My Sad Current Reading Habit

My whining about our fall schedule comes as no shock to you since I've been vocal about it in previous posts, but the real casualty? (Besides my needy mini-doxie who could use a lot more attention?) My reading. Yeah, it's in a sad, sad state.

Here's an example. For a few weeks, I've looked forward to reading Rescuing the Texan's Heart by Mindy Obenhaus. One afternoon last week, I had ten minutes before football let out, so I started reading it. A chapter later, I didn't want to quit, but duty called and I had to drive home. The night was particularly jam-packed with homework and such, so I was unable to return to this delightful story.

Cover copyright Harlequin Love Inspired

Two days later, I had another short window of time, so I continued learning about the Texan's heart. And I found I loved it, and the story, and I laughed, and I wanted to just read the whole thing through! But no...once again on mom-taxi duty. And dinner had to be made. Ugh.

My mom came to visit over the weekend, which made me very, very happy. Monday was nuts, but the book kept calling me, so I trotted over to the end table I'd set it on. 

It wasn't there!!

I looked all over for this book. Checked my bedroom, closet, purse, even the couch cushions. I had a feeling Sophie attacked the book. She has a distinct dislike for my tiny word search books and has eaten more than one. But hours later my husband told me, "By the way, your book is still in my car," and I mentally rejoiced. I'd left it in his car! Phew! Now I could finish it.

Yeah, no. Nothing is that easy for me right now.

The book I'd left in his car was a non-fiction book I've been reading--which I love too!--not the one by Ms. Obenhaus. Back to square one. 

Then it hit me. The dog. Maybe my earlier hunch was right? Could my dog have gotten jealous? Did she somehow know I would rather read the book than play fetch with her?

I knelt down and looked under the couches. Sure enough, the book was wedged under one. Doggie teeth marks were all over the bottom cover. Grr... 

I will finish this book!! But not tonight. My to-do list is calling.

I LOVE reading a book in one sitting, but I rarely can do that anymore. Do you have to snatch reading time here and there? Or do you read a book all the way through? 

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Let's Talk Reading Habits!

I'm currently reading three books. Yes, I said three. This is pretty normal for me!

1.  Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance by Kate Walker
2.  The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
3.  God's Story Your Story: When His Becomes Yours by Max Lucado

I've been reading Kate Walker's book for two weeks, and I'm about halfway through it. Why so much time for one slim book? Easy! I'm studying it chapter-by-chapter, taking notes, and fitting it in during my less busy days.

Max Lucado's book jumped out at me from the library. I couldn't NOT start reading it. I'm almost to the mid-point and anticipate finishing it this weekend. Very uplifting.

David McCullough's book isn't to be rushed through. It's one to savor. Full of fascinating historical and personal details of Americans who spent time in Paris between 1830 and 1900, The Greater Journey appeals to my love of history and minutiae.

I will be adding a fourth book to this mix soon, too. I came across this goodie by Stephanie Laurens, The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh, and it's been a long time since I've read one of her books.

This brings up the question of the day: Is it wrong to read three books at once? Should a person finish one before starting another? I don't know! I've been this way as long as I can remember. However, I will say that I rarely have two novels open. I tend to only read one work of fiction at a time.

Care to share your reading habits? Do you have more than one book open? Or do you finish one before starting another?

Have a fabulous weekend!!

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Addicted to Reading

I'll admit it. I have a problem. It's called addicted to reading. I can usually keep up with my magazine subscriptions, must-read romances, and various non-fiction and fiction from the library, but April and May aren't conducive for reading in my world. I have to squeeze in a chapter here and an article there. Do you see my pouty lip? I don't like this.

Another problem with this time of year is that I pile things. Then maybe--let's just say this could happen--I accidentally hit the ottoman and the piles tumble. And let's imagine that I toss a few more publications on top.

What you end up with is pictured below.
(Yes, that's my ottoman. With the scattered piles.)

I'm dying--dying!!--to read the two contemporary Christian romances that arrived in my mailbox this week, Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade and Catch a Falling Star by Beth Vogt. Mm, mm! You will be hearing about them later this month on my blog.

