Confessions of an Omnivorous Reader

I love to read. My favorite genres include mystery, suspense, thriller, romance, science fiction, and adventure. I read memoirs and history, newspapers, magazines, and if nothing else is handy, the cereal box. This addiction began at age four when my five-year-old brother started reading to me. I saw blotches of black lines and squiggles under the pictures. He ran his finger along the blotches, transforming them into sounds, words, sentences, and stories. I wanted that magic, that superpower.

In time, my brothers and I discovered that most magical of places—the public library! Unleashed in the children’s section, we read and read until mother dragged us out with armloads of loaners. Such riches! We could travel in time and space on adventures and learn about places far from home. Though mother probably brought us to the library so she could study in peace for her eventual law degree, she did us a huge favor. She kept us away from late afternoons of mind-numbing television.

By high school, my brothers and I launched into a competition to read the set of 100 classics in paperback that Mom had purchased. Baby brother, not to be outdone, read the Encyclopedia Britannica set as well. We teased him that only a geek reads reference books, but truth be told, I kept a dictionary by my bed to scour it for new words like syzygy and conflagration to drop into conversation. With reading comes a love for words. In my family, Scrabble is a blood sport.

In college, I studied 300 plays in depth. I had planned to work for a newspaper by day and write plays at night. Fortunately, that didn’t work out. I ended up writing for business, then for magazines, followed by a stint teaching report writing at a police academy, and then publishing my first novel. Throughout the decades, the joy of reading continued.

A website called Goodreads.com became the social media site for readers, so I set up a profile and started listing books I’d read. It would have been easier check off books from a list of classics and the most popular books in the last the thirty years than to name them from memory. Since joining the site, I have tried to rate and reviewing books as soon as I finish them. So many new authors, so many new books by my favorite authors, the to-be-read list is laughably long and considerably incomplete. May I live to read them all.

I read everything but erotica. The three erotica books I read were boring. Seriously, if Tom Clancy put a car chase in every scene, his stories would have been boring. If Stephen King put a killer clown in every story, well, forget suspense. Predictability turns me off.

I cannot imagine life without books. When someone says, “I don’t read” my first thought is “you poor thing.” No stirring of the imagination, no laughter, no seeing the world from a new perspective, no growth, no adventure, no new ideas, no passion…might as well take away color and music from the world. Do non-readers dream in gray?

When asked to name my favorite authors, I begin with Richard Adams, Aesop, Mitch Albom, Louisa May Alcott, Isabele Allende, Poul Anderson, Piers Anthony, Aristotle, Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Jane Austin, David Baldacci, J. M. Barrie, Dave Barry, L. Frank Baum, Samuel Beckett, Peter Benchley, Steve Berry, Maeve Binchy, William Peter Blatty, Judy Blume, Ben Bova, Ray Bradbury, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Charlotte Bronte, Geraldine Brooks, Dan Brown, Sandra Brown, Edna Buchanan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Meg Cabot, Erskine Caldwell, Taylor Caldwell, Truman Capote, Orson Scott Card, Lewis Carroll, Willa Cather, Raymond Chandler, Anton Chekhov, Lee Child, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Tom Clancy, Mary Higgins Clark, Arthur C. Clarke, Beverly Cleary, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Harlan Coben, Jackie Collins, William Congreve, Joseph Conrad, Robin Cook, James Fenimore Cooper, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, E. E. Cummings, and Clive Cussler. People stop me long before I reach the D surnames.

My husband begs me to buy books on Kindle to prevent book hoarding. I call it collecting. The books aren’t stacked two rows per shelf everywhere…yet. If I ever lose my vision, then I’ll switch to audio books. Call me a book addict. Call me a bookworm. Call me when there’s a book sale.

JONI M. FISHER

Joni M. Fisher is a journalist, an instrument-rated private pilot, and an active member of the Florida Writers Association, the Kiss of Death Chapter and the Tampa Area Romance Authors Chapter of RWA, and the Women's Fiction Writers Association. Books in her Compass Crimes Series have garnered attention in Publisher's Weekly and earned recognition in the 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards, the 2016 Royal Palm Literary Awards, the Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, the Sheila Contest, and earned a Reader's Favorite 5-Star Review. 

Location, Location! and an audio trailer

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION by Clare London

“Look,” says Hubby with a wry smile. We’re snuggled on the sofa together, watching a movie last night. “It’s set in London.”

Is he psychic, you ask? A close friend of the producer? A devout follower of IMDB and/or the celebrity movie news websites? No. He’s just seen the double-decker red bus trundle past in the background LOL (and it *was* a James Bomd movie!).

So many movies and pictures rely on triggers like that, don’t they? For London, we have the buses, the black taxis, the phone boxes (vanishing fast), the London Eye, Big Ben, Tower Bridge … to be honest, we’re spoiled for choice of iconic scenes.

