Of Thrillers: Hunger Games, The Book of Lost Things, The White Darkness

Have you ever read one of those books that, at a certain point, you have to finish, regardless of basic human needs like food and sleep? Maybe the last Harry Potter book, or one of the Lord of the Rings books. I seem to be on a kick of those books. I'm regularly staying up till 2am, reading, or spending a rather long time in the bathroom (well, where do you do your best reading?). I have mixed emotions about these books. On the one hand, I love a story that grabs me and gives me excitement, especially when the rest of my life may be boring. On the other hand, is it just a manipulative diversion? After I've finished the book, I often wonder why I spent all that emotional energy. Does the book tell me something about humanity or about my life? Does it give me images that I will carry with me? Or was it just something to pass the time?

I feel this dilemma especially when I read suspenseful thrillers one after another. Somewhere years ago, I read a metaphor comparing reading to eating. The author (I think one of those 19th century thinkers intent on making children perfect models of virtue) said that, just as with eating, it's important to choose nutritious books and not fill up on a diet of literary sugar. What really struck me, though, was the idea of digesting your reading. Not something I really do with eating, either, but this author thought it important to read slowly and with reflection. Meanwhile, I'm sitting at the table for hours and eating the entire carton of ice cream, barely pausing to breathe.

Now, I should say this is different from just reading serial novels or tons of detective stories. I would recommend any one of these books. The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly, is an young boy's adventure through a world populated by fairy tales. For those who like Joseph Campbell and the idea that myths and stories are more than diversions, this story is an example of the darker side of ancient stories. The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean, follows a shy, insecure teenage girl with a strong imagination on a vacation with her uncle. There are many surprises that stop just short of being absurd. This would be a good book for aspiring adventure writers, because the author writes her characters into extreme situations, and then has to solve the problem of retrieving them without losing the realism she has built for 350 pages. I believe she also does a good job of intertwining narrative with historical research and of writing vivid description of a place she has never seen.
I would recommend any one of these books