Recreational Reading

So, over on Absolute Write, I've been loosely monitoring the sci-fi/fantasy board and the book club they've started. I am bound and determined to read every book they pick, even if (especially if) it's outside my usual comfort zone. This has led me to read Ender's Game (which is apparently a sci-fi classic) and I just finished A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.

Now, strictly sci-fi is pretty far outside my chosen genre. I'm a fantasy girl, since I read the Hobbit at age 5. (yes, I was a geek even then) And space-based sci-fi stretches me even thinner. It's not that I don't understand the physics concepts (weightless living, bizillions of years passing while you're in transit, etc.) but they are things that my mind doesn't easily adapt to. Yes, I ~know~ that the characters are floating down the hallway, not walking, but every time it's mentioned it kind of yanks me out of the story because I have to actively stop and visualize that oddity.

That said, I thought it was a good book, and the fact that it took me multiple weeks to read it I think is more of a reader malfunction than a writer malfunction. Maybe I'm just not meant to read sci-fi. I do, however, feel much more accomplished for adding it to my "have read" list.

And bless the book club folks. Next month's book is Storm Front which I've practically committed to memory anyway. Much more in my comfort zone.