Kate Tigue
As a librarian, I often get questions from folks who are looking for books that fast paced and have lots of action. Most people seem keen to avoid getting bogged down with wordy description or intricate world-building and get straight to the plot. While I also love an action-packed story, living and reading through a global pandemic has given me a new appreciation for slower paced fiction.
I think I speak for many when I say that I would really like a break from living through these “unprecedented times.” Because I am the sort of person who can get swept up by the emotion surrounding current events, I keep my news reading to a limited time period in the morning, when I can chat with my husband and keep myself grounded before anxiety takes over. When I read at night, I avoid the news in favor of books that keep me calm and help me relax after a busy day. Regardless of genre, I’ve found that slower-paced novels that focus on the interior life of the characters instead of a high-octane storyline really allow me to unplug and recharge myself. Slower paced books often focus on the interior psychology of a character or on observations about everyday existence to make their points. It can be hard to capture exactly what makes these books so absorbing but, as young people say, it’s a vibe.