Do you read in time? By that, I mean do you read stories in the month or season in which they are set? Most readers have their favorite Christmas and Halloween stories that they reread around those holidays. Since I love mysteries, and for some reason Christmas and mysteries like to hang out for the holiday season, I have tons to choose from.
But I also read stories which are set during non-holiday times. My brother-in-law, for example, reread The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the early spring each year because the Battle of Pelennor Fields, the epic battle at the end of The Return of the King, is fought in March.
I read Watership Down in June because that’s when the story starts. It covers most of the summer with an epilogue in the fall, but I read it in June because the description of nature is so lush that it seems to fit in that month. For the same reason, I read The Time Machine in summer. The Time Traveler travels to the year 802,701. This England of far in the future is experiencing a gold summer so it makes sense to reread it during this season. I read the mystery stories featuring Uncle Abner as the detective in fall because some of my favorite stories from this series are set them, although others are set in other seasons.
I think I like to read in time because it makes me feel closer to the story, like I’m living it with the characters.
Sometimes, I choose to read a book at the same time I discovered it. I took The Father Hunt by Rex Stout with me on our summer vacation a few years ago. It was so wonderful to rediscover this mystery that I packed it again for our next summer vacation and will continue to do so this year. The flip side of that is that bad circumstances can make me dislike a story. I read a Nero Wolfe novella while driving home from visiting my parents during the holiday season. For some reason, I got car sick while my husband drove. The next time I tried to read the novella, that sensation of nausea came over me again. Fortunately, after a space of several years, I could reread the story with no ill effects.
Write in Time
I also tend to write in time. In A Shadow on the Snow, I have pivotal scene occur during a snowstorm on Valentine’s Day and the novel ends on Good Friday. For the next novel in the series, I open on Memorial Day and plan to wrap it up on Father’s Day. Using the holidays as touchstones isn’t something I thought a lot about. Since family is critical to my stories, it makes sense to work in holidays, which are often the most memorable events in the life of a family.
What do you think? Besides reading Christmas stories at the appropriate time, do you read in time?
Hi! You wrote, “I think I like to read in time because it makes me feel closer to the story, like I’m living it with the characters.” This makes sense to me. My WIP is the first book I’ve set in spring; usually my settings are autumn and winter.
So far, all my published works are set in winter or early spring. The short story I”m working on in set in Ohio during a very wet, dreary November.
I’ve seen some of those here in the Great Black Swamp! Also very bright colorful, blowsy days.
Though I do like to read Christmas books closer to the holidays, I’ve never given it much thought.
I’ll have to double-check now to see whether I do. I don’t believe so, because I read the books I like as they become available.
I really like to read summer stories in winter 🙂