[MarkL]

Spengler is a condescending, elitist twit.

From this review of (the readers of) Harry Potter books, he exudes contempt for those who are looking for escapist literature.

When I was younger, I loved reading, because I was brought up on Edgar Rice Burroughs and C.S. Lewis, as well as Heinlein's juvinile books. I "graduated" to "real" literature, but I never lost my love of escapist stories.

Sometimes it's nice to read something that just takes you away from where you are, and what you're doing. I find myself spending at least 4 hours a day reading: Mostly technical and system administration manuals, network protocol guides, and trying to understand just what the heck the network architects at Microsoft were doing... I just started reading a little ditty titled "Mastering Windows Server 2003," a light read at a bit over 1700 pages. Hopefully, I'll have it finished in the next week.

Believe me, once I'm finished with my first Microsoft test (I'm scheduled to take my first Windows Server exam a week from Friday), I'm going to be ready to read the new Harry Potter book, to get as far away from computers as possible. And it will be with something I can sit back and enjoy as fun, rather than something "good for me." Something I can read over quickly, without having to look for any hidden meanings. Look, I could go back and re-read "The Oddesy," Dante's "Inferno," or another of the classics, but I'm looking for something light and fun.

Mark

[SamAdams76]

I find myself spending at least 4 hours a day reading: Mostly technical and system administration manuals, network protocol guides, and trying to understand just what the heck the network architects at Microsoft were doing.

That might require a lot more than 4 hours a day!

[spinestein]

[I could go back and re-read "The Oddesy," Dante's "Inferno," or another of the classics, but I'm looking for something light and fun.]



Might I suggest you read "Inferno" by the science fiction author Larry Niven.

It's a fairly short novel set in the land of Dante's hell but it's just an escapist story (literally; the hero, who is a journalist, has to escape from hell) with lots of interesting characters and situations, and the plot really moves along. Kind of a fun book.