With both books and TV, I am conscious and unapologetic that I mostly seek escape and whimsy rather than weight.
Amen, to that Tom. Give me a good story, with easily recognizable good guys and bad guys, and a happy ending every time. I've got enough "reality" in my daily life. Sports aside, my entertainment choices are firmly, and unabashedly rooted in escapism.
As one who, in his misguided youth, used.....ahem.... other substances to escape reality
, I would say to any who might consider that path, a good book will do a better job, and is much less harmful.
Since it had been so long for me, I went back and re-read the Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe) and John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee) books. Loved 'em again.
I cannot
bear that John D. MacDonald is gone and there will be no more Travis McGee books. I enjoy Robert B. Parker's books (he is the absolute master of witty dialog), but Spencer, as much as I appreciate him, will never replace McGhee in my heart.
Groucho Marx - "Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."
LOL!
Grouch was one smart fella and, speaking of masters, was the master of the non sequitur .
