I’m a sucker for a story–preferably a good one!

I remember many an evening, when I was a little girl, spent in the kitchen listening to my grandmother’s stories. That was about the only time I got along with my grandmother, when she drew back the the curtains on another time and place, on relatives I would never meet and events I would someday read about in history books.  She made them all come alive in my head!

Later, when I learned to read, books worked the same magic on me.  I would get lost in one of Scheherezade’s tales, or Grimm’s, or Andersen’s, and watch the magic unfold on the movie screen in my mind.  The real world would recede.  No fights with my brother.  No taking care of my sister. No helping my mother.  The story unfolding on the page never failed to entertain me, to inform me, to charm me. Well, almost never…

And I must ‘fess up: I love T.V.

I love shows with stories that weave in social commentary, whose characters develop with each episode, whose plots offer some surprises and make me happy to suspend disbelief for a little while.  I have a few new favorites that I’ve been enjoying…A LOT!

We’re into season 5 of Breaking Bad, a show that captured my imagination from its start. Like everyone else, I was intrigued by the concept of what a man would do to see his family provided for while facing his imminent mortality.  The twists and turns of that journey are none that I would have anticipated, and each season has upped the ante exquisitely.  We are not allowed to watch this show in its normal 10 p.m. airing slot, since I like to get a good night’s sleep and this sucker scares the shit out of me.  So my sweet husband humors me and we watch this together in the bright light of day.

Common Law, the newest kid in USA Network’s line-up, has quickly become a favorite.  The main characters have gone from caricatured stereotypes to conflicted, multi-dimensional,  living, breathing guys and the season isn’t over yet.  I’m enjoying the layer-by-layer revelations of these guys’ lives and how that colors and shades who we see.  LOVED the episode that aired Aug 9!

Then there’s Perception over on TNT.  The whole concept of perception is one that fascinates me anyway and it provides many hours of conversation with my sweet husband since we generally have different perceptions on most topics.  While we frequently arrive at similar conclusions, we always travel different paths to get there.  It’s fun to watch a show that illustrates our own experiences!

We’re eagerly awaiting the new season premiere of Hell On Wheels.  Sweet husband says it’s pretty historically accurate – and he would know.  I’m looking forward to watching the stories!