Bookish Thursday, Dick Francis

For Bookish Thursday, I've decided to write a little ode to Dick Francis, the author of books that I read in private, but never in public. I have very literary-minded friends, and if it isn't on a classics list, it just isn't good reading.

Maybe it's because I'm in love with the romanticism of the English countryside (I have also read Rosamunde Pilcher books since I was a kid). I have been reading Dick Francis books privately for a few years now. I think I caught onto him when I started a voracious cross-stitching habit. I started borrowing books on tape from a local library. One of the times, I picked up a Dick Francis book, and I've been hooked ever since.

In reality, the books have many of the same themes. The main character will inevitably be in a world of hurt, experiencing pain that makes my skin crawl just hearing about. He will be an outsider in society, an introvert who socializes on a limited basis and has enough going on inside his head to entertain himself. And of course, there'll be something about British horse racing. Sometimes, there'll be a hint of romance, but nothing incredibly sexual, more like the deep stirrings of an intimate bond.

I own about 12 of his novels, and I continue to look for more audio books to borrow. For some reason, I still haven't heard them all, or if I have, I don't mind re-hearing them. It's mystery fluff, but entertaining fluff. There's always a character I'll learn to love and appreciate, and always a moral lesson about doing what's right, even when it's not very convenient.

Collecting Dick Francis paperbacks is just like how I collect Rosamunde Pilcher paperbacks. Someday I'll have a terrific guest bedroom with bookshelves. I'll fill these shelves with my favorite vacation books. Stories that don't take long to read, but are a good, satisfying ride.

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