Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Reading Binge....


I've been on a serious reading binge lately...reading stuff totally outside my normal reading habits, and, surprisingly enough, really enjoying it. I've discovered several new (to me) authors in the process, and that's always exciting.

This is how it started--my elderly cat started having seizures a few weeks ago. Her favorite place to sit is up on the window sills. They're not narrow little sills, but very wide ones, actually part of the radiator box, I guess. So it's nice and warm and sunny and a great place for watching the birds and squirrels in the yard. But a couple of times, she's started having a seizure while up there, and fallen off. It's a long way down to the hardwood floors below, so until we got her medication right, I really needed to keep her off them.

So, being the bibliophile that I am, I stacked books all over the window ledges in my room (because hey, nothing says 'decor' more than piles of books, right?!). They were mostly books I had received for free at conferences but never read, because they just weren't the type of book I normally go for (some were just extra copies of my own books that happened to be lying around the room).

But then one night I decided I needed something to read before bed, and, being too lazy to go downstairs to my office (where most of my books are), I started eyeing the stacks of books in the windows. My gaze landed on Kristin Higgans' TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE (contemporary romance), and the back blurb sounded interesting, so I cracked it open and gave it a try. I stayed up till 3 a.m. finishing that book that night--I couldn't put it down!

That one went back to the window sill when I was done, and I picked up Barbara Freethy's SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER, the first book in the Angel's Cove series (I don't even know how to classify this one--romantic suspense lite, I guess? Women's fiction with suspense?). Read it in two sittings, and now I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Then I picked up and older, hardcover book--Lisa Gardner's THE KILLING HOUR (romantic suspense, I guess?). Suffice it to say that I'm now a big Lisa Gardner fan, and have since ordered/read another of her titles (THE NEIGHBOR) on my Kindle.

Another pleasant surprise was Joyce Maynard's LABOR DAY (just plain fiction, I guess?).

I swear, I look at those stacks of books with fresh eyes, now. Instead of "books I got for free that aren't the type I read," they're now "fresh possibilities" or "new (to me) authors just waiting to be discovered." How exciting!

Have you ever read something outside the box of what you normally read and found that you enjoyed it?

11 comments:

Amanda McIntyre said...

What a great post! I'm kind of jealous I dont have wider windowsills! LOL but I do have lots of books! We've always kept sehlves, stacks, wherever we could stuff them actually. All varieties-fiction, research, memoirs--after this summer I admit my family has a voracious need to investigate and learn about stuff.

Carries over, I guess to books as well. My TBR pile is ready to topple over. Though presently immersed in revsions, I checked the stack and found an eclectic array; Secret Life of a Vampire (Kerrelyn Sparks) On Writing (Stephen King) Immortals the haunting(Robin T Popp) Suddenly One Summer(Barb Freethy)Cypress Nights (Stella Cameron) Outcast (Joan Johnston)HOunding the Pavement (Judi McCoy)Fury Calls(Caridad Pineiro)Dust to Dust (Heather graham)and The Price (Alexandria Sokoloff)

one new fabulous author in Mainstream that I buy w/o thught is Elin Hilderbrand. shes wonderful!

Amanda M

Sophie Renwick said...

Great post! Well, you know me, I'm a tough nut to crack, so really, i haven't read any books outside my normal reading genres--except some really, really fascinating research books, which I devoured as though they were fiction.

Goth Craft, The Dark Arts and a book on Scottish Faeries. Mostly this was research used for Velvet Haven, but I've started opening them up once again for that historical Dark Fey series I'm doing for Spice.

I really do have open my mind and expand it more when it comes to romance!

Sophie Renwick said...

Opps, sorry, signed in as Sophie and didn't realize it.....

ranearia said...

I think I always take that chance when I pick up a new author and find out I enjoy their works XD

Witchy Woman said...

It's so funny because I wrote a post over at LRP titled Defend Your Sub-Genre. In this post I explain my devotion for paranormal & how I just discovered to my utter shock; that I now enjoy regency.
I'm all about doom & gloom with authors like Showalter,Devyn Quinn & Kenyon. Then it happened! I read "A Marquis to Marry" by Amelia Grey and I'm now a paranormal/regency chick.
Translation: I still like my heroes with black leather but I can enjoy the breeches as well. (LOL)

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Actually I have jumped ship. I picked up Charlotte's book, Addicted. I never read historical before that... then I found historical paranormal. And if you would have asked me a while back to read historical, I would have told you no thank you... but very nicely. But oh man, after those women.... I am looking for those kind of books like a crack fiend. I know hold historical to a standard of those two women... Then I found Amanda's books... and OMG.... It just keeps getting better and better!!!
This was a wonderful post!!
I hope you had a great night and a wonderful tomorrow!

Amanda McIntyre said...

Witchy Woman (why do I want to go into that song? LOL) I actually started a stoyr based on that song--hum, someday I'll finish it maybe LOL

Ah, most defintely a pair of fine breeches on the right man with the right build, can be mouth-watering!

Cecile, you lovely soul, what a nice thing to say! You are sunshine to my day, woman!

I go through mood reading...I guess. I am a Stephen King fan and I love a good psychological paranormal. For romance though,I'm all over the board LOL

For research; I love medieval, Victorian, Roman and Celtic history. And ghost stories and haunted places!

Amanda M

Kristi Cook said...

I guess it just goes to prove that good writing is good writing, period!

I must say, since I've "branched out," I'm more excited about reading than I have been in a long time.

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Kristina, you are right... Good writing is good writing.
If the book is interesting enough, I would read just about anything. The only thing I found myself not ready to get into is sci-fi fantasy. Not sure why. But if I found an awesome review of a book, I would probably get it. But without being directed... I would not know where to start. Just looking at all the books in the book store or library, I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Because I want to read all of them, yea, my debit card runs away from me at that thought and does not come out.

And actually, if I would not be a part of the blog world, I would have missed some amazing authors because I would have never known how awesome their books were. So, word of the internet does help to spread the branching out of genres!

And Amanda, you are more than welcome. Ya know I love ya!

Jennifer said...

I don't usually read paranormal contemporary books because I like historical novels too much. But after reading a review for one of Marjorie Liu's Dirk & Steele novels, I decided to give it a try...and now I'm totally hooked. Sometimes it pays to read something new.

Amanda McIntyre said...

I am sure Majorie would thank you , too Jen!

From an author's standpoint, I'd like to thank all the wonderful like-minded readers out there that think like you!

I think becasue I write, I have broadened my reading horizons as well from where they used to be.
I"ll pick up a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks, or The Choice by Alexandria Sokoloff. There is such great writing out there.

You guys ought to all come to the Romantic Times Booklovers convention in Columbus, Ohio next spring and wade knee deep in books!

Plus, you'd get to meet the LIT ladies! I think I speak for Chrlotte and Kristi when I say we'd love to meet you all!

A.M.