I don’t know if movies about writers could be considered a genre but over the years there have been a more than a few. From Stranger than Fiction to Adaptation, writers are portrayed as an odd lot. Even in movies like Moulin Rouge and Romancing the stone, the writers are a few chapters short of a best seller.
I’m not saying this new movie portrays writers any saner, because fiction is often stranger than truth, but I think they definitely nailed the crazy things that can happen as a writer tries to get published. Authors Anonymous tells the story of a group of writers as they pursue their publishing dreams. From mega-success to mega-failure it is an interesting look at the writing and publishing world.
I think the movie looks pretty funny and it has quite a few good actors in it. My favorite is Kaley Cuoco, best known for playing Penny in the Big Bang Theory. I don’t know if I’ll see this in the theater but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it on DVD. Then I’ll show it to all my relatives who don’t understand why my writing hasn’t made me as rich as Richard Castle.
“I Am Certain There is Too Much Certainty in the World.”
– Michael Crichton
How is the reading going? That seems like a silly question because I read like I breathe. It doesn’t take any effort. But reading what I am supposed to read instead of the fluff that I want to read can be difficult. There is comfort in escapism reading but this year I promised myself I’d break out of my comfort zone.
“I am simply a ‘book drunkard.’ Books have the same irresistible temptation for me that liquor has for its devotee. I cannot withstand them.” — L.M. Montgomery
According to Goodreads I have read eleven out of eighty books so I am on track. However, I still feel that I have a lot of books on my shelves. It is only two months into the year so I am not concerned. If June comes and I feel that I am behind then I’ll have to rethink my program.
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” — Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler)
I have been switching between reading one non-fiction and one fiction book. That seems to keep me interested. The non-fiction book I am currently reading stalled on me but I am determined to finish it this week.
I also have a lot of ebooks that I want to read. It is very easy to add to that list. I have about ten ebooks I am reading right now. I should probably concentrate on two or three and get them done. I like reading a lot of books at the same time but it takes longer to finish them and get them off my list.
I just finished the Derek Storm novels by Richard Castle. I enjoyed the story a lot and read all three books in one weekend. This sounds more impressive than it is. The books are more like long novellas and each story ended with a cliff hanger that made me want to immediately start the next book. I liked the fact that they broke the story up into three books because then I get to say I read three books instead of one.
“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” — Philip Pullman
I have a couple of cheat things I do when I feel I’m not finishing enough books. I have lots of short stories on my ebook list. They count as a book but take less time to finish. When I want to get my list shortened I just read one of them. The problem will come when I’ve finished all my novellas and the only things left to read are hefty tomes. I’ll be suffering then so I am trying to spread them out.
I also want to listen to my audiobooks. I am way behind on those. To date I have not had much success at finishing any of them. I am trying to not download any new ones until I’ve listened to some of my current ones. My problem is my podcasts. I love listening to podcasts and get new ones every week. I probably need to reduce the number of podcasts I listen to and make more time for my audiobooks.
“We don’t need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They’re always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.” — Lloyd Alexander
Our local library has been closed for about two months which has made it easier for me to read the books on my shelf. They are now open again and I can’t wait to go and wander the shelves. Of course I’ll be checking out books and that will make it harder to read the books in my house. What I am going to try and do is make a list of books I want to read and only check out a few at a time. The main reason that I check out a ton of books is because I am afraid I’ll never see the book again. If I just add it to my list with the Dewey decimal number than I can find it whenever I want. Even though it is a great temptation I am so glad that the library is open. I love libraries.
“Be awesome! Be a book nut!” — Dr. Seuss
So I feel that, with the exception of audio books, I am on track in my reading goals. We are looking to move and when I move I may donate some books without reading them. I have noticed that books I cared about in the past do not interest me anymore. Others were gifts and I’ll have to decide what I want to do about them. It is still my intention to read my unread books and then either keep them or, more likely, pass them on.
One of my reasons for starting a writing website is so I can write about my favorite books, not the ones I am writing but the ones I am reading. I read five to ten books a week, and while I don’t like them all, I do love a great deal of them. I record the books I read on Goodreads, and I’d love to be your Goodreads friend. On this website I am going to recommend to you “My Must Reads,” those books that I think everyone should read. My first “Must Read” is the Meg Langslow mysteries by Donna Andrews.
As part of a mystery reading challenge I am doing in 2013 I had to read a mystery with an animal in the title. For years I have wanted to read the Meg Langslow mysteries and this was finally the excuse I was looking for. I choose We’ll Always Have Parrots and then immediately started at the beginning of the series and read all the books my library had. When my library ran out after the first seven I went to other libraries so I could read the whole series. Needless to say I am obsessed. I have bought several of the books for gifts.
The obvious question is why? Is it the punny bird titles? (Yes.) Is it the extremely large and quirky family that Meg has to deal with? (Yes.) Is it how calm Michael seems no matter what craziness happens? (Yes.) I think it is everything. Like an ice cream sundae that has just the right amount of ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and nuts, these mysteries are written with just the right amount of crime solving, character tension, fascinating settings, and fun subplots.
These books are cozies, but that is cool with me. I read the whole spectrum of mystery subgenres. If the sleuth is likable, if the secondary characters are important to the plot, and if the crime is worth solving than the amount of violence is not important. Donna Andrews has written a series that keeps me guessing and keeps me laughing. Thus this series ranks high on “My Must Read” list.
If you would like to read this series I recommend starting at the beginning (not something I suggest with every series) but Murder with Peacocks is excellent. If you buy it here you’ll help support my writing efforts but even if you check it out from the library you’ll be glad you picked this book up.
and then immediately started at the beginning of the series and read all the books my library had. When my library ran out after the first seven I went to other libraries so I could read the whole series. Needless to say I am obsessed. I have bought several of the books for gifts.
is excellent. If you buy it here you’ll help support my writing efforts but even if you check it out from the library you’ll be glad you picked this book up.