Reader Friday – Fiction is Better than Reality

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“Truth is Stranger than Fiction” may be the case, but “Fiction is Better than Reality” is quickly becoming evident as we look at the world scene. It is hard to think of a time in history when there were as many hot spots of chaos and disaster as there are now.

It is comforting to find a fictional story world where problems are solved, justice is served, and the good guys win. When we’ve found such a world, it’s hard to return to reality.

Today, let’s share the books we’ve read (or are reading) that have provided shelter from the storm, a place where the barrage of news or world events cannot reach us or drain us of happiness.

Here is your opportunity to promote your own books or tell us about another author whose books have provided a refuge.

What books have you read (or are reading) that you have found to be a healthy escape from the chaos that surrounds us? Promote your own books or tell us about a favorite author’s book(s).

This entry was posted in escape, story world, Writing by Steve Hooley. Bookmark the permalink.

About Steve Hooley

Steve Hooley is the author of seven short stories published in four anthologies, a Vella serial fiction, and is currently working on the Mad River Magic series – a fantasy adventure series for advanced middle-grade to adults. More details available at: https://stevehooleywriter.com/mad-river-magic/

44 thoughts on “Reader Friday – Fiction is Better than Reality”

  1. I like the Golden Age of mysteries, Agatha Christie, P.D. James, and others set in the 1920-30s. That is before I was born and a world that I have never experienced personally, of course, yet more innocent than today.

    • Thanks for responding, Rebecca. Great choices. My wife enjoys historical romance, I think for many of the same reasons. We enjoy exploring something that is new, and compared to today’s world, something better.

      Thanks for stopping by.

  2. Sometimes I rest my brain by reading romances. I know they will have a happy ending, unlike what we see happening in the world today. I signed a contract for 3 romances with one publisher, and a contract for 3 romantic suspense with another. They are unlike my regular novels, which generally have a happy ending, but are longer and deal with sensitive issues like abortion, infidelity, child abuse, etc.
    Sometimes ya just need a happy ending!

    • Good for you, Jane. Even though we crave happy endings, as writers we need to deal with sensitive issues as well. My WIP (clean teen fantasy) deals with the dangers of fentanyl, and the warning that all illegal drugs are laced with fentanyl. I guess, when we write about all that heavy stuff, we need a break from the heartbreak sometimes. Maybe I should start reading some romance. (Just kidding.)

      Keep up the good work, and have a happy weekend.

  3. I love anything by Mary Connealy. Her historical romantic comedies with cowboys can always bring a smile, and she is a fantastic writer. 75 books under her belt, I believe, and all of them unique. My other favorite is Karen Witemeyer. She writes in a similar genre, with a little different style. Unfortunately, both ladies write so well that I usually finish a book in a day and a half.

    • Wow, Michelle, a book in a day and a half. I wish I could read that fast. Thanks for the author recommendations.

      I see the romance lovers are showing up today. Romance must be one of the best reads for escapism. I’m making a list for my wife.

      Keep on reading, and keep on smiling.

  4. Agree, fiction is much better than reality. My go-to has always been historical fiction. Specifically, I will always love best the 19th century American West. No traffic jams, just horses and trains. Not two million people per square inch of living space–you had room to flap your wings. Not as much red tape as modern day. And people had to actually know how to live off the land.

    And for fiction in general, you can nearly always count on justice to be served, which doesn’t always happen in real life.

    • Thanks for your vote for historical fiction, Brenda. You make good points. I haven’t read that much historical fiction, but your description of the 19th century American West appeals to me. That’s an area I need to explore.

      I hope your writing project is going well! Thanks for your regular participation here.

  5. Climbing inside a book and staying there sounds like a great idea, Steve!

    In my Tawny Lindholm Thriller series, what’s legal isn’t always right and what’s illegal isn’t always wrong. Justice is fair and equitable even when it happens outside the law. When I write a story, justice is always done.

    • Good morning, Debbie.

      Climbing inside a book and staying is a great way to say it. And I can vouch for the fact that the Tawny Lindholm Thriller series is a great place to set up residence. The books don’t want you to leave. You just might find yourself reading instead of sleeping.

