Category Archives: Reading

April 3, 2023 · 7:00 am

Books

Welcome to day 2 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today is the letter B and it is all about Books.

To say that I read a lot is a bit of an understatement. I read a LOT. I consume books like they are the next best thing to chocolate. Wait…I think they are the next best thing to chocolate. Last year I read 99 books. One short of my annual goal of 100 books. I thought I had hit 100, but after reviewing the titles it was only 99. Well, crap. That’s the way the pages fall (yes, I said that). (If you are interested in my 2022 reading list I will be writing about it this month with the letter R for Reading.)

My favorite books usually have witchcraft, fairies, or magic, and I love a book series of at least 3 books, but no more than 12. If they are a long series (Wicked Witches of the Midwest is a good example) they better be short(ish) and fun. Speaking of the Wicked Witches of the Midwest…have your read them? What a great series. It hit my funny bone just right and I’ll tell ya, Aunt Tilly is a hoot.

Do I have an all time favorite book? Sorry to disappoint you, but there are just too many great books (and some stinkers too) out there to be able to pin just one down. I can only say that, right at the moment, I’m reading Threadneedle by Cari Thomas.

What about writing a book? I have written several books – to an extent. One of the books actually had “The End” written on it. It needs a lot of work. Like having about 35,000 words added, at least 6 edits, and then a hope and a prayer it might find a publisher. Will they get finished? Who knows. To those of you who have finished writing your book. I bow to your very existence. To write a book is a labor that can only be understood by the truly dedicated writer. I am in awe of the passion you have for the craft of writing.

There are three books out there that I did have the privilege to oversee through to publication. I felt strongly that the writing organization I volunteer for (Pikes Peak Writers) desperately needed to publish an anthology. They just needed someone to spearhead the project. Yes, you guessed it, I raised my hand. Five years later there are now three fantastic anthologies added to the world of books.

Now it’s your turn.
Have you written a book?
Are you reading a book?
Do you edit books?
Please leave a comment about how you and books live together. Do you have links you want to share? I’m always open to reading suggestions.

Come back on Tuesday and we’ll venture into the letter C for Cactus.

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August 4, 2017 · 6:03 pm

#IWSG – For Writers of All Ages

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. I just learned about this fun group from Shannon Lawrence, who is a fellow writer and blogger. Just the title of the group screamed that I needed to check it out. This group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh so writers could virtually gather to express their thoughts about writing. It looks intriguing so I have joined in.

Our co-hosts today are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!

The question for this month is: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing? Let’s take a look at these one at a time because each one raises a different set of Pet Peeves for me.

READING: When I read a book that has gone through all of the gyrations to reach publication I have high expectations. My number one issue is misspelled words. I can accept a couple, especially in a manuscript of 100,000 words, but when I see multiple instances of spelling errors my hackles start to raise.

A manuscript goes through the mill before publication, and if an author has done due diligence it would have been seen by the author, spell check, critique groups, beta readers, editors (line and content), publishers, early prints, and then reprints. By the time a book is into the mainstream it should not have spelling errors.

Editing: When I’m editing my own work my pet peeve is that I’m too hard on myself. I do endless comparisons of my work to great writers I aspire to write as well as. I remind myself that they have their creative greatness and I have mine. If I find myself being too hard on me, I set it aside and come back later when I’m not thinking of a Jane Austin novel.

WRITING: In this area I tend to not be too hard on myself. The entire process of writing is, in of itself, a process. Like all writers, I start with an idea then progresses through a vast journey of discovery. When I first started to write I thought, “This will be easy. I just put words to paper and, voila, a book appears.” I laugh at myself. Just getting started was a huge learning curve, and today I continue to learn my craft. If I had to name one thing that is difficult for me it would be to write everyday. Getting in a few days a week is a thrill, and I hope one day life will allow me to write daily.

As a reader, what are your Pet Peeves?

#IWSG

@TheIWSG

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January 5, 2016 · 5:40 pm

85

I’ve always been curious how many books I read in a year and in 2015 it was 85. I was surprised by the number (I actually thought I had read more than this) so I had to go over the previous years as well.

  • 2014 it was 65 books,
  • 2013 I read 56, and in
  • 2012 it was 53, then in
  • 2011 60, but
  • 2010 was the year I bought my Kindle and the end to paper books so only 2 books were read (according to my Kindle, not my library).

319 books in 5 years makes an average reading of 63.8 books per year, 5.3 per month or just over one book per week.

Of all the books I have read here are a few of my favorites (not in any particular order):

  • Scorpio Races
  • Wool (The entire Silo series was excellent but I liked Wool the best), by Hugh Howey
  • Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon
  • Stephanie Plum series (its good for a giggle so I added it to this list) by Janet Evanovich
  • Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
  • The Hunger Games trilogy (these are the best when all three books are read), by Suzanne Collins
  • Divergent trilogy, by Veronica Roth
  • The Uglies series, by Scott Westerfield
  • Leviathan series, by Scott Westerfield
  • Ready Player one, by Earnest Cline
  • Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell (I have to admit I loved this book but I never finished it. It hurt my brain too much.)
  • Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer
  • Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane, By Neil Gaiman
  • Lamb, by Christopher Moore
  • The Hundred Year House, by Rebecca Makkai
  • The Magicians series, by Lev Grossman
  • The Paper Magician series, by Charlie N. Holmberg
  • Once Upon a Heist, by Ashley Hodges Bazer ( I have to thank Ashley for adding this much needed humor during a time when I needed it the most).

I have enjoyed reading all 319 books and I think there was only one that was written so poorly I had to stop. I deleted it from my Kindle so it wasn’t counted.

Some of you might think I consume books, while some may read more than I, but no matter how much or how little you read, it is the fact that you are reading at all that makes the difference.

Do you have any favorites? Please add them to the list below.

 

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