I'm always in awe of how much you read, especially given that it can be tough sometimes. I may just actually pay Apple Books price for the audio of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Everybody says it's hysterical. I just today finished the audio of Richard Osman's The Bullet That Missed. There's an author interview at the end where Osman talks about the casting for The Thursday Murder Club tv films. Love that series. This weekend I should finish Elspeth Barker's O Caledonia about an early 20th century teenage girl in Scotland. I found it because I was reading Maggie O'Farrell and did a dive that mentioned she wrote the foreword for it.
Hello!! Congratulations on your 10k. That's awesome and so amazing. I hope your wrist recovers quickly. I, too, am excited for THRESHING DAY!! I love love love immersive writing that draws you in and dumps you out at the end after taking you on a breathless ride. One day, I hope to write like that.
I'm reading THE WIDOW by LynDee Walker. It is my second book by her and this one is about two women who show up at a hospital in Texas to hear that their husband has passed in an accident. They receive their husbands' belongings only to find out they received the other husband's belongings. It is a cat and mouse story between the two women and you're not sure which widow is the cat or the mouse. Her last book was similar, and because of it, I refer to her as the queen writer of the cat and mouse trope. I also read Alex Finlay's THE ANNIVERSARY. Most serial killer books are about catching the killer, but this one is about what the killer leaves behind. It was emotionally gut wrenching to me as to the aftereffects of such violence. I also read TWENTY YEARS LATER by Charlie Donlea. A great read about secrets, betrayal, and the choices we make. It was recommended to me, and I'm glad I read it. I read more books than that because we travelled to Wisconsin to see my sister in laws. Love them and their families. I've been to Wisconsin before but not to the North Woods, and man is it beautiful. All the greenery without the oppressive heat of Texas. Trees and more trees everywhere. We sat out one night underneath the stars making s'mores in their backyard. It was fulfilling and uplifting.
Hello to you! Good to see you. That's it exactly - the world-building of those books is so insanely good; it's like slipping into an alternate reality. The best!
Fantastic books this week, too. I agree, Alex's is special. He just keeps getting better! I haven't read Conlea yet and I know I need to.
Wisconsin sounds GLORIOUS!!!! Anything that holds less humidity right now, I'm a fan.
I'm still struggling to stay focused on my second book while querying my first book...seems like there's always an agent opening up who looks promising, so I want to send another query out. We did get four full requests we are waiting on, so that's promising, and this post was a good reminder that I need to make progress on the second book! If you haven't picked up LIAR'S DICE yet, by Juliet Faithfull, it should be on your TBR pile. It's so excellent--about a young girl in 1970's Brazil, torn away from her twin sister. It's a wonderful story about sisters and families and a culture that can be beautiful or cruel.
Pamela, that balance is so hard to find. I’ve always found if I’m working on two projects, the one that will pay me the most comes first. So that would be your next book. If you can segment out a few hours for writing, and once that’s done then you can go into the querying trenches, that will help. Compartmentalization is key. And I’m so happy for you getting those full requests. It only takes one yes!!!
Wow...10K per day? I'm not a writer but that sounds pretty amazing to me!
Who could blame you for diving back into FOURTH WING?!?
I finished YESTERYEAR and I'm not okay. I couldn't figure out what was going on so the ending caught me by surprise. This book kept me engaged and I just had to keep reading it to find out what was going to happen next.
I'm a little over halfway through ANNIE KNOWS EVERYTHING by Rachel Wood. New to me author and this is a really good office romance.
It's supposed to get super hot here this weekend....upper 90s and then add humidity to it. On Mon they're talking about 100! I'm not a lover of heat at all.
Right? I mean, the comfort food of dragons will never get old for me.
I was surprised by YESTERYEAR’s ending too. I think it’s much more enjoyable not knowing there’s a looming twist - I wasn’t expecting it from a literary novel, so applaud her subterfuge. But really, it shouldn’t be categorized as literary. It’s speculative fiction, through and through.
I’m with you on that heat. But it’s the humidity alongside it that makes outdoor experiences untenable. Hope you have a cool spot to read!
Massive, indeed! As a live-in grandma/chef for a household with two kids under six, I have lost the long stretches of time I used to have. And with that, my ability to focus for long periods of time has decreased. Huge props to you!!!
I just finished reading So Very Lucky by Caitlin Devlin and listening to Hank Phillippe Ryan's All This Could Be Yours and Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart. Loved and recommend them all!
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach is what I’m currently reading and the last book I need to finish the Ohio State Reading Bingo Challenge! The Shampoo Effect is on my TBR—I loved Pineapple Street.
Oh I love this challenge. I think we might need one for Friday Reads…. I was surprised by how much I loved Shampoo. I went in with a chip on my shoulder and was so pleasantly surprised.
You rocked those words!!!!
I'm always in awe of how much you read, especially given that it can be tough sometimes. I may just actually pay Apple Books price for the audio of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Everybody says it's hysterical. I just today finished the audio of Richard Osman's The Bullet That Missed. There's an author interview at the end where Osman talks about the casting for The Thursday Murder Club tv films. Love that series. This weekend I should finish Elspeth Barker's O Caledonia about an early 20th century teenage girl in Scotland. I found it because I was reading Maggie O'Farrell and did a dive that mentioned she wrote the foreword for it.
It really is. I laughed so hard yesterday I had to sit in the garage wiping tears.
Did you see the Tuesday Murder Club movie? I thought it was adorable.
Fun research books! 😎
I’m hard-pressed to think of a streaming film with murder in the title that I haven’t seen 🤣 I’m eager for all the books to come out as films!
🤣
Congratulations on the 10K! Make sure you take care of that wrist.
I finished January and July by Jeff Abbott and really enjoyed it. I hope we see those characters again.
