Reading is Research

I have always loved books and reading. Yes, this is my first library card from 1972. It opened hundreds of worlds to me. I’m always sad when people say that they don’t like to read. Reading is entertainment, an escape, a journey to new places, a portal to new worlds, and research. Writers must read.

Stephen King said it best, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” By reading other authors, you learn vocabulary, literary techniques, and genre conventions. Look at the way the words flow in a work that you like. The author creates the story and moves the plot along. It’s not a play-by-play of every detail that happened in someone’s ordinary day. Look at the dialogue. It’s not mundane chitchat. Good authors don’t tell their readers things. They show them. They are artists who paint a verbal picture.

Stephen King’s On Writing is one of the best “how to” books for writers. When I started writing, I read every book about writing that I could get my hands on. I spent more time reading those than I did writing. Over the years, I kept a few. On Writing is one of those. It’s good to learn new things about mechanics, but I think reading books in your genre teaches you more about the conventions (e.g. cozy mysteries don’t usually have graphic scenes or language; mysteries usually have a dead body in the first chapter). You learn how to use language, describe things, and which point of view to write from.

I love receiving books as gifts. This year for Christmas, I received two books about books, and I can’t wait to read them. I still have gift cards left, so I’m not done with the book shopping.

Are you on Goodreads? I like the annual book challenge. I need to think about my goal for 2019. I usually go with 26 (one for every two weeks of the year), but maybe this year, I’ll set a stretch goal. I like how the site keeps track of my totals for me and helps me to remember to leave a review. Plus, at the end of the year, I liked seeing all the year’s books.

What are you reading right now?

My TBR Pile and Other Bookish Things This Weekend

This is one of my TBR (to be read) piles. I did a good job of moving through it, and then I came back from several book festivals this spring with bags of new additions (and editions). But that's not going to stop me from heading over to the Chesterfield Countywide Friends of the Library Really Big Book Sale this afternoon. I'm looking forward to what I can find. (And I may have to start another TBR pile. What's one more.) And I'm still working on my Goodreads reading challenge. I hit the half-way point before June. Whooo hooo!

This is going to be a bookish weekend for me. I'm working on questions for our panel for the Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival in August. We're doing a presentation on the "Many Hats Authors Wear." If you haven't been to this festival, add it to your list. It's one of my favorites. There are so many mystery writers and fun events in one afternoon. 

I'm wrapping up some programming details for our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia chapter and polishing my short story submission for our next anthology. This one is southern themed, and it should be lots of fun. 

My dog novella, "Moving on" is almost finished. I'm going to do one more read through and send it off for editing. It's going to be in To Fetch a Thief later this year with stories from three other talented writers.

And last, but not least, I'm wrapping up revisions to my new cozy mystery set outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.

I hope you've got big plans for the weekend that include books. Drop me a comment and let me know what's in your TBR pile.

Who are Your Favorite Detectives and Sleuths?

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo, Josie and the Pussy Cats, Jabber Jaw, Speed Buggy, Hong Kong Phooey, and the Funky Phantom. Seventies cartoons were full of sleuths and capers. In elementary school, I started reading the classic Nancy Drews and raced to finish the Hardy Boys. Then I moved on to Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and One-minute Mysteries. Now, I read anything from cozy to thriller.

Here are my top detectives...

• C. Auguste Dupin
• Cagney and Lacey
• Dick Tracy
• Elvis Cole
• Frank and Joe Hardy
• Hercule Poirot
• Jim Rockford
• Mike Hammer
• Miss Marple
• Nancy Drew
• Nero Wolfe
• Philip Marlowe
• Quincy
• Sam Spade
• Sherlock Holmes (in all forms)
• Steve McGarrett
• Thomas Magnum
• And of course, Scooby Doo!

Who would you add to the list?

The Nine Favorite Book Challenge

I was challenged recently to list my nine favorite books, and it was harder than I thought. I have a list of hundreds. I also have had favorites at different points in my life. Here they are by decade/age.