My suspense thriller FREEMAN is set in London. When I first drafted it, I deliberately set it in AnyCity rather than a specific place. It was to add to the mystery of the story, the “Everyman” nature of Freeman himself. But when I re-released it in 2013 at Wilde City Press, I made it clearer that the city I used as its setting was London.

Excuse my bias towards London, but I’m living and working there, it’s the city I know best, and it fascinates me. But I’ve also written stories set elsewhere in the UK: in Brighton, Totnes in the south-west, Exeter, Scotland and various “alternative, no-name” cities around the British Isles.

And of course, other cities - as they say - are available! I’ve read and enjoyed many stories set in the United Kingdom that evoke marvellously the spirit of the place, its scenery, its history and the unique characteristics of its inhabitants.

Of course, Hubby and I also joke about movies set in the US, how it sometimes seems there are only 5 cities in existence - New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco – and they’ve been devastated by enough giant monsters / aliens / natural disasters / Decepticons to make us wonder how there’s anything left for any future features LOL. But again, in fiction, there’s the option of so many more places that can come alive in the reader’s imagination.

How do you feel about physical setting in the books you read? Do you skip over the scene-setting as background wallpaper, or does your reading act as a travel pass to exciting new places? Do you admire the author’s love for the place, or wonder just how much research they’ve done to get authenticity? How do you feel if a book features *your* place, or somewhere you know well – does it thrill or creep you out?

Let us know! As they say, it’s all about Location, Location, Location.

 

And do you like an English accent?!

EXCLUSIVE : this link to an extract from FREEMAN, read aloud for your entertainment!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Kk9uDPrmE

*************************

Clare London

Writing … Man to Man

Website: http://www.clarelondon.com

Blog: http://clarelondon.livejournal.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/clarelondon

Facebook chat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clarelondoncalling/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/clare_london

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/clarelondon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/clarelondon

Quids&Quills: http://www.quidsandquills.com

 

Thankful for Words

For Americans, next week is Thanksgiving, a day when we express our gratitude for the people and comforts in our lives, typically celebrated with a feast, a symbol of bounty and sharing what we have with others.

But what other bounties do we celebrate? Beyond food, I'm grateful for shelter and clothing. Health and wealth (or at least enough to survive comfortably). These are the concrete or physical, measurable things that often spring to mind when I consider what I'm thankful for. There are also less tangible things that impact my happiness like friendship, family, and freedom. Like love and opportunities for laughter. Even tears and the sad times that remind me to appreciate the good times.

Reading Nook (from http://dosedeilusao.wordpress.com)

Today, I’m going to pick a few things to be thankful for that might be a little less obvious.

Words.

The ability to express thoughts and emotions, to communicate and connect.

Literacy, which some people take for granted, and the gift of receiving other people's messages through the written word.

As a writer and a reader, there is a bounty of words upon which I feast daily. And there's plenty for everyone. (Calorie-free!) I'm always happy to share.

When it comes to words, what better way to celebrate our gratitude than to read? What are you reading this week?

Reading, Reading and More Reading!

My name is Shelley Munro, and I am an avid romance reader.

In fact my love of reading and books started me on the path to becoming an author. Like many romance readers, I’m fast and read a lot of books each year.

A few years ago, I decided to keep a record of the books I read each year, and from 2007 I’ve kept an Excel spread sheet of the titles I’ve read. It’s interesting to look back to see which books I’ve read and how my reading tastes have changed. For example in 2013 I read a lot of contemporary romances, I started listening to audio books and flirted with a few new genres such as New Adult. I read more e-books than print books these days, and my number of audio reads is increasing rapidly.

Reading challenges are a fun way of challenging yourself to read more, either in genres you love or in new genres. You’ll find lots of different challenges on the web at this time of the year. Last year I participated in the Goodreads’ Reading Challenge where I recorded 103 books for the year. My target was 100 books. This year I’ve signed up for the same target and have already read a book or two from my to-read mountain.

I’m always interested to learn how other readers operate.

Do you keep track of the books you read? If so, how do you do it? Have you or are you participating in the Goodreads Reading challenge or any other reading challenges?

A Writing Companion

Writing is a solitary occupation. I do most of my writing sitting in my La-Z-Boy chair or if I want a change of scenery, I head out to a café.

When I write at home, I have an assistant. Here she is…meet Bella.

Bella’s job—as she sees it:

1. To make sure I don’t suffer from bottom spread. She nags me with loud barks when it’s time for me to do some exercise.

2. To take regular meal breaks. Again, her barking gets my attention, but she also comes to me chair and makes sure I haven’t missed the message that it’s food time.

