MY SECRET READING STASH by Kathy Ivan

Pssst! I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Are you ready? It's a big one.

Writers—are also—readers!

Long before we put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, we read. And read. And read. At some point along the way, I'm sure most of us said . . . It can't be that hard, I think I'll write a book. (Or we read a book that didn't end the way we felt it should and decided we could do it better!)

No, this blog post isn't about writing. Today it's all about reading.

I've been trying to do more reading recently. For one thing, it stimulates the creative process. Plus there are just so many doggone good books out there right now; it's like a smorgasbord of reader goodness. Nirvana of the written word. Now some on this list aren't new releases. They were when I got them, but I'm just now getting them read. My to-be-read list is gargantuan and I just keep adding more and more. 

So I thought I'd tell you, my Not Your Usual Suspect blog aficionados what I've been reading recently. I've tried to provide an eclectic blend of all genres, not just mysteries. I have very diverse tastes.

GHOST STORY by JIM BUTCHER. I've had this one on the Kindle for a long time (obviously) and finally got a chance to read it. I've read every single book in the Dresden Files series, including those in the anthologies. The stories center about a wizard in Chicago who helps solve crimes. They are urban fantasy at its best and these stories just keep getting better and better. If you haven't tried reading about Harry Dresden yet, I highly recommend this series.

TEMPT ME IF YOU CAN by JANET CHAPMAN. I love all Janet Chapman's Highlander time travel books so I thought I'd give this one a try. This is a contemporary romance by this well-known author, the second in a trilogy (although I didn’t realize that at the time). The story centers about a man who gets an anonymous letter informing him he has a teenage son he never knew about. He tracks down the woman who raised him and all sorts of complications ensue. Delightful and filled with just the right amount of laughter and tears. I went back and got the first in the series to read, too.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS by Geri Foster. This was an action packed adventure that has it all, thrills, suspense, and a sexy-as-all hero (not to mention the kick-ass heroine). From the beginning you're drawn into the story. I liked book one a lot, but this (book 2) I think was even better. I hated to see it end, and can't wait for book three to come out.

FORGED IN STEEL by Maya Banks. I love the KGI series by this author. They're a group of ex-military brothers who run an elite security agency. They are all action packed thrillers with lots of suspense thrown into the mix. Plus the romance is smokin' hot (by you can't expect anything less than hot, hot, hot from this author).

These are just a few of the books I've been reading recently. So tell me, what have YOU been reading?

NOTE: This blog is not intended as reviews of the above-titled books. I just want to know what you've read recently that you liked. (I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting authors I may not have heard about and I'm sure my fellow blog followers want to know, too.)