They stand, hips jutting out, swords swung over shoulders, midriff shirts and hip hugger jeans exposing flat, muscular abdomens. One after the other, they dot the covers of books lined up on the shelf. Girls with swords; it’s the latest fad in the fantasy scene. Modern girls fighting the unseen world, with swords, guns or their own hands. Whether they are demon fighters, vampire slayers, or shapeshifting mechanics, they all have killer abs and rock hard biceps. Oh, to be eighteen, sexy and dangerous!
So, you see, even librarians judge books by their covers. If the cover gets you to pick up the book, what keeps you reading? I used to believe that if I started reading a book, I had to finish it. Like there was some book reading god out there judging me on my completion rate. Until sometime after I finished my first college degree I realized I wasn’t reading very much. I had started this book that I just couldn’t get through, but because I couldn’t finish it I thought I couldn’t read anything else. Who made all these rules? And, of course, I realized I had. Or at least I was imposing them on myself. So I made new rules. First rule, no book gets read if it hasn’t total captured my attention by chapter two. And second rule, always read more than one book at a time.
As I’ve gotten older, my attention span has gotten shorter. There’s less time left and books get less chance to grab me. I’ve gone from giving a book two chapters, to one chapter, to one page, to one paragraph. Sometimes, I even decide in one sentence. All writers know this. Make your first sentence perfect. It may be the only chance you get.
I’m also of “the read a few books at a time” school. I like non-fiction, but I’m not a fast non-fiction reader. I always need a novel to alternate with my non-fiction. I usually have a book on writing I’m working on, too. And I may be reading a children’s or young adult novel, along with a slightly more literary work. I confess, I read a lot of young adult novels. They are fast past page turners that keep me reading. They usually have good first lines.
“What on earth do you have in here?” I get the comment a lot when people try to pick up my book bag. Books, of course! I not only read several books at a time, I like to carry them all with me. You never know when you finally get a minute to read, what you are going to feel like reading. So carry a selection, that’s my theory. I’ve usually got a novel, a couple books on writing, two journals and my netbook with me. Boy scouts aren’t the only ones who believe in being prepared. Writers and readers need to be always prepared, too.
So even though I don’t have rock hard abs and a sword in hand, if a see any demons I can hit them with my book bag. It’s loaded and ready for action.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Fun Summer Reading
The gardeners among us usually read more in the winter time. Once it’s time to start digging in the dirt, we don’t see as much of them at the library. Yet, for many of us, summer is the time of reading, kicking back on vacation at the beach or by the lake with a good book. There’s a long list of new best sellers that most everyone wants to read this summer, from the Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest to Sizzlin’ Sixteen. If you’re stuck in the holds queue and desperate for something to read, don’t forget there are a lot of good books out there; the oldies but goodies of the book world.
If you love southern fiction, try Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Fred Chappell. The story of Joe Robert Kirkman’s day as a school teacher in North Carolina during World War II, Brighten the Corner was one of my first exposures to the “southern” story and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re sitting on the front porch with an old friend telling stories and drinking ice tea. But make mine unsweetened please.
For a light run read, I love Lorna Landvik’s Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Landvik is one of my personal favorites. She creates stories of women friends that make me want to go out and join the koffee klatch. Angry Housewives traces the friendship of 5 women over the course of twenty plus years, as they fall in love, marry, raise children, divorce, and discover things about themselves and each other. And all the while, their friendship grows and sustains them. Yet, don’t mistake it for a sweet story. This book is also a laugh out loud hoot.
For a literary pick, I love Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety and Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler. Kessler’s language is down right poetic. It’s a story about a woman who researches migrating birds and tries to find meaning after the death of her husband. Stegner’s book traces the fifty year friendship of two couples who meet out of graduate school in the 1930’s. Both husbands are English professors and writers. Kessler and Stegner both use language and metaphor beautifully as they tell their stories, but it’s the characters, as always, who keep us turning the pages. Here’s warning though, both stories are tearjerkers. So don’t read them while operating equipment!
If the sweet and literary doesn’t send you, here’s my suggestions for thriller and dog lovers. Play Dead by David Rosenfelt is about lawyer Andy Carpenter, who saves a dog from death row and then realizes the dog was witness to a crime. Andy now has to keep himself and the dog alive while trying figure out who done what. Then there’s Dog Gone It by Spencer Quinn. The story is told by Chet, the dog of a private investigator. With his easily distracted doggy memory, a great nose and an inability to communicate in human language, Chet has to solve the mystery and then make Bernie understand what happens. Rosenfelt’s books may be a little more serious, but Chet has to be one of the greatest characters to ever come to life on the page.
