Influencing the Mood

I don't know about you, but when I read, I like to read novels that are entertaining in some way. I don't mean that every novel I read is a comedy or romance, but every book that I read and have enjoyed has taken me away and allowed me to live outside of my tiny world for a little while.

Have you ever read The Lovely Bones? This is probably the only book that I've ever read that I regretted doing so. I'm not saying that it was terrible or full of typos or stupid analogies. What I didn't like about it was how depressing it was. If I'm depressed, I don't read sad books or watch tear-jerker movies. I listen to moody music or loud angry music. Or I clean the house angrily. Heheh. Anyway, The Lovely Bones was the kind of book that you want to put down just so that you can find the nearest tree and noose and hang yourself from it. I don't get why people like to read these kinds of books. Ok. That's not entirely accurate. I understand that everyone has their own personal tastes. What I mean, I guess, is that I don't get why someone would exclusively read these kinds of books.

I'm currently reading Juliet Grey's Confessions of Marie Antoinette. It's the third book in a trilogy. I love it and the whole series. Juliet Grey really immerses the reader in revolutionary France from the smells of the filthy palaces to the clothes that Marie and the people of France were wearing. I think she gives a good balance of historical fact and drama as well as giving Marie Antoinette a realistic voice. However, I have to put the book down every once in a while because it makes me sad. I know how it's going to end and every mistake that the King makes or the ignorant attitudes of the citizens make me clench my fists. I want to yell, "Don't take the heavy berline. You don't need two cook plates, picnic baskets, and writing desks inside of a coach when you're fleeing for your lives!!!!!" Yeah. I take Marie Antoinette's and the royalists side. ::sigh::  

The Oldest child has recently taken to reading depressing books. Books about teenaged pregnancy, breakups, Nazis, concentration camps. I mean, truly depressing stuff. She's 17 and has just now started to really enjoy reading. It's evolved into a pastime for her and not just boring assigned school work. I've been not-so-patiently waiting for this to happen and I'm thrilled that she's finally discovering the joys of a good book. I'm gently trying to steer her towards more lighthearted subject matter, but I don't want to discourage her from reading what she enjoys. This is just yet one more way that she's totally different from me, lol.

I've said this dozens of times of the years, but the only thing I wanted my kids to inherit from me was my love of reading. Instead, they both have my nasty hair color, the Oldest has my terrible attitude, and the Youngest has my anxiety. The fates are sometimes cruel, ya know?

Does what you read influence your moods? And if so, does that influence your reading choices?