Reading

Reading, like almost everything else, is subjective.   My brother, who will rarely pick up a book, reads everything by Dean Koontz while I won’t touch one.   Sister #2 buys every book by James Patterson while I’ve tried to read various titles with no success.  I always put them down and never end up finishing them.  Sister #1 scoffs at anything romance/women’s fiction related, while I enjoy books by a number of authors who write in this genre.  (It’s also a genre I write in myself.)   Sister #3 likes urban fantasy or anything about vampires, fairies, werewolves, etc.

I usually choose books by authors I’ve read before whose books I enjoyed or from recommendations from friends and family.  I have a subscription to RT Book Reviews magazine which reviews an average of 250 books per month in a wide variety of genres from mainstream, to romance, to science fiction, to inspirational, as well as erotica to name just a few.  It’s a great resource for finding out who has a new book coming out especially if you’re trying to follow a series as well as finding new authors. They also have an informative website for both readers and writers. (www.rtbookreviews.com)  I also buy and read as many books as I can by fellow authors that I know personally.  Of course, with my own novel coming out next month, I’m hoping they will support me in the same manner, but I also buy them because I enjoy the stories themselves, not just to support a friend’s career. 

How do you choose the books you read?  Do you have specific authors that you read all of their work?  I’d be interested to hear how and why you choose to read the authors you do.

This I Know For Sure...

Illness throws everything off schedule, not just for you, but for your loved ones too.  (The reason for no posts earlier this week.)

(Thanks mom for being there when I needed you most.)

This I Know For Sure...

The ten most powerful two letter words in the English language are:
      If it is to be, it is up to me.

A friend sent this to me this week.  I believe it's a paraphrase of the quote by Terri Gulick.  It's certainly inspiring.

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I had a doctor's appointment today so I took a nice, thick book with me.  Sometimes, the wait seems interminable, today I was in and out in about 40 minutes so I only had the chance to read the first few pages of Hot Pursuit by Suzanne Brockmann.  I really enjoy her Troubleshooters series.  If you haven't read any of them, pick one up.  Her pacing is incredible and she's a master of suspense.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  :o)

Mid-Year Review

Members of one of the writers groups I belong to started posting how they are faring in meeting the goals they set for 2011.  Some are doing really well, others seem to be on track or just a tiny bit behind where they want to be.  As I sat down to write this, I took a moment to look at my writing goals for 2011.  On the plus side, my historical romance titled Impetuous was accepted for publication and will be released in book and ebook form on August 31, 2011.  This is a huge accomplishment that I'm very proud of.  I'm also blogging three days a week, guest blogging, and I'm working on getting a Facebook page up and running.  These are major accomplishments for me as I'm, for the most part, technologically inept.

On the other hand, after my mid-year review, I realized I'm not doing as well I should or could be in meeting other goals I set at the beginning of the year.  I hate admitting that.  The book I'm currently writing is isn't going as well as I thought it would when I first sat down and plotted it out.  I'd hoped to have it finished by the end of May, well it's now early July and I'm still about 150 pages from the end.  I've decided to revise some of my goals, pushing some out farther into the future (early 2012) and concentrating on others to be sure that at the end of this year, I don't look back and see something I wish I had accomplished.

How do you feel about mid-year reviews?  Do they get you going or just make you depressed?

 On a separate note, I hope you and your families all have a wonderful 4th of July.

This I Know For Sure...

People who say "money can't buy happiness" either have enough of it, or don't know what to do with it.

Money could buy me a great deal of happiness.