It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Let’s talk about what we’re reading!
There is such comfort in books and the quiet that comes with reading. When I have a week that finds me away from the pages of others, like last week, I get downright grumpy. But this week, all is well. I read a bunch, bought a few, and have lots to share!
I started THE STRANGER AT THE WEDDING by debut author A.E. Gauntlett, and I am entranced. The dread oozes from the pages… I feel like this might be a bit Silent Patient-esque, with a kitchen sink twist, and I am here for it. One heck of a novel so far.
Barrier to Entry, a short story in the Blaze collection from Amazon Originals. It’s the story of the mother of forensic science, and I have been dying to read it—it just came out yesterday, so perfect timing! Plus, the covers are wonderful!
My pal Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen sent me THE BUSY BODY by Kemper Donovan. This book came up in our last discussion, and I’m excited to read it!
I snagged a copy of Samantha Bailey’s A FRIEND IN THE DARK — wow, that cover is hot stuff.
Mark Greaney’s new Gray Man thriller, THE CHAOS AGENT, is out! I love this series. Mark is one of the nicest guys on the planet, too.
I also read the opening chapters of A.J. Finn’s END OF STORY. It’s good so far; I liked the atmospheric opening. Has anyone finished it? Should I keep going?
I am so ashamed that I’ve fallen terribly behind in the Wolf Hall slow read (Sorry,
) But, in a wonderful discovery, I realized I have it on my Kindle from years ago! I’ve started reading it before bed, and I’m catching up. I’m going to set aside an hour on Sunday to read and hopefully get current with the rest of the read. It really is remarkable; Mantel is a genius. It’s sly, and smart, and so lushly beautiful.
In keeping with my sabbatical…I read a fascinating piece that I heard about on the Deep Questions podcast that’s unlocked a whole new world of thought about how social media is affecting girls, and the “conveyer belt” analogy is perfection. I can’t imagine it’s not hurting the self-image of our boys, too.
On the writing front:
A celebration is in order… I finished the page proofs of A VERY BAD THING. I really am getting excited for you to read this book. And I can’t wait to share the cover, which is 👩🏼🍳💋
And from the craft series, Step Six: The Outline, is now available. It was not the easiest entry because A - I had to teach myself how to outline, and B - did I mention I had to teach myself how to outline? And then relay that knowledge to you in a way that makes sense. Glad this step is wrapped!
If you want to lay some groundwork on your next story, here’s a taste of something I’ll be discussing in the upcoming Step Seven: The Daily Grind—how many words should we write in a day? At what point does the quality fall off?
And last but not least, I interviewed Christine Coulson about her wondrous book, ONE WOMAN SHOW. I don’t know if you remember me raving about it last year, but the book was one of my top five for 2023. Excellent!
That’s it from me. How about you? Good week? What are you reading this weekend?
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Happy reading! I just finished a historical mystery that I'm blurbing for an Asheville author. I'm also reading Chenneville (sp?) by Paulette Jiles and Lioness by Mark Powell. Have a wonderful weekend!!
I'm on a non-fiction kick lately. I just finished THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS by Michael Finkel about the North Pond Hermit of Maine. That was FASCINATING. And I started reading NOTES ON A SILENCING by Lacy Crawford. I think this one is going to break my heart - I already feel the cracks forming. Vanessa Lillie's BLOOD SISTERS is also on deck. I am looking forward to filling my fiction well. :)
I finally got back into reading this week. It's amazing how much clearer the mind is and how much I wanted to read after getting off the narcotics. I'm 11 days post surgery, feeling pretty good and working part time from home. We were supposed to be leaving TODAY for a trip to FL, but the surgeon said no....with how nice the weather has been here, I guess it's not too much of a hardship. I can deal with 60 to 70 degree weather in Feb!!
I finally finished House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas. It was really good. Some people complained about the multiple pov and the crossover to another series, but I loved both of these elements!!
I also read Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I've been reading this author for YEARS and she never disappoints!
I work for a radio station and we're gearing up for first girls state basketball and then boys...so it'll be a busy couple of weeks for myself and my co-workers! 🏀🏀
Congrats on the next step in the long line of hard work it's taken to move AVBT along!
So many good books! Can't wait for Marybeth's!! Cliff was just telling me about the new Gray Man book. He devoured those last year on audio -- not sure he's started this one yet but likely will soon!
I've been on a bit of a "writing craft" and poetry bender this week, when I've had reading time that isn't relegated to the slow reads -- which I haven't minded at all. Both the reading and writing of poetry have been a grounding practice coming back to me in the decrease of digital tech but not enough time for longform. I've missed it!
Yay to finishing page proofs!!! This has been an excellent week for reading it sounds like. I’m finally starting to be able to read again after being sick for almost two weeks. I finished Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda and I’m going to start an arc of Negative Tilt a short story collection by Bobby Mathew’s.
Congratulations on the page proofs! You’re going to love The New Couple in 5B. It’s fantastic. My coworkers just did a nonfiction book discussion on The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and I heRd lots of gasping. NF fans might enjoy it. I finished Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle and loved it. He made me cry. So good! It was a great blend of horror, social issues, lgbtqia+ issues, and heart.