3. To collect the mail. She likes to know that we can afford to pay for her food during the coming month and likes checks almost as much as I do.

4. To discourage door-to-door salesmen. No one should distract her partner when she’s in writing mode.

5. To suggest plotting breaks. She signals this by appearing with a tennis ball or her favorite toy.

6. To dispense cuddles when the writing isn’t going well. She edges her way onto my chair, nudging the laptop out of the way.

We have a pretty good partnership, Bella and I, and her excellent understanding of what makes a happy author brings fun to my writing process.

Do you have someone who helps you during the writing process or keeps you company when you’re reading?

Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a rambunctious puppy called Bella. Her latest release is Past Regrets, a contemporary romance from Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website at www.shelleymunro.com 

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.)

Summer Reading

Happy June, everyone! Though Mother Nature hasn’t officially proclaimed it Summer, it feels that way as the kids escape school and routines shift to lazier days. (If keeping up my writing routine while entertaining the kids can be called lazy...but there is at least the illusion of lazy time in the hammock.)

For someone like me, whose main leisurely endeavor is reading, my thoughts drift to books. I have a pile of books on my nightstand (which has toppled over and now includes stacks of books under my bed) and the long list on my Kindle. But I also have the occasional impulse buy and favorite author’s new release to consider. So what's on my summer reading list?

I recently discovered this book in the US Airways magazine while traveling to the RT Booklovers Convention. Though nonfiction isn't my typical "go-to" when I want a light, fun read, the idea of hidden history fascinates me. HERE IS WHERE by Andrew Carroll takes a look at hidden-away or forgotten historical sites around the United States. Carroll gives the example of traveling to the subway platform where John Wilkes Booth's brother saved Abraham Lincoln's son. That certainly caught my interest, especially since I'll be on a cross-country road trip soon. Will have to check some of these places out...

Also, for researching my books, I’m going to be reading research on the Arthurian Sword in the Stone legend as well as anything I can find about human trafficking. (Scary combo, I know, but it’s for two different books I’m working on.)

For true relaxation, though, I always head toward fiction. I’m currently hooked on Jill Shalvis (hot, contemporary reads, perfect for the beach) and am reading the last book (HEAD OVER HEELS) in one of her Lucky Harbor trilogies; I'm also on book three of Darynda Jones's quirky paranormal romantic suspense series (THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD). Her lead character, Charley Davidson, has such a fun cast of supporting characters as they solve mysteries – both earthly and beyond. And I'm looking forward to Addison Fox's WARRIOR ENCHANTED. And I just picked up (impulsively) Christy Reece’s CHANCES ARE when I found it on sale. Can't wait to dive in!

So many of our NYUS gang have books coming out this summer (including the third book in my Mindhunters series: DEADLY BONDS). I hope my fellow NYUS members will speak up in the comments section to share what will be released in the coming weeks.

So, yeah, I doubt my to-be-read pile will get any smaller this summer. Even at my current pace (reading 1-2 books a week), it’ll probably stay status quo as I discover more books that I want to read. But hey, I figure if I reach the bottom of my to-be-read pile, I must be dead, and nobody wants that.

Besides, that’s the fun of summer…it feels like you have endless time to indulge and that it’s OKAY to take time in the hammock to get lost in someone else’s story.

Your turn… Do you find yourself picking up different types of books during the summer? What kind? What’s on the top of your to-be-read pile? What releases are coming out that you're excited about? (Or do you have an upcoming release to share?)

Summer Reading

One of the reasons I've always loved summer is because it gave me a little more time than usual for my favorite pastime, reading. When I got my first job and had to work through the summer, I didn't have that extra time to read, but at least it before kids. I could usually find a way to squeeze in my reading. After the kids came along, just opening a book would be considered a small miracle. A novel I once might have finished in a day, took me a year to read. Still, when I could make an escape from a hectic day, I made it into the pages of a book.

Now that the kids are older, this summer I decided that as soon as I had some free time, I would make it a priority to read a few of the books that had been on my wish list or sitting on my Kindle for ages. I've made a slow but steady dent in my list. Just this past week, I've read three books and I'm confident I'll read at least another three or four before the summer is over. I'll try to sneak in some others during the busy school year, but it won't have the same secret, delicious joy of reading a book by the pool, at the beach, or on a lawn chair on the deck while the sun warms my hair and shoulders.

Here's a few of the books I've read (and others I hope to read) this summer:

The Witness by Nora Roberts
Slow Summer Kisses by Shannon Stacey
Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
Taken by Robert Crais
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Lethal by Sandra Brown
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown
Jungle of Deceit by Maureen A. Miller
Touch by Jus Accardo
Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb

What are you reading or have read this summer? Hey, it's never too early to plan my list for next summer!