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

This was my favorite book as a toddler. I am first generation Sesame Street, and Grover was always my hero. Now that I think about it, this one was a mystery too.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

I checked this book out of the Woodstock Elementary library every two weeks for months in the second grade.

The Crooked Bannister by Carolyn Keene

In the 5th grade, this was my favorite of all the Nancy Drew books. It had a pun and a plot twist that I loved. My friends and I raced through the collection at the public library. Then we read all of the Hardy Boys and Alfred Hitchcock books.

The Ransom of Red Chief and Other Stories by O. Henry

I was introduced to O. Henry in the sixth grade by Mrs. Todd. I have always loved stories with twists at the end. O. Henry is still one of my favorites.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I read this the first of many times in the eighth grade in Mrs. Buffington’s class. I fell in love with Scout, Atticus, Boo, and all the rest.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read this the first time in the eleventh grade in Mrs. Bates’ class. Then we watched Robert Redford in that pink suit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this over the years. (Leonardo DiCaprio is good too, but the Robert Redford version is a classic.) Plus, Billy Idol's "Eyes without a Face" came out that year, and I've always linked that song with the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

We read a lot of good books in high school. I loved the mystery in this classic and the symbolism.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path

I read this in several undergraduate courses, and it resonated with me in my college years. Plath’s tragic ending made it more poignant.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

I read this early in my work career, and many of his points were dead on.

I was very fortunate to have parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians who encouraged reading and suggested great books. What are your favorites?

What Snow Days are Good for...

We got socked with another snow storm. I'm a beach girl. I consider it cold if it drops below sixty-five degrees. These storms that dump six to ten inches of snow are too much. Schools and work are closed, so it's a great day to read, write, and edit.

I'm working on the second round of edits for Virginia is for Mysteries. I also sent out some submissions. Now, the JRTs and I are going to enjoy the white stuff from inside next to the fireplace. I'm reading Ellery Adams' Murder in the Mystery Suite. What are you reading?

What I'm Reading...

The snow is on its way. We're supposed to get 6-12 inches by tomorrow. (Anything below 60 degrees is cold to me.) So, it's a perfect afternoon for my Uggs, books, and hot chocolate.

I finished John Grisham's Gray Mountain. I love John Grisham and his books about Virginia.

This one is about a lawyer who loses her fancy NY job during the Great Recession. When dismissed, she's offered a chance to do pro bono work for a charity with the hope of returning to her job in a year or so. Samantha finds that landing a volunteer job isn't that easy either, and she eventually ends up with a legal aide clinic in Appalachia. The work is hard, and she meets the quirky people of Brady, Virginia.

She works as an unpaid intern at the all-female firm. She's introduced to coal life and all its hazards. She also meets her boss' sexy and dangerous nephews.

The story and setting are great. The crimes are atrocious, and the people are suffering.

My only fault is with some of the characters. They're a little flat, and there were a couple of the main ones that I really didn't care about. Usually, I'm cheering for his main characters, and I want them to win.

Despite a couple of the characters,  Gray Mountain is a good story, and it's worth adding to your winter reading list.

What I've Been Reading Lately

My sister gave me a subscription to Oyster for Christmas. I'm having so much fun. It's like my own personal library.

This week, I've read Writes of Passage, edited by Hank Phillipi Ryan. This is great for writers. It helps to know that others have the same problems and fears.

I also read Susan McBride's To Helen Back. This is a cozy series that she writes about seniors in a small Illinois town. Here character has Miss Marple qualities. This is a fun, quick read. I like McBride's Deb series best.

I hope you're snuggled up with a good book this week! Happy reading.

Janet Evanovich's TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE

One of my guilty pleasures is reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries. I don't have to think. I just get to be entertained. It's great for weekend reading.

In Top Secret Twenty-one, all the old favorites are back. I love Grandma Mazur. She and Lula are the comic relief .

This one has a pack of wild Chihuahuas and a little person who's running from the mob. That just makes more sticky situations for our heroine.

My only hope is that Stephanie one day makes a decision about her two love interests. That story line is getting a little old. And I would really like her to learn to shoot her gun.