My Favorite Things: Books

Time to read doesn't come easy.  I wish it did.  That doesn't mean I don't read.  I'd never give up finding a comfy spot and settling in with a good book.  In fact, my idea of Heaven is an eternity of reading with no interruptions, going from one book to another, one story to the next.  No need to stop to eat or bathe or do laundry or cook so someone else can eat.  Time for nothing to do but read.

Whether I make it to Heaven is debatable, but when I'm so invested in a story and its characters that I don't notice where I am, it is a little bit of Heaven.

What do I read?  Anything.  Okay, not the back of boxes of cereal or even the newspaper.  Magazines no longer tempt me.  But when it comes to books, I'll read almost anything.

I had to stop and think what I've read recently, because reading time is now usually done in bits and spurts, when there's time.  Sometimes it's at the end of the day for an hour or so, before I can no longer keep my eyes open, and I've read the same paragraph three or four times.  I'm trying to read more, and having an eReader (Kindle) has made that easier for two reasons.  First, I can stuff my entire digital library in my purse when I leave the house and have instant access to hundreds--yes, hundreds--of books.  Picking up the grandkids at school?  Twenty minutes of reading time.  Sitting at the rink, while my oldest granddaughter is at ice skating lessons?  Another thirty minutes.  The second reason is that I've found some good books for free or discounted.  Hey, bargains are on my list of favorite things, too!

So here is this year's list of the books I've read.

• Christmas on Mimosa Lane - Anna DeStefano  Not your usual Christmas story, but a deep look into characters who are struggling through the season and wish it would go away.  Yes, there's an HEA, but the main characters had to go through a lot to get there.  Years ago, I judged one of Anna's contest entries, and it was superb.  I knew she would soon be among the published (and was!) and I was delighted with this book.  I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in this Seasons of the Heart series.
• Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips  I've read this book and my other two favorite SEP books (It Had to Be You and Natural Born Charmer) multiple times. Yes, I re-read my favorites often.  I love her strong and sassy heroine's that hide their weaknesses, until they finally capitulate, fall into the heroes' arms and accept themselves, warts and all.  SEP makes me laugh and cry.  I once fell off the bed, while laughing too hard.  Cereal killer?  Really?!
• 11/22/63 - Stephen King  While I own the first 25 or so of King's books (in hardcover!), it had been   a couple of decades since I'd read any of the newer ones.  This one called to me.  Let's face it.  I clearly remember the day JFK was assassinated and wondered what King would do with it.  I wasn't disappointed.  But those 880 pages did take more than an evening to read.  The time spent was worth it.
• The Ladies Room - Carolyn Brown  Yes, I was the one who suggested this book to Reese.  I'd suggest it to anyone who likes to laugh and cheer on characters, who are dealing with what life throws at them.  I laughed out loud, several times, but the humor comes from within, not slapstick funny.  Throw in the fact that these characters were not twenty-somethings, and it made it even better.

What else do I read?  Dan Brown for the excitement, YA books by a variety of authors--both older and newer, some non-fiction, Jane Austen classics, Women's Fiction.  Oh, and romance, although I lean toward single title.  Do I ever start a book I don't finish?  Yes, and recently there have been two or three.  They weren't bad books, but either the story didn't grab me or progress, there was too much repeated detail, or the writing itself didn't pull me in.

What do you read?  What type of heroines keep you turning the pages?  What kind of heroes?  Do you like light or dark stories?  And, especially, what books and types of books would you suggest to friends?