Archive for the ‘What I'm reading’ Category

Reading Down the Pile

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

In my reboot of the website, I took down a feature called “What Kate’s Reading” because I didn’t feel like I updated it enough to make it worth the reader’s while.  Which means, I haven’t told you what books I’ve been reading recently.  Time for an update!

But first, a caveat.  Like most everyone else who reads voraciously, I have a To Be Read pile.  Mine is less a pile and more one small shelf and two-larger-boxes-that-live-under-my-bed.   I also have a separate shelf entirely devoted to Georgette Heyer novels that my mother decided I needed but I have no idea when I’ll get around to reading them. (I’ve previously read 4-5 out of the 30 or so I received.  Thanks Mom!)  No matter how much I try to pare down and read what’s in my TBR pile, the thing just keeps growing.

The four most recent books I’ve read are (and I know this because, yes, I keep a list): Lush Life, by Richard Price, A Field Guide to Burying your Parents by Liza Palmer, Naughty by Nature, by Barbara Pierce, and Pure Princess, Bartered Bride by Caitlin Crews.

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They are an urban crime drama, a family drama, a historical romance, and a Harlequin Presents.  Of these four, one was purchased in the last week, one in the last month, one in the last two months and one gotten at a conference almost two years ago.  So out of the four books, only one was *really* a resident of the TBR pile for any length of time.

No wonder I never make a dent.

All were very enjoyable, but I have to say I probably enjoyed Lush Life the most.  Only because I don’t read a lot of urban crime drama, and this one took place in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  It’s an area of town I am very familiar with and therefore it was a very visceral experience reading this book.  Also I find that if I take a breather from romances once in a while, when I come back to them, I love them even more.

What about you?  What are your reading patterns?

Another week of writing stretches before me, and as such, happy reading everyone, and good luck shrinking that pile!

Buried Treasure

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

I went to a library today with a friend of mine, for a book sale.  The library, needing funds and shelf space, killed two birds with one stone by selling off old books.  Now, normally, as an author, I try to support fellow authors by not purchasing resold books (do you think the hard toiling writer gets a penny on their resold book from the Strand?  A most definite no.)  But I LOVE book sales like the one today because it allows me to discover authors that are no longer in print, and discover just how much writing styles and characterizations have changed.  I bought 5 Harlequins from the mid 80s, another few from the mid 90s.  I cannot tell you how different they are from what I read now, and from each other.  Beta Heroes were RARE in those days, apparently, because I keep running across arrogant tycoons and landlords and absolutely no computer geeks to be found!  I guess the inherent sexiness of Bill Gates had yet to be discovered in the mid 80s.  ;)

Working working working this week… happy reading to you all!

Reading Week

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

This week, I had a bit of time, and decided to read the pile down a little.  I had a number of books sitting on my computer, the free Harlequin Ebooks they gave out on their website for the 60th anniversary, not to mention the HUGE box still sitting beside my bed from this year’s RWA conference… and last year’s RWA conference…

So here’s a list of what I made it through:

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson *

In the Highlander’s Bed by Cathy Maxwell

The Boyfriend’s Back by Ellen Hartman

Under Her Skin by Susan Mallery

Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly *

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent *

Tempt Me at Twilight  by Lisa Kleypas

(* denotes a Harlequin Ebook.  So, I read it on my computer.  Cuz I’m Kindle-less, and uncool.)

It looks like a lot of books to me, but YMMV.  I know I’m no Harriet Klausner.

Out of all of these, Walk Two Moons is the only title that is not a Romance.  It’s a Newberry winning children’s book, and it is beautifully written.  About a young girl, coming to terms with her mother’s abandonment and realizing that there is always more than one side to any story.  Definitely my favorite of the bunch, but that’s not to discount the romances!  Of course I loved Tempt Me at Twilight, I’m so in for the next one in the Hathaway series.  And I’ve always enjoyed Susan Mallery, and Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Lose turned out to be really atmospheric.  It’s short, but give it a shot.

Other than that, feeling my way through the beginning chapters of the next story, and thinking about another one.  Because I love nothing better than to torture myself.  :)

Happy Reading everyone!