This week’s list:
Gutted: How an Old House Remodeled Me by Maida Korte
Incarnate by Alma Katsu
The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Monster in the Mirror by Janasha Prabhu
The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Oh I’ve heard such good things about Alma’s newest. It’s too scary for me isn’t it???
And hi! Glad to hear Abbott’s book is good!!! I downloaded Bog Queen and it’s on my TBR. Thank you!
So far Alma is focusing on AI so it’s more thriller than horror. I will keep you posted! 🥰
Cool! That’s right up my alley. Lemme know!
😸😻
Hello!! Congratulations on your 10k. That's awesome and so amazing. I hope your wrist recovers quickly. I, too, am excited for THRESHING DAY!! I love love love immersive writing that draws you in and dumps you out at the end after taking you on a breathless ride. One day, I hope to write like that.
I'm reading THE WIDOW by LynDee Walker. It is my second book by her and this one is about two women who show up at a hospital in Texas to hear that their husband has passed in an accident. They receive their husbands' belongings only to find out they received the other husband's belongings. It is a cat and mouse story between the two women and you're not sure which widow is the cat or the mouse. Her last book was similar, and because of it, I refer to her as the queen writer of the cat and mouse trope. I also read Alex Finlay's THE ANNIVERSARY. Most serial killer books are about catching the killer, but this one is about what the killer leaves behind. It was emotionally gut wrenching to me as to the aftereffects of such violence. I also read TWENTY YEARS LATER by Charlie Donlea. A great read about secrets, betrayal, and the choices we make. It was recommended to me, and I'm glad I read it. I read more books than that because we travelled to Wisconsin to see my sister in laws. Love them and their families. I've been to Wisconsin before but not to the North Woods, and man is it beautiful. All the greenery without the oppressive heat of Texas. Trees and more trees everywhere. We sat out one night underneath the stars making s'mores in their backyard. It was fulfilling and uplifting.
Hello to you! Good to see you. That's it exactly - the world-building of those books is so insanely good; it's like slipping into an alternate reality. The best!
Fantastic books this week, too. I agree, Alex's is special. He just keeps getting better! I haven't read Conlea yet and I know I need to.
Wisconsin sounds GLORIOUS!!!! Anything that holds less humidity right now, I'm a fan.
Yessss to less humidity!!! So right there with you. Have a wonderful weekend.
I'm still struggling to stay focused on my second book while querying my first book...seems like there's always an agent opening up who looks promising, so I want to send another query out. We did get four full requests we are waiting on, so that's promising, and this post was a good reminder that I need to make progress on the second book! If you haven't picked up LIAR'S DICE yet, by Juliet Faithfull, it should be on your TBR pile. It's so excellent--about a young girl in 1970's Brazil, torn away from her twin sister. It's a wonderful story about sisters and families and a culture that can be beautiful or cruel.
Pamela, that balance is so hard to find. I’ve always found if I’m working on two projects, the one that will pay me the most comes first. So that would be your next book. If you can segment out a few hours for writing, and once that’s done then you can go into the querying trenches, that will help. Compartmentalization is key. And I’m so happy for you getting those full requests. It only takes one yes!!!
I’ve not heard of this book - thank you!
You always end your messages with a kitten - but not today!
Barbara, that’s usually only on the monthly newsletter but now I’m thinking I should do it for these too! No one hates a kitten!
Wow...10K per day? I'm not a writer but that sounds pretty amazing to me!
Who could blame you for diving back into FOURTH WING?!?
I finished YESTERYEAR and I'm not okay. I couldn't figure out what was going on so the ending caught me by surprise. This book kept me engaged and I just had to keep reading it to find out what was going to happen next.
I'm a little over halfway through ANNIE KNOWS EVERYTHING by Rachel Wood. New to me author and this is a really good office romance.
It's supposed to get super hot here this weekend....upper 90s and then add humidity to it. On Mon they're talking about 100! I'm not a lover of heat at all.
Right? I mean, the comfort food of dragons will never get old for me.
I was surprised by YESTERYEAR’s ending too. I think it’s much more enjoyable not knowing there’s a looming twist - I wasn’t expecting it from a literary novel, so applaud her subterfuge. But really, it shouldn’t be categorized as literary. It’s speculative fiction, through and through.
I’m with you on that heat. But it’s the humidity alongside it that makes outdoor experiences untenable. Hope you have a cool spot to read!
Massive, indeed! As a live-in grandma/chef for a household with two kids under six, I have lost the long stretches of time I used to have. And with that, my ability to focus for long periods of time has decreased. Huge props to you!!!
I just finished reading So Very Lucky by Caitlin Devlin and listening to Hank Phillippe Ryan's All This Could Be Yours and Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart. Loved and recommend them all!
I think we would all trade 10k for a live in with grandkids. I know I would : ). Great list of superb books!
Hehehe Well, I most willingly did! <3
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach is what I’m currently reading and the last book I need to finish the Ohio State Reading Bingo Challenge! The Shampoo Effect is on my TBR—I loved Pineapple Street.
Oh I love this challenge. I think we might need one for Friday Reads…. I was surprised by how much I loved Shampoo. I went in with a chip on my shoulder and was so pleasantly surprised.
Wow, 10k! That's awesome. I think my record in a day is around 6k. Just got in the zone and stayed there.
Currently reading the audio version of IRONWOOD by the great Michael Connelly. It's #2 in his newest series featuring Catalina Island.
6k is nothing to scoff at! A huge leap forward. Anything over 5 really shifts the story in my mind. I haven’t read MC’s new series. I need to.
Looking forward to your craft post on staying focused long enough for massive word count days!!
Coming soon to a creative edge near you 🤩