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?

Reading other genres, but not truly getting away from romance (Melissa Robbins)

As a member of WARA that writes more mystery than romance, I tend to read genres outside of romance. But as any great reader knows, romance is in almost any book.

Reading Young Adult books makes me feel young. I'm currently reading Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. It's Book Two of the Kane Chronicles about a brother and sister who are saving the world using Egyptian magic. Along with his Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Greek Mythology) and Heroes of Olympus (Greek and Roman Mythology) books, Riordan has gotten a generation of kids reading again. Kids want to pick up his books and (shh don't them) might actually learn something in the process. I still get my romance fix with them. In Throne of Fire, poor Sadie likes two guys, Walt, a fellow magician who is dying from the same affliction King Tut died from and Anubis, yeah that Anubis, the God of Funerals or as Sadie calls him, the God of Toilet Paper (humor abounds in the books). For those of you who are familiar with Egyptian mythology may be scratching your heads. Anubis doesn't always have the head of a dog. He's a god. Anubis can be a handsome teenager in a black leather jacket if he wants to be, although Sadie says the kilt and kohl around the eyes, which would look weird on some guys, really works for him. ;0) Talk about your crazy love triangles. I'm dying to know how Riordan solves this girl's romance issues.

Also on my new Nook color shelf to be read is Headwind by KK Brees a mystery about Professor Katrin Nissen, a spy for the OSS in the early days of WWII. Haven't heard of Brees? This is her first published mystery book and a fellow Sisters in Crime Guppies writer (the 'Great Unpublished'). We Guppies are all about reading fellow Guppies' work. I'm all over it, because it features WW2. I have a shelf dedicated to WW2 books, fiction and non-fiction. Other great ones on my WW2 shelf are by Connie Willis, Blackout and All Clear. The story starts in Black Out and finishes All Clear. Waiting for that second book just about killed me. Willis normally writes science fiction and these two books do involve time travel as the characters travel back in time to WW2, but as a writer who is also writing a WW2 mystery, Willis' research is amazing. And guess what? There's romance in that one too. As Polly is stuck in WW2, Colin, who Polly didn't care for at first, tries desperately to find her and bring her back. Tears, people, tears.

Another favorite series of mine is the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I know. I know. I've mused about this series before on this blog. Jace is the snarky hero the reader can't help but love. Since the YA fantasy book has demon hunters trying to save the world, I wouldn't call it a romance book with all the demons, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and fairies running around, but it definitely has romance in it. Love is a theme of the book, but not completely for the reasons you might think. If my writing buddy Fran wants to know how I wrote that one chapter (she knows which one), a particular airfield scene, or the scene involving a motorcycle from my work-in-process, it's because I read this series. Learn from the masters, people.

With the joy of being a writer, I also have the privilege of reading work-in-process stories by fellow writers. Although Fran's WIP is a Regency romance, it has mystery in it, so I get the best of both worlds and Cheryl's paranormal mystery has romance in it too, because as she says, a book without at least a little romance would be dry and no fun to read.

Reading Outside Your Genre (Penny Rader)

Pssst. Wanna know how to improve your writing? Try reading outside your genre. Yup. It’s true. For a few reasons why, check out the post snippets below:

Breaking Your Mental Blockers (Nfoster)

“Read outside your genre or regular authors. Reading the same two authors every time you read because they're your favorites can get stale. You know their plot devices, you know their character stereotypes. You're not learning anything new as you read. I'm not saying you have to, but if you're going to be a writer, you need to experiment. New authors or different genres of reading can give you that highly-valued new perception I keep talking about. … As you read, you're broadening your horizons about who, what, where and why according to someone else. No one reacts the same way, so understanding other people's characters is infinitely valuable to your mental processes.”


Fundamentals of Fiction, Part II: "Read, Read, Read!" (Marg Gilks)

“Read novels and read short stories; read poetry. Poetry will tune your writer's ear to the rhythm of language, and make your writing beautiful. Novels and short stories each have their own technical requirements; studying overall story arc in a novel will teach you about plot and structure; the length restrictions imposed by short stories will both allow you to study technique in condensed form and teach you how such important aspects as characterization and setting can be conveyed to maximum effect in a minimum of space.”


If You Want to be a Good Writer, You Need to Read (John Harmon)

“…read outside your safety zone. You should read magazines and books you wouldn’t normally pick up for your own pleasure. Sound crazy? It’s not. It’s learning, it’s stretching your boundaries. You’d be surprised at how many unique ideas you can gain from reading unfamiliar material.”


Reading Outside Your Genre (Edmund Schubert)

“From the other genres you can pick up tropes and tricks. From non-fiction you can pick all sorts of useful nuggets you can use in future novels of your own.”


Ten Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice (Holly Lisle)

“Read fiction, read nonfiction, read in the genre you love, read outside of it. Read WAY outside of it. You cannot be a snob -- don't write off any genre or type of book as being without redeeming qualities or lessons to teach you.”

~~~

So what do I read when I’m not reading romance?

• Harlen Coban – Fabulous openings and I’m always surprised by how the story turns out.



• Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series – Makes me laugh out loud. And I'm a huge Ranger fan. ;D



• Lisa Gardner – Twisty, turny thrillers with really scary serial killers.



• Kristin Hannah -- Her women's fiction stories, whether they are about relationships between sisters, mothers/daughters, or friends touch me, help me reconnect with myself. Few books make me cry. Firefly Lane did.



• Jodi Picoult – Intriguing characters. Usually a combination of law, medicine, and faith. Almost always surprised by how her books end (but not always pleasantly surprised). The ending of the last one I read p--, uh, made me furious.



• Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series – Lyrical and lovely. Her stories make me feel good and comforted and wishing I could write more like she does.



• Fairy tales and myths – For ready-made plots to twist and expand upon.



• Biographies and self-help books and all sorts of nonficton – To better understand why people do the things they do and find tidbits for stories.



• Writing exercises & prompts -- For inspiration, for courage, for when I have absolutely no idea what to write about.

~~~

I’d love to hear who you read outside your genre and why.

Books...other than Romance

I have a secret.  Romance writers actually read in other genres besides romance. 

Did I hear a collective gasp?  Surely not!  Just because we write it, we don't necessarily read only the same types of books.  In fact, I write what's considered series or category romance, and I rarely read other books in my sub-genre.  If I'm going to read romance, I'm more apt to pick up a single title (probably by Susan Elizabeth Phillips) or a Jane Austen novel.  Still romance but a bit different. 

A quick look at my bookshelves and...  Aha!  I see a stack of Young Adult novels, mostly by Sarah Dessen, because I was driven to buy copies of my own after reading the ones checked out from the library.  Another bookcase holds all of Dan Brown's novels, while on another shelf of that same bookcase I see a book by Bob Woodward and another by Seymour Hersh.  There's an autographed copy of Reuben on Wry written by Dave Madden, who played Reuben Kincaid on The Partridge Family and also appeared on TV's Laugh-In.  (Only the "more experienced" here will know who and what those are. ☺ The bookcase in the living room contains two shelves of Stephen King books, mixed with some John Grisham, Rosamond Pilcher, Ann Rule, and what's left of my Trixie Belden collection.  On the lower shelves are books for my grandkids.

And there are more in storage.  And even more on my Kindle that I haven't had time to read.

Yes, I love to read, and I'll read just about anything. Those of us who write are readers, too, and we often enjoy books completely unlike what we write.  It's a great way to get escape the writer's mind and enjoy the stories and talents of others.