Oh, and I got a free subscription to a new magazine, Modern Farmer. (Free!!) No, I'm not a farmer, but I garden, like looking at chickens, and I have cousins who farm, so I figure that's good enough. It's full of interesting information about global farming, organic solutions, and it has tons of pretty pictures. Try it! You might like it!

You'll also see the array of UsWeekly's--I'll share my lil' nugget about that later--Midwest Living, RWR, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Woman's Day, Redbook, and a book about baseball by Yogi Berra.

So the UsWeekly thing. Recently I sat on the bleachers with one other mom, waiting for our sons' baseball game to start. The other team's coach came up to me and asked, "Are you the bookkeeper?" I replied, "Not unless the book is an UsWeekly." Then I chuckled to myself. It's good to make yourself laugh now and then.

Okay, what was the last thing you said that cracked you up? And what are you reading?

Have a great Wednesday!!

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WSG 23: What Makes a Book Unique?

Writer's Survival Guide 23: What Makes a Book Unique?

I've been preparing pitches for the conference I'm attending, and one of the questions that's come up is "what makes your book unique?"


This should be easy, right? We know our books inside and out. But I'll admit, at first, it stumped me.

So I brainstormed the elements my book contains that other books I've read don't. After that, figuring out what makes my book unique became simple. I can quickly point out the "different" factor in any one of my books.

And it's always been easy for me to evaluate other books for uniqueness. Let's look at a few.

Of the three books I read and reviewed on my blog over the last few weeks, I'd like to point out what makes them unique.

Die Run Hide by PM Kavanaugh:

Character motivation. This is a woman on the run who will do anything for freedom, including betraying the man she loves. However, over the course of the book, she realizes freedom isn't worth the price she was willing to pay, and she comes up with her own plan to have both.

Fairyproof by Constance Phillips:

World-building. Constance created a world I got sucked right into--a world where fairies can influence humans but who also can return to a world only fairies occupy. What an intriguing place to reside in!

Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund:

Setting. Set in a Michigan lumber camp in the 1880's, the setting stood out as being extremely unique. I'd love to read more books in this setting.

As you can see, each of these books was unique for a different reason. We don't have to come up with a completely new plot (I don't think it's possible, anyway!) to stand out.

What makes your current book unique? What book comes to mind when you hear the word unique?

Have a terrific day!

And the winner from Friday's giveaway?

Huge congrats to LIZ R. for winning a copy of Jody Hedlund's Unending Devotion!!

I will be at a writer's conference this week and will return to bloggin a week from Wednesday.

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Why I Love to Read

Christmas is less than a week away, so what did I do last Thursday? I picked up the the thickest novel I own and started reading all 1100 pages of it. Not a very smart move, considering I have a house to clean, presents to wrap, cookies to bake, and some last-minute shopping to get done. But if you love to read, you probably understand this.

Santa Sophie--she's fun to dress up during the holidays!

Why I love to read:

- Nothing else matters when I'm reading a good book.

- I think about things I wouldn't normally think about, like giant steam engines, evil dictators, an impossible romance, a group of morally corrupt people, exotic locations, or anything else some fantastic writer imagined.

- Reading a book takes longer than watching a movie, and my brain has to fill in the images. It's more of a mental workout. I always hate to finish a great book, yet I race to keep reading it.

- I often get interested in new subjects after I read a good book. I study different countries, time periods, philosophies, even different fashion styles.

- Friends who are also readers share great books with me and they listen to me rave about my favorite authors. We get it. :)

- I always feel a rush of excitement when I open a new book, like I might find something I've never thought of before, and often that's exactly what happens.

Last week I received an e-mail from a teacher in Northern California, and it made me appreciate all of the wonderful people who not only love to read but who are sharing it with others. So I'd like to give a huge shout-out to Ms. Arianna Hernandez's English class. She told me how proud she is of her students' recent projects, and I'm proud of them too. Here's to you--fellow readers!

Why do you love to read?

Have a fabulous Monday!!

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