House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Cheers to you for finishing your page proofs for AVBT!! And on to writing HLN'S story. I had a question about your craft series that I've been thinking about since I read your post. Did the beats you used to outline HLN match the beats that Bard provided for you or are they different? I know you used Jesse Q. Sutanto's and SAVE THE CAT's beats, but did you use them all or was it a mixture of things?
As for reading, I've been a bit slow due to all things basketball, dance, and gymnastics. Tonight, we have a playoff game and tomorrow we have a dance competition. It will be fun but time consuming. I'm in the midst of reading a memoir by Anthony Ray Hinton, THE SUN DOES SHINE. He spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. I read the forward by his lawyer and the way he talks about how Anthony kept his sense of humor and goodness through it all intrigued me. I'm hoping as I continue, I can spot the little nuggets Anthony used to get him through the hard times and employ them in my own life, which is comparatively way easier but can still be trying at times.
No reading for me. Busy developing three scripts (not mine), and there's just no more brain space for anything else. 💛 ~ And love Lisa Unger. ~ My honest opinion and I never like to say anything bad about any writer (until now)... usually, if I say nothing, it means I didn't like it. I couldn't believe the hype A.J. Finn received with The Woman in the Window was grotesque. It was overwritten. All I remember were the many adjectives and adverbs. And after all of it, he made up a story about a brain tumor to sell his book or more books. I can't tolerate lies like that. So, his books are a big no-no for me.
Happy reading! I just finished a historical mystery that I'm blurbing for an Asheville author. I'm also reading Chenneville (sp?) by Paulette Jiles and Lioness by Mark Powell. Have a wonderful weekend!!
Well we are reading very slowly, so I'm sure you'll be able to catch up!
I'm on a non-fiction kick lately. I just finished THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS by Michael Finkel about the North Pond Hermit of Maine. That was FASCINATING. And I started reading NOTES ON A SILENCING by Lacy Crawford. I think this one is going to break my heart - I already feel the cracks forming. Vanessa Lillie's BLOOD SISTERS is also on deck. I am looking forward to filling my fiction well. :)
I finally got back into reading this week. It's amazing how much clearer the mind is and how much I wanted to read after getting off the narcotics. I'm 11 days post surgery, feeling pretty good and working part time from home. We were supposed to be leaving TODAY for a trip to FL, but the surgeon said no....with how nice the weather has been here, I guess it's not too much of a hardship. I can deal with 60 to 70 degree weather in Feb!!
I finally finished House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas. It was really good. Some people complained about the multiple pov and the crossover to another series, but I loved both of these elements!!
I also read Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I've been reading this author for YEARS and she never disappoints!
I work for a radio station and we're gearing up for first girls state basketball and then boys...so it'll be a busy couple of weeks for myself and my co-workers! 🏀🏀
Congrats on the next step in the long line of hard work it's taken to move AVBT along!
So many good books! Can't wait for Marybeth's!! Cliff was just telling me about the new Gray Man book. He devoured those last year on audio -- not sure he's started this one yet but likely will soon!
I've been on a bit of a "writing craft" and poetry bender this week, when I've had reading time that isn't relegated to the slow reads -- which I haven't minded at all. Both the reading and writing of poetry have been a grounding practice coming back to me in the decrease of digital tech but not enough time for longform. I've missed it!
Yay to finishing page proofs!!! This has been an excellent week for reading it sounds like. I’m finally starting to be able to read again after being sick for almost two weeks. I finished Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda and I’m going to start an arc of Negative Tilt a short story collection by Bobby Mathew’s.
Congratulations on the page proofs! You’re going to love The New Couple in 5B. It’s fantastic. My coworkers just did a nonfiction book discussion on The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and I heRd lots of gasping. NF fans might enjoy it. I finished Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle and loved it. He made me cry. So good! It was a great blend of horror, social issues, lgbtqia+ issues, and heart.
House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Cheers to you for finishing your page proofs for AVBT!! And on to writing HLN'S story. I had a question about your craft series that I've been thinking about since I read your post. Did the beats you used to outline HLN match the beats that Bard provided for you or are they different? I know you used Jesse Q. Sutanto's and SAVE THE CAT's beats, but did you use them all or was it a mixture of things?
As for reading, I've been a bit slow due to all things basketball, dance, and gymnastics. Tonight, we have a playoff game and tomorrow we have a dance competition. It will be fun but time consuming. I'm in the midst of reading a memoir by Anthony Ray Hinton, THE SUN DOES SHINE. He spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. I read the forward by his lawyer and the way he talks about how Anthony kept his sense of humor and goodness through it all intrigued me. I'm hoping as I continue, I can spot the little nuggets Anthony used to get him through the hard times and employ them in my own life, which is comparatively way easier but can still be trying at times.
No reading for me. Busy developing three scripts (not mine), and there's just no more brain space for anything else. 💛 ~ And love Lisa Unger. ~ My honest opinion and I never like to say anything bad about any writer (until now)... usually, if I say nothing, it means I didn't like it. I couldn't believe the hype A.J. Finn received with The Woman in the Window was grotesque. It was overwritten. All I remember were the many adjectives and adverbs. And after all of it, he made up a story about a brain tumor to sell his book or more books. I can't tolerate lies like that. So, his books are a big no-no for me.
Thank you, my friend! Hope you love THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B! xo
Thanks for reading, my friend! Hope you love it! xo