Fiction opens new worlds to me and often leads to learning all I can about places, eras, and people that intrigue me.
- This month I read Moby Dick and have spent hours researching whales and whaling history.
- The novels of Georgette Heyer have led me to read nonfiction books about the Regency era, as well as enlightening fiction written during that time.
- Deon Meyer's mysteries have led to hours of reading about South African history, geography, and culture, as well as hours on Google Earth virtually travelling there. It all started with an Amazon freebie.
- Alexander McCall's Ladies #1 Detective series inspired such a fascination with Botswana that I now want to go there. More hours on Google Earth.
- Earlier this month Clair Huffaker's The Cowboy and The Cossack (Thanks, Apache!) led me to research of Cossacks, Tartars, and Siberia. It also led me to further research about Vladivostok, a city that intrigued me when last month I read The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Thanks, KumaBjorn!). Jonasson's entertaining romp through history also inspired lots of reading about Sweden and even cooking Swedish dishes.
- Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer mysteries have led me to spending almost as much time learning about Norway as I spent reading the books. Now I want to go there, too.
These are only a handful of examples from the decades I've loved reading and learning from fiction. Probably 175 of the 186 books I've read so far this year have been fiction. They have enriched my life and inspired curiosity.