      Thanks, Debbie. Have a great weekend!

  6. More and more I am re-reading books. I like the Ian Flemming Bond books. The newer Bond books, not as much. I did learn yesterday that Elaine Viets has a new book out next month. I will have my copy shortly there after. By the back cover Angela Richmond will have identified the killer and they will be headed to a long stay in prison. It is quite possible that the dead body will be someone who also richly deserved a grisly demise. It doesn’t hurt that I may work someplace that looks and acts a lot like Chateau Forest.

    Wrapped in a blanket with cookies and the Disney Channel helps too.

    • Thanks, Alan.

      For those who didn’t catch Elaine’s post yesterday, check out her Sneak Preview of her book in yesterday’s blog post below.

      Since you live in that Chateau Forest, Alan, I hope you’re not one of the suspects.

      Thanks for recommending the Fleming Bond books.

      • I have known Elaine for a long time. My wife and I have been suspects. A character was named for a pizza friend while he was deployed during the first gulf war. My alter ego is in Fire and Ashes. My child attends (and is about to graduate!) Transylvania University. The school that became the inspiration in Dead of Night. They really do have an ex-professor in a crypt under the Administration Building.

        As my children put it, “Aunt Elaine kills people for a living.”

        • Thanks for the back story and personal interest info.

          Just don’t give Elaine a bumper sticker (or sweatshirt) that reads, “I kill people for a living.”

  8. I can almost always get pulled back into an Agatha Christie, a Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey, or a Travis McGee story.

    And, because I can stop when I need to, my two finished Pride’s Children novels are designed for re-reading (I’d be embarrassed to tell how many times I’ve ready their last three chapters each – because they make me happy). With the final volume FINALLY started, I should be done in a couple of years with the whole mainstream trilogy, and strike my blow for indies doing what I’m doing, even if it isn’t turning over a new book frequently.

    Funny how wisdom gets conventional so quickly. There ARE other paths.

    • Thanks, Alicia, for adding Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and John D. MacDonald to our list.

      I apologize that I had not done so before, but I checked out your Pride’s Children novels. You have some fantastic reviews. They sound very interesting, and capable of pulling the reader in for an addictive and enjoyable read.

      Have a restful weekend.

      • Thanks for checking my reviews – I am incredibly grateful to those who wrote the long literate ones.

        And I credit an editorial review from Indies Today for leading to Pride’s Children: PURGATORY being named their 2021 Best Contemporary novel – the review, by Jennifer Jackson, called it “A flawless literary gem.” Really made my day.

        For some reason, new readers and PR people are reluctant to read reviews – possibly wanting to form their own judgement without preconceived ideas – but I request permission from the reviewers, and they have all given it enthusiastically for use in marketing.

        It’s really so much nicer to use their words than my own where appropriate!

  9. I got hooked on Wayne Stinnett and B.J.Bourge recently. Both are great writers that write a great action filled story. I’ve been re-programming my brain from writing PNR for the last year going back to my love of older “pulps” and newer action/adventure stories.

    • Thanks for stopping by, Fred. And thanks for adding Stinnett and Bourge to our list.

      Good idea, going back to the older pulps and new action/adventure stories. Good luck with the writing.

      I hope you’ll come back and visit us often.

  10. Happy Friday, Steve! I love escaping into fiction. Mystery, especially cozy mystery, where there’s a world of kindness and care, riven by murder yes, but which our hero and friends and allies attempt to repair through justice for the crime, is satisfying fun and restorative for me.

    My own Meg Booker Librarian Mysteries series features a bookish, dedicated, young woman who wants to help others and takes place in the mid 1980s, a bygone age of the library when the card catalog, printed references and date-due stamps reigned. It takes place in Fir Grove, a fictional southwest Portland neighborhood.

    Other cozies I love are Sara Rosett’s Murder on Location series, Jeffrey Poole’s Corgi Case Files, Lauren Elliott’s Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries, and Joanna Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series, among many others.

    BTW, I’m moderating a panel at this year’s Left Coast Crime convention and just received an ARC for a new cozy mystery by one of the panelists, Roz Noonan. Her book “Puzzle Me a Murder” looks to be a very entertain escape into a fun world set in the Willamette Valley here in Oregon.

