Book Discussion

This sis not my reading recap.  That will be on the last day of the month.

This is talking about books.  May be not specific books but just bookish talk.

I am addicted, enthralled and obsessed with books set in the Southern US.  It is where I am from and what I know.  I can relate to these books so easily.  So, in my mind these books should be relate-able for everyone.  But, recently my best male friend's (Roach), wife (Mrs. Roach) read my favorite author who specializes in southern magical realism.  I will get into magical realism in just a bit.  The Peach Keeper grabs me and does not let go, I fall hard into the book and do not want to leave.  For her it was a good read but nothing too great.  Which is fine.  To all their own opinions.  It did make me think, is my reaction to the book because I can identify more with the community depicted in the book?  It has created a whole paradigm shift in my mind as to what books I think I will like.  Thank you Mrs Roach for sparking this thought.

Now, magical realism.

I was intrigued when I started seeing books I really enjoyed tagged with this monicere.  I just had to find what it was.  Off to the GOOGLE!

Magic realism or magical realism is a genre where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic (often mundane) environment. Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.(wikipedia)

Magical realism is fiction genre in which magical elements blend to create a realistic atmosphere that accesses a deeper understanding of reality. The story explains these magical elements as normal occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of thought. (GoodReads.com)

There are many more definitions and explanations but these were taken from wikipedia and good reads because they were the most concise and most easily understood.  This genre developed first in Latin American literature but has since really moved outward.  I have seen Sarah Addison Allen and Ransom Riggs novels tagged as magic realism.  I am wondering who else falls here.  My obsession with pure fantasy may lend to me enjoying books in this genre. To me, magic realism sounds like a mixture of fantasy and standard literature.