I’ve become a lot more sensitive with age. Stories, tv/film included, with a lot of pain or conflict, without redemption is too much for me. I am too empathetic for my own good. I can handle it more in tv/film bc it’s less of a time investment, but even then, i have to be in the right space for it. I haven’t read a novel in a long time and I miss it. When I have found stuff that is less upsetting, it’s also not very well written.
For context, I love Jane Austen bc the writing is just so incredible but the stories are not painful. For a counterpoint, I’ve tried Jane Eyre several times but it’s just so awful how she’s treated. I can’t keep going. I’ve loved some of Barbara Kingsolver, but she can also get really painful. I picked up Momo by Ende, but the looming Grey Men are just too much for me. Harry Potter is fun. Lord of the Rings is too slow. Life of Pi was pretty good. Anne of Green Gables was okay but she was constantly getting in trouble and that’s not my jam. Earthsea Trilogy was good, though had darkness it was wasn’t *pain.* I can do fantasy, but it’s not a genre I love for its own sake. Can’t say I’ve tried much mystery…
Whaddya got?
by pimpinell