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I’ll be spending mine rewriting “Book Drop Dead,” the latest Meg Booker, and getting in some stargazing at night.

    • Happy Friday, to you, too, Dale. Thanks for adding the list of writers of cozy mysteries to our list today.

      Your Meg Booker Librarian Mysteries series sounds very interesting. To those of us in the same age bracket, that should bring back memories of visiting the libraries of the mid 80’s.

      Good luck with moderating the panel discussion at the Left Coast Crime convention.

      Have a great weekend!

  11. Great *escape* discussion, Steve!

    I’m sure most of you know by now that I’m not a romance reader. What I do like, though, is the bad guys and gals to get their come comeuppance. Good guys, bad guys, espionage, with a few guns thrown in keep me turning pages.

    So, with that said, these days my go-to authors are right here in these hallowed halls-JSB and Brother Gilstrap. I’ve read many of their novels and I always, always finish them with that glint of satisfaction in my eye and the wish that the real world could have a Mike Romeo or a Jonathan Grave in it.

    *Sigh.

  12. Great post, Steve. Escaping reality is a plan I can sign on to.

    Over the past couple of years, I’ve read quite a few middle-grade books in preparation for writing my own MG mystery. MG books often contain a brand of humor and insight that you don’t find in other genres. Several of the books I read are:

    The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg
    Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein
    The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

    These books differ from each other in content and length, but they’re all mysteries and were fun to read.

    A non-MG book I read recently (and loved) was
    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

    • Thanks, Kay.

      The list of MG books and Amor Towles’ book sound like good additions to our list. That humor you mentioned can certainly add to the enjoyment of reading.

      Have a weekend high on fiction and low on reality!

  13. The most deeply satisfying novel I’ve read in the past few years is…War and Peace, the translation by Louise and Aylmer Maude. Whether set in a gilded drawing room filled with French-speaking Russian aristocrats, or in a chaotic battlefield during Napoleon’s invasion, I believed Tolstoy’s world. The shambling, awkward-but-honorable Pierre won my heart (despite his bad temper). Not all the characters got happy endings. But the story, the characters, and the excellent translation drew me through the entire 1300-page book without flagging. Now I understand why it’s a classic.

    • Wow, Tawn, you win the award for suggestion of longest book.

      Your description and praise make me want to read that tome again. And I see that the book is now in the public domain. And that translation is available on Project Gutenberg.

      Thanks for the suggestion. Please come back and join us at TKZ often.

  14. I’m currently reading E M Foner’s science fiction series of 30+ books. There’s always a mystery, usually some laughs, but no violence. They brighten my day because they show the best of what humans can be.

    During the pandemic, I very much enjoyed Frank Tuttle’s Markhat Files. The setting is a mix of fantasy and old west. The main character is a hard-boiled detective and an honorable man bent on justice but avoiding violence whenever possible. The books are filled with typos, something that usually drives me crazy, but the storytelling is so magical and uplifting that I didn’t care. The stories gave me hope that there were still good people in the world.

    I also recommend T. Kingfisher’s two fantasy series, The Saint of Steel books, or The Clocktaur War books. She has a wonderful sense of humor. There’s a bit of romance, loads of adventure, a mystery to solve, and a happy ending. While there are murders, the books are never dark.

    • Thanks, KS. That’s an excellent list to add to our escapism titles today.

      Frank Tuttles’ Markhat Files sounds very interesting.

      Thanks for participating today. Have a wonderful weekend.

  15. If you’re noticing that I’m not responding to your comments, it’s because the site won’t allow me to respond. Hopefully, I will be able to respond later.

    My apologies!

  16. “Reality is for those who can’t handle science fiction.” Bumper sticker seen at a science fiction convention.

    During rough times, I’ve always turned to adventures, whatever the genre, where family and friends face adversity and beat its butt. During the recent unpleasantness, I like many of my friends read lots of cozies.

    • Thanks, Marilynn. “Reality is for those who can’t handle science fiction.” I love it.

      Great suggestions for adventures and cozies.

      Thanks for your faithful participation. I enjoy your interesting perspective.

      Have a great weekend!

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