Tag: reading

Rediscovering the Joy of Reading

rediscovering books woman-309201_960_720In my most recent post, I wrote about my frustration with promotion and marketing and how it had taken a big bite out of the joy of writing. I gave myself permission to ignore that aspect of my life for the time being.

While that decision gave me a sense of relief, it did not, as I expected, allow me to plunge myself blissfully into those activities I had given up. Routines are difficult to break and I found myself staring at my keyboard, playing solitaire, and generally wasting time or frittering it away with activities that gave me none of the pleasure I had looked forward to. Continue reading “Rediscovering the Joy of Reading”

National Read a Book Day

national-read-a-book-day-september-6national-read-a-book-day-september-6No one seems to know who came up with the idea for National Read a Book Day. Perhaps it was a teacher or a librarian. With September 6th chosen for the date, the idea was probably designed to instill the love of reading in children starting a new school year. Whatever that good soul intended when s/he set this day on our national calendar, the day has become a time for everyone, of every age or reading habit, to celebrate the joy of reading books.

When is the last time you read a book for pleasure? If you have a hard time even remembering, then you’re most likely a student who has to read textbooks and assigned materials. Or maybe you’re in a profession, such as law or medicine, that leaves you little time to read anything outside your chosen field. If you’re a busy mom or dad, you’re probably wondering if this is a trick question. When did I last read a book just for fun? Hah, good one!

If it’s been a really long time since you’ve read a book, then here’s a helpful chart: Continue reading “National Read a Book Day”

Why Writers Should Read

mark twain readingYou’ve heard the advice often enough: To be a writer, you should write, because that’s how you get better as a writer. But you should also read as much as you can.

For those of us who never met a school reading assignment they didn’t like (Lynne raises her hand), this is the best news ever. But those of us who regarded their college-prep reading list with deep suspicion are going to be less than thrilled. Continue reading “Why Writers Should Read”

Writer, Reader, Reviewer

3starsSometimes I hate being an author.

No, that’s not true. I never hate being a writer or an author. I love writing; I love reading. I love supporting other authors and especially, obviously, my friends. What I hate is writing critical reviews. Recently my buddy, Yvonne Hertberger, wrote about a similar situation where she was called on to assess a book. It wasn’t pretty.

Case in point. Recently I read a friend’s latest. I wanted to like it; I really did. But I didn’t. I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for most of the characters, I found the pace slow and therefore frustrating, and there were many things that it seemed I was supposed to implicitly understand but did not. Whenever I read a book that affects me like this, I have to wonder: is it not grabbing me because I’m not giving it enough time and concentration, or am I not giving it time and concentration because it’s not grabbing me? Continue reading “Writer, Reader, Reviewer”