Do you ever feel like this:
Yeah, me too.
These days I don't have a lot of time to read for pleasure. When I do have time, it's on the weekends, which sometimes makes me crabby on Monday mornings, either because I stayed up too late on Sunday night or because I just didn't get to read as much as I would like. I love reading, but a lot of weeknights, I don't physically want to read. My eyes are tired or my brain just doesn't want to process more words. And let's face it, spring may have finally arrived in the midwest and I was busy outside in the sun, playing football with my boys.
Fortunately, I can sometimes find the quiet time I need to slip into another world created by some of my favorite authors. And who might those be?
William Kent Krueger - the man writes beautifully. http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/ I am a book behind (like I am with most of my favorite authors - so don't spoil anything for me!!) Cork O'Connor, the main character, is one of my favorite characters. Kent is one of the nicest guys on the planet, too.
Karin Slaughter - what a perfect name for a crime fiction writer. And it fits. Bad things happen in her books. Not for the light-hearted. Karin's books are suspenseful, scary and heart-breaking. http://www.karinslaughter.com/Ian Rankin - http://www.ianrankin.net/
Lee Child - http://leechild.com/
Ian and Lee are authors I read when I am in the mood for a "guy" book. Lots of action. :)
Charlaine Harris - I have loved most of the books she has written. I didn't get into the Aurora Teagarden series. But the Lily Bard, Harper Connolly and Sookie Stackhouse series are all wonderful. http://www.charlaineharris.com/index.html The HBO series True Blood starts up again June 26th! Sweet.
So what about all of you out there - who are your favorites? How do you steal some time away to read? Does you day job ever interfere with your reading time?
(full disclosure - I intentionally left out the Inkers... seriously, a mom doesn't choose her favorite kid... I would be starting a riot around here!)
10 comments:
Terri, I so know what you mean. By the end of the day during the week, all I can do is veg out in front of the TV. My eyes literally sting if I try to read. Luckily, it rained for a good part of this weekend, so I got some pleasure reading in. I'm currently reading City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin. I loved her Mistress of the Art of Death series about a medieval Bones.
I try to keep up with books by my fellow Inkers but like you, won't name names because I haven't read everyone yet. When I want a good laugh, I'll pick up the latest Janet Evanovich or Lisa Lutz. I also enjoy Nancy Pickard, Kristen Hannah, CJ Lyons, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.
I just finished "One was a soldier" by Julia Spencer-Fleming and have just started "Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie R. King. I read a lot on the weekends since my day job, as you know, means reading after work is kind of overkill.
CS Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries. I devour every new one as soon as it comes out. I'm a sucker for a wounded hero.
Brian Keene--one of the best horror writers today.
I steal reading time before bed and at supper. It's work but I've gotta get my reading fix!
I have an 75-minute train commute each way, perfect time for reading and because I wake up so early I get an extra hour of reading time.
Love Karin Slaughter and can't wait to read Fallen. Another favorite is Meg Gardiner.
I like Lee Child too. And Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker (RIP), Dennis Lehane, Reed Farrel Coleman, John Gilstrap, Donna Andrews, Ellen Crosby to name a few others(I also intentionally left out any Inkers!). Day job? Reading IS my day job (I wish!).
Nanette - you are moving right along in the JSF series. Nice. I am glad you like it! And Laurie King is great, though I haven't read anything by her in years.
Dru - I picked up a couple Meg Gardiner books after Sleuthfest. She was a guest and her speech was amazing. Can't wait to start reading her.
There are just too many read!! All the authors named are wonderful. :)
I love offbeat characters and stories, so I often turn to Ben Rehder and his Blanco County mystery series about a Texas game warden, Reginald Hill's British cop mysteries featuring Dalziel and Pascoe, and Pete Hautman's crime/gambling novels. I recently read a book by (Ms.) Fred Vargas and became an instant fan.
William Kent Krueger is new to me. I'll check him out.
I read anything and everything, and listen to audio books in the car and at home (I love to knit and listen to audiobooks!). I honestly get crabby if I don't read something for fun for a half hour every day. I'm working my way through Elizabeth George's Lynley series and am loving it (I'm just starting #10). My other favorite mystery authors are Cara Black, Henning Mankell, and Agatha Christie. Steig Larsson's Millennium series ranks in my favorite books of all-time. My favorite non-fiction authors: Michael Perry and Jon Krakauer. My favorite non-mystery fiction authors: Jane Austen, Neil Gaiman, and Irene Nemirovsky.
Reading is one of the things I miss most since becoming a writer. I used to read A LOT, now I have to make time for it. I just started reading non-mysteries again and have polished off 2 books in 2 weeks, a record since becoming a writer. They were: Water for Elephants and The Hunger Games and I loved them both.
Sometimes I need to get away from mysteries for a while, too. Usually I grab someone like David Sedaris or Jon Krakauer. :)
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