Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup!

Regular visitors and friends may be aware that we have been struggling as a family with a range of issues. Personally, I have been suffering from bleak thoughts and serious depression, brought on by these issues and my own state of health. All of this has meant that I have been unable to read books! My usual taste is often for dark themes in thrillers, crime, fantasy and science fiction. However, for the last couple of weeks, I have been unable to concentrate enough to cope with books, rather than flitting from websites to blogs to social media trying to escape from the darkness.

So, I tried something different. I went back to an author whose work I adored in my late teens and twenties:  Anne McCaffrey. Over the years, I have read most of her books and collected many of the print versions. My favourites were the Pern series and also the Crystal Singer. As I am now in my sixties, I thought it would be interesting to revisit her work with the perspective of experience, age and time. My plan was to lose myself, and my present poor state of mind, in a nostalgic reading of my favourites from a better time in my life. Does that make sense?

Well, did it work? Yes, in some ways. No, in others.

The experiment certainly helped my mood in that I found myself amused by how dated my chosen book had become. The world has moved on so much. OK, we haven’t achieved the level of space travel, but the technology we have now in terms of computers has totally outstripped McCaffrey’s imagination of all those years ago. Also, attitudes to women’s roles have, thankfully, changed a great deal, even though we have still so far to go. There are other serious issues with her work when seen from a modern perspective.

I did finish one book and I have decided not to name it here. The experiment has been interesting but has brought me to the conclusion that I will just leave her work as a happy memory from my youth.

Now I need to find something uplifting and joyful to read. Some escapism that will leave me feeling optimistic and happy.

Any ideas?

Happy Reading everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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