Summer is lazy. But then again, so is every day for me: I’m retired!
I’ve always been a voracious reader. The first book I ever read by myself was And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (or was it Horton Hatches the Egg?) by Dr. Seuss. I think I was four at the time.
Nowadays I find myself reading at least two books at any given time. Most of them are novels–I find reading non-fiction difficult. I’d rather get lost in a make-believe world any time.
Currently I have five books in my “to read” stack. My bedtime book is The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer. I’ve already read it once but since I’m deep into writing my own World War II novel, I’m reading it again with an eye to how Mailer develops his characters and conducts his version of the war. (Side note: My uncle, who is the basis for my novel, served in the 112th with Mr. Mailer.) I also just bought Once There Was a War a collection of John Steinbeck’s articles written about the troops. I’m hoping this will give me a more personal look at the war.
I just finished Ken Follett’s A Column of Fire. I scored that book along with his novel, A Place Called Freedom at a library sale. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. At times Follett can be a little too graphic when it comes to sex and violence, but his novels are always good.
Another favorite genre is crime fiction. Hence JD Robb’s Connections in Death in my “to read” pile. I’ve read all of Robb’s In Death series so far. They’re a nice easy read.
And Echo Burning? Who doesn’t love a little Jack Reacher action? It’s my current “afternoon book” but it’s such a quick read I’ll be ready for another book from the pile soon.
Here’s a picture of my bookshelf. The books within the bookcase itself are my “don’t want to part with” books. Historical fiction and mystery of course, but also a little Dean Koontz and Stephen King, a Merlin trilogy, and a few others I particularly loved. The books piled around the case are mostly recent reads: I’ll eventually give them to my kids or my sister. (Of course the JD Robb books stay.)
I guess I’m what you’d call an eclectic reader, a die-hard “hard copy” lover, although I have quite a few novels on my Kindle reader too. Either way, if I’m ever stranded on a deserted island, there had better be a book store.
Susannah Willey Writes 