guy should (because isn't that pretty much the pinnacle of guy tv programming, aside from Baywatch, of course) but I've got to make a confession about what might be one of the most important cultural phenomenon of the last 75 years - I never read "The Lord of the Rings" until after I had seen the movie, and I still haven't gotten around to "The Hobbit." Criminal, I know.

That being said, I did love LOTR. Awesome. Unforgettable. Can't wait to read it again. Might actually be able to put "Hobbit" into perspective... finally.

Now, I'm loving that Em has "Lord of the Rings" on her list, in no small part because she HATES that type of story. No, let me rephrase. She

HATES!!!

that sort of fiction. But she's gotta do it. It's on her list, so she knows there's no getting out of it. Being that the series has been a cultural phenomenon, there's no way it's coming off the list (since some of the titles rotate off and on from time to time.)

 It's a sort of a preconceived notion she's got about that kind of fiction. Here's the thing- for all you fanboys out there, she's got to read "Dune" as well. Wait till she gets a pageful of Paul Atreides, right? I'm not sure if it's the torture she's facing reading a genre she really doesn't like, or just the way she kvetches about it while she's doing it, but I, being the hubby, am loving it.

Here's the thing, though- turnabout is fair play when it comes to reading outside the box. My list of Pulitzer winners has more than a few titles on it that i would NEVER have picked up were they not on the list. Chick lit, African-American lit, that sort of thing. "A Thousand Acres?" Never. "Beloved?" Hell no! (Come to think of it, I didn't much care for "Beloved" anyway, so let's not count that one, K?" 

Most of us tend to read what we're comfortable with - westerns or romance, all that sort of thing, but it's good now and then to step outside our comfort zone and check out some literature that we wouldn't ordinarily check out. "The brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao?" Lovin' it. Anything by John Updike? Awesome. 

More than anything, I would challenge you to try out a book you might not ordinarily pick up. Love Sci-fi? Grab a romance novel next time you're in a bookstore and give the first chapter a once-over. Got a thing for romance? Try out just about any book that's been on the Pulizer prize, Man Booker or National Book Award List. You might just be surprised by what you never thought you'd enjoy! As for the little wife, she's grudgingly enjoying Lord of the Rings. At least, that's what she tells me...