* BOOKS TO RECOMMEND & THOUGHTS ON WRITING *

As usual, time is flying by and I'm behind in so many projects: writing blog posts, commenting on others' blogs, replying to emails, writing and mailing snail-mail notes and letters, and most importantly writing! I am excited to say, though, that I've been writing quite a bit lately...and most of it is for a piece I'll be submitting somewhere fairly soon. AND, on top of all that, I've also been reading...a lot! Three books in about three weeks time, which is an amazing feat for me!

That may not sound very amazing to most voracious readers, but it's been years (except for a couple of books here and there) since I've come across a book(s) that I just couldn't put down! Thinking about those last three books makes me smile not only because I liked them so much, but also because I found them quite by accident at Dollar Tree! (One of my favorite stores! You can't go wrong paying one dollar for a book, sometimes hardcovers. If I don't care for it, I take it to Goodwill.)

The first one I read: The Borrower, by Rebecca Makkai.  Loved it!
A librarian, a highly intelligent young boy whose parents are attempting to "change" him, a kidnapping.....Yes, it has its fallacies, as some reviewers point out, but it's FICTION, and I just could not put it down!

The second one was: You Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos. Liked it a lot!
Interesting look at suburbia upper class, marriages, friendships, with twists and turns.

The third was: A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch. Loved it! I can almost use the word "never" when I say I never read mysteries, but this grabbed me right from the beginning, and what shocks me the most is that it's a period piece (again, not my cup of tea...so to speak!) set in England in 1865! I loved the main character and descriptions of the era, etc. It had me guessing "whodunnit" all the way.

~~~~~

I learned a long time ago that if you want to be a good writer, you also have to read a lot, and not just in the genre you prefer. Following are two quotes I came across just last night from an author, writing coach, motivational speaker, and secret ghostwriter: Roz Morris  https://rozmorris.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/hello-world/

"If they don’t read, how can they write? My impulse to write comes from reading. Once I’ve been in the grip of a good book, it gets me to go and write my own." - Roz Morris

"Reading—the good and the bad—inspires you. It develops your palate for all the tricks that writers have invented over the years. You can learn from textbooks about the writing craft, but there’s no substitute for discovering for yourself how a writer pulls off a trick. Then that becomes part of your experience." - Roz Morris

So, reading and writing, writing and reading...they go hand in hand. Although I've been moving at a very slow pace on both until now, I feel I've escaped from under the cloak of excuses:
"I don't have the time" to read or write.
 I'm having "writers block."
"I can't find anything to read that I like."
"Etc!


Have a blissful week, wherever you are! Sing like no one is listening...I do that all the time! Maybe I'll try karaoke at the local bar one of these evenings! hee hee