Turned out to be a terrific opportunity to make a dent in the TBR (print book) pile. Remember how a couple of posts back I wanted to bulk up the summer reading list? I'm happy to report that I've made an impressive start.
Beginning with... The Kama Sutra (not the picture version). Very interesting 'literature'. Contrary to my belief, it wasn't exclusively about sex/positions/physical pleasures, but concerned more with social graces, acceptable courting behaviour, etc.
I tried... TRIED!!... to read Jane Austin's Pride and Predjudice, but couldn't seem to get into it. Why?? I so wanted to love.
Perhaps because I'd seen the movie (both versions) and felt like I already knew what was coming? Or maybe I simply wasn't in the mood for a period piece?
The latter is certainly a possibility as I haven't had much luck getting into any of the historicals I've got lying around lately. It's a mood thing, right? I've had Lisa Kleypas's Mine 'til Midnight on my nightstand for about 2 months and can't bring myself to crack it. And I KNOW it'll be good once I begin but I can't get over the hesitation.
Moved on to more Kelley Armstrong. To this point I'd only read her non-paranormal Nadia Stafford books (hit woman extraordinaire), so with much eagerness, dove into Bitten, which is about Elena Michaels, werewolf.
Rocked.
Rocked so much I followed up with Stolen the very next day. Have to hold back from Dime Store Magic for a few more days/weeks, though it's killing me.
Tried another Canadian author by the name of Linwood Barclay. If you enjoy Harlan Coben (Hold Tight was amazing. Go forth and read!), give this guy a try. His style is similar (though not quite as polished as Coben - but Coben has how many books out? ... which gives him an experiencial edge) and his plot/pacing is terrific. 'No Time for Goodbye' is now out in paperback and I'm highly recommending it. Just make sure you have a clear calendar for you won't want to put it down. I couldn't.... and ended up reading it into the wee hours, but it was worth it.
Interesting note - Barclay used to be a regular columnist for the Toronto Star. His pieces were so engaging that I felt like I knew him and his oft mentioned family. So naturally, I'm totally rooting for him in his writing career and hope he rockets to international fame. Like he cares what I think... LOL
If you haven't seen it yet, TL has a book cover! Her Mirror Blue is due for release on May 1st (squee)As for my own writing, as of yesterday (Tuesday), my writing break is over. I'm kinda scared to jump back in (oh the neurosis lurking in the writer's mind!) but it's now or never. But I've chosen to shelf Jump Zone indefinitely. I may work on something short and light for Ellora's Cave just to regain my courage, before dusting off the paranormal from hell that gave me nightmares last year. ;)
Tomorrow (and by that I mean next week, maybe the week after...) I'll talk about the movies I've been catching up on.
Happy writing, happy reading!
3 comments:
We've missed you. Sorry about shelving Jump Zone, which makes me blue because I love the premise of it and I want to read it. :(
But maybe writing your usual for EC will just be the boost you need to get back in.
And I am so excited for TL!! :)
I'm going to have her featured on my blog on her release day. I am so excited for her. :)
Hi, Wylie! I'm glad you got so much good reading done. I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, but I just could not not not get into Mansfield Park. And yes, I wanted to love. :)
Thank you so much for the shout-out, my friend! WHEE, I'm excited! And nervous! And YIPPEEing! And spazzy! And freaky! And I can't believe how close May 1 is now.
ACK, I'm sorry to hear you're shelving Jump Zone. I liked very much what I saw of it! But I understand needing to shelve something for a while. Brings to mind my experience with Occam's Razors and "Grundy" who, on the basis of that book, I allowed to undermine my confidence for a time. I thought I'd never want to fool with OR again, but here I am, rewriting it as Patchwork Stained Glass. So perhaps you will revisit Jump Zone again, when the time is right.
And good luck with jumping back into the Writer's Saddle. You can do it, my friend -- you are talented and determined, and I KNOW you've got a lot of great stories in you yet to be told.
((((((hugs and purrs)))))))
I read P&P at school, several centuries ago, so That's my duty done.
The Kama Sutra without pictures must be like apple pie without apples!
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