What I've Been Reading Recently

My TBR piles grow every week. Every time I think I’ve made a dent, there are so many new things to add. Here’s what I’ve been reading so far this summer. It’s an eclectic mix of mysteries, suspense, thrillers, police procedurals, and classics.

I have finally caught up with all of Louise Penny’s novels. I love all of my visits to Three Pines. The stories are well done, and the characters are old friends by now.

After watching the new Lincoln Lawyer and the Bosch reboot, I realized that I haven’t read all of the Michael Connelly books. I love the Lincoln Lawyer and Harry Bosch. Renee Ballard is growing on me. Connelly is a master with characters and action, and I’m working my way through his collection.

Elle Cosimono’s Finlay Donovan is a very funny character. Her adventures are fun reads. Nancy Cole Silveman’s The Navigator’s Daughter, is a page-turning historical mystery.

My favorite cozies this spring/summer are from Ellen Byron’s new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Julie Anne Lindsey/Bree Baker, Sherry Harris’s Chloe Jackson Mysteries, Libby Klein’s Poppy McAllister Mysteries, anything by Diane Kelly, and Jackie Layton.

I track my recent reads on Goodreads and BookBub. Hop over for the reviews and favs. Follow me there. I’d love to keep up with what you’re reading.

Goodreads

BookBub

What are your recent recommendations?

What I Learned from My Favorite Characters

We celebrated National Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday this week. Here’s what I’ve learned from some of my favorite characters through the years.

Charlotte and Wilbur - Everyone needs friends. Treasure the special relationships. Writing is a solitary venture. Make sure you have a crew to share celebrations and road bumps with.

Charlie Brown and Snoopy - Everyone needs a sidekick. Our pets are our family, and they are our special protectors, comforters, and friends.

Nancy Drew - The girl sleuth had a car, good friends, and the curiosity to solve problems that adults couldn’t. Always be curious and ask questions.

Hermione Granger - Study hard and learn your craft. Do your homework. Hard work pays off.

Stephanie Plum - Perseverance is necessary. You may not succeed at something during the first (or the fifth) attempt but keep at it. This is especially true if you’re on a writing journey.

Grover (from the Monster at the End of the Book) - It’s okay to be a little scared sometimes, but often you’ll find that the thing you’re scared of isn’t as bad as you imagine it.

Sam-I-Am - It’s always a good idea to try new things. Be open minded and give new and “strange” a chance. You may find out that you just might like it.

How to Make a Writer Happy - Tips for Readers

There are so many things readers can do to help writers spread the word about their books., and most of them are free. If you like a book or a series, help create a buzz on social media and other places for an author. It’s the the easiest way to make a writer’s day.

Post a Review - Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and other book sites help expand a writer’s reach. You don’t have to do a book report. A one-line “I liked it statement” is enough. All of the online sites have algorithms, and the number of reviews do matter to the amount of exposure a book gets.

Buy the Book/Share the Book - Buy a copy of the book for yourself or a friend. And if people ask you want for your birthday, books are always great gifts.

Recommend it to Your Library- Most libraries have a process where residents can request books for the library to purchase. If you like a series, make sure your librarian knows.

Share it on Social Media - Take a picture of the book when it arrives or one of you reading it. These make great social media posts. And don’t forget to tag the author. Instagram has some great hashtags (e.g. #bookstacks, #bookstagram, #prettybookplaces). I love seeing folks reading my books in different places. I also like it when readers spot my book “in the wild” at a library or store and send me a picture.

Recommend it to Your Book Club - Recommend reads to your book club or group. Many authors love to attend in-person or virtually to chat. You may want to reach out to see if the author could attend to talk about his/her book.

Add it to Your Shelf on Goodreads - If you use Goodreads to track your books or yearly challenge, add a book to your “want to read” shelf.

Follow the Author- Follow the author on book and social media sites. This will help you stay current with new publications and updates.

Subscribe to the Author’s Newsletter - This is a good way to ensure that they author has you on his/her fan list. It’s also a great way to get regular updates and information on special events and giveaways.

Attend Book Events - Support your local book stores, libraries, and authors when there are readings, book launches, and signings.

Authors love their readers. And a quick review or shout out will definitely make them smile.

Required Reading - Tips for Authors

I was the kid who got her first library card at four, and a trip to the library or bookstore was always magical. I was also over the moon every time the teacher said read quietly at your desk.

Good writers need to be good readers. Read everything you can get your hands on and make sure to read books in your genre.

I use the annual GoodReads reading challenge as a way to track what I’ve read throughout the year.

Here are some ideas of things to look for as you read:

The Industry

• Read author acknowledgment pages. See who the agents and editors are. Keep a list of those who specialize in what you write. You will be at the querying stage, and this will help you target who represents your genre.

• See what groups authors belong to.

• Look at the publishers and editors for the type of books you write.

• Recently at SleuthFest, author Richie Naraez reminded the audience to not only read contemporary books in your genre, but also read the classics. If you’re a mystery writer, you need to understand the history of the mystery (e.g. cozies, hard-boiled, pulp fiction, etc.).

The Craft of Writing

• Pay attention to the dialogue and techniques.

• Watch how authors transition from one scene to another.

• Look at the ways the writer moves the story along. He or she doesn’t give you every mundane detail.

• Look for “rules” or conventions in your genre. Does the murder happen in the first few chapters? Is the sleuth a professional?

• When you like a book, think about what caught and held your attention.

• Watch how the ending is revealed.

The Details

• Look at the character names. In many cases, the name has some meaning or reveals something.

• For series, see how the author sprinkles in details from the past in each book.

• Where is the book set and how does that affect the story?

• Look at the minor characters and how they support the protagonist.

• Pay attention to how the writer uses conflict to move the story along.

Make sure that you have time to read. It’s research. And be kind and leave a review for the books you like. It doesn’t have to be a book report, but reviews do matter to writers.

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?