For lovers of Doug Adams A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy try almost anything by Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett. My favorite’s by Moore include Practical Demonkeeping, Coyote Blue, and for the truly daring Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal. Be warned though, Moore is an acquired taste with language, sex and a high degree of irreverence. So, don’t try this at home if you aren’t prepared. Pratchett writes fantasy that takes place on Discworld, a flat disc that sits on the backs of 5 elephants, who are standing on the back of giant turtle, who is floating through space. Sir Pratchett (he’s actually be knighted by the Queen!) is a first class satirist, who can rip on anything from Shakespeare to Rock and Roll, or vampires to sorcerers, the army to the postal service. I prefer any Terry Pratchett novel that includes Death, his trusty steed Binky and Death’s granddaughter Susan, or Granny Weatherwax. Try Soul Music, Mort, or Lords and Ladies.
Finally, for something that defies categorization, I love anything by Connie Willis. Considered a fantasy writer, Willis has been doing time travel novels before it ever became popular. One of her best though has nothing to do with time travel and everything to do with life. Passages is an incredible story about a researcher who studies near death experiences and she discovers more than she ever imagined.
If you love southern fiction, try Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Fred Chappell. The story of Joe Robert Kirkman’s day as a school teacher in North Carolina during World War II, Brighten the Corner was one of my first exposures to the “southern” story and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re sitting on the front porch with an old friend telling stories and drinking ice tea. But make mine unsweetened please.
For a light run read, I love Lorna Landvik’s Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Landvik is one of my personal favorites. She creates stories of women friends that make me want to go out and join the koffee klatch. Angry Housewives traces the friendship of 5 women over the course of twenty plus years, as they fall in love, marry, raise children, divorce, and discover things about themselves and each other. And all the while, their friendship grows and sustains them. Yet, don’t mistake it for a sweet story. This book is also a laugh out loud hoot.
For a literary pick, I love Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety and Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler. Kessler’s language is down right poetic. It’s a story about a woman who researches migrating birds and tries to find meaning after the death of her husband. Stegner’s book traces the fifty year friendship of two couples who meet out of graduate school in the 1930’s. Both husbands are English professors and writers. Kessler and Stegner both use language and metaphor beautifully as they tell their stories, but it’s the characters, as always, who keep us turning the pages. Here’s warning though, both stories are tearjerkers. So don’t read them while operating equipment!
If the sweet and literary doesn’t send you, here’s my suggestions for thriller and dog lovers. Play Dead by David Rosenfelt is about lawyer Andy Carpenter, who saves a dog from death row and then realizes the dog was witness to a crime. Andy now has to keep himself and the dog alive while trying figure out who done what. Then there’s Dog Gone It by Spencer Quinn. The story is told by Chet, the dog of a private investigator. With his easily distracted doggy memory, a great nose and an inability to communicate in human language, Chet has to solve the mystery and then make Bernie understand what happens. Rosenfelt’s books may be a little more serious, but Chet has to be one of the greatest characters to ever come to life on the page.
For lovers of Doug Adams A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy try almost anything by Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett. My favorite’s by Moore include Practical Demonkeeping, Coyote Blue, and for the truly daring Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal. Be warned though, Moore is an acquired taste with language, sex and a high degree of irreverence. So, don’t try this at home if you aren’t prepared. Pratchett writes fantasy that takes place on Discworld, a flat disc that sits on the backs of 5 elephants, who are standing on the back of giant turtle, who is floating through space. Sir Pratchett (he’s actually be knighted by the Queen!) is a first class satirist, who can rip on anything from Shakespeare to Rock and Roll, or vampires to sorcerers, the army to the postal service. I prefer any Terry Pratchett novel that includes Death, his trusty steed Binky and Death’s granddaughter Susan, or Granny Weatherwax. Try Soul Music, Mort, or Lords and Ladies.
Finally, for something that defies categorization, I love anything by Connie Willis. Considered a fantasy writer, Willis has been doing time travel novels before it ever became popular. One of her best though has nothing to do with time travel and everything to do with life. Passages is an incredible story about a researcher who studies near death experiences and she discovers more than she ever imagined.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)