After a long dry spell in my personal reading, I finished five books, three last week. Many of you read multiple books a week regularly. Other than reading for college, I have never read three complete books within seven days. The other two books were read a few weeks ago.
Here’s the list:
Mark Sarvas Harry, Revised – first novel
Dean Koontz Forever Odd – part of a series
Thomas Harris Hannibal Rising – part of a series
Sue Monk Kidd The Secret Life of Bees – first novel
Todd Burpo Heaven Is For Real – first book
The funny thing is that each of these books were loaned to me by someone who read it first, then recommended it to me to read, giving or loaning me the title. Beside my bed, I have a stack of twenty books, maybe more, all recommended to me by another and waiting for me to commit to reading it.
Isn’t it odd that I haven’t selected a book for myself? Instead, my reading is guided by others.
The last time I picked a book for myself was more than a year ago. I chose Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. The one before that was Stephen Hawking’s Universe: The Cosmos Explained. I read most of both books, but finished neither.
Odd.
Fay Moore: I Want To Be a Writer 
‘Anna K’ – bloody hell. I got half way through that book and then just stopped. Really wished I hadn’t. It’s been at least three years since I’ve tried to read it which would suggest that I’d need to start again… I don’t want to. Plus someone ruined the ending for me. Which I was not impressed about.
I’ve only read the ‘Bees’ book but really loved it at the time. It’s good to look to the recommendation of others. But I reckon it’d be a real treat for you to just read something you want to read. And then go back to the recommendations. 🙂 I’m impressed at how well you’ve done. Which was your favourite and why?
My sentimental favorite was Bees because I identified with the girl. I love her spunk, heart, courage, curiosity. And I love that a “first novel” got made into a movie!!! My cerebral favorite was Hannibal. Harris’s writing turns me green with envy. He created amazing sexual tension between Hannibal and his Japanese aunt without ever discussing sexual tension. I learned so much reading that book. I plan to keep it to read again — it’s better than a college level writing course. Harris has published a book per decade. It scares me to think it takes that long to polish a story to perfection.
Not odd for you Fay because you’re a giving….helping others is what you do! 🙂
Thank you for being my ray of sunshine today. You lifted my spirits.