It\u2019s busy, there is a lot happening. But it is kinda dark,\nand there are criminal elements scurrying in the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m talking about the world of a mystery novel. A least a\nlot of them. And there is the heroic detective, who is flawed and isn\u2019t\nperfectly groomed, but he\u2019s going to figure out the mystery and catch that bad\nguy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because we need to get back to regular. Regular is not\nperfect, but people have to be able to live their lives. Even criminals have to\nmake a living, but keep it under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I picked up Rules of Prey<\/em> by John Sandford this week\nand lived in this world for a few days. It had been a while since I\u2019d visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was a bit horrified to be in the mind of a torturous\nwoman-hating serial killer, but there were some other female characters I admired.\nWomen were more than prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that brave and clever detective had to work very hard to\ncatch the killer and make things right. Well, as right as they could be. Get\nthings back to normal. Normal was flawed, but we could work with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it struck me: this world could be a metaphor for how a\nlot of men are. Not every man, but many would find that paradigm as ideal. This is not exclusively male. Women read mysteries too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book genre that almost no men read? ROMANCE. Romance\nnovels are for the ladies. Ladies really love them. I\u2019ve read my share, even\nthough it\u2019s not my first pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romance novels are trying to shake things up. The story begins\nwith a woman who wants more, even if she doesn\u2019t know it. There is a status\nquo, but it MUST be upset every time by a relationship. The heroine will fall\nin love. There will be a great disturbance in the usual flow of things: a\npassion with a new person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story aspires for something. In the world of the romance novel things are\nalways in need of an upgrade: a new love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have decided this is an essential difference between men\nand women. Women are always trying up upgrade things in little ways. You know\nwhat this old desk needs? A scented candle! Always something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems to fit. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s busy, there is a lot happening. But it is kinda dark, and there are criminal elements scurrying in the shadows. I\u2019m talking about the world of a mystery novel. A least a lot of them. And there is the … Continue reading
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\nFix the big problem. No one is going to be happy all the time, but the big issues\nhave to be dealt with and eliminated. It is a very conservative ideal. Just keep\nthings the same. It\u2019s fine. Keep things at fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nNot a complete revolution, not necessarily. But while men are walking the beat,\nlike a detective in the books, checking to make sure things don\u2019t go too far out\nof line, women are looking around for how to make things just a little better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n