Finding Time to Read

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!)

Books, Books, Books

Last week was the annual used book sale run by the American Association of University Women. Wait—let me rephrase that: Last week was the “There’s THOUSANDS of Books In There—Lemme At ’Em” sale. I picture Betty and Wilma from the Flintstones TV show waving their stone credit cards in the air and giving the call to arms: “Charge it!” Barney and Fred used to cringe, but my husband knew I’d spend about $50 and come home with about 50 books.

I was close. Two days, $56, 57 books.

I’ve heard some writers complain about used book sales because they don’t get royalties on those sales. Yet I’ve picked up books by at least a dozen authors that were unknown to me, and because of that one used book I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of money at Barnes & Noble on the rest of that author’s works. I’m also a lifelong library user, which is a reader’s lifesaver when funds are short, or you’re laid off. The same holds true: I’ve read a new author there and headed to B&N for the complete set later.

I took an informal poll of fellow published and unpublished writers when discussing this sale. With a handful of exceptions, they all were in favor of buying used books. Partially because most writers aren’t rolling in dough, but also for the reasons above. We all look forward to the day when a total stranger picks up our first book for a dollar and then sends fan mail through our website. And then (of course) rushes to their bookstore of choice to buy everything else we’ve written.

Have you haunted the used bookstores in your budget-crunching past (or present)? What memorable old and new gems did you find?

For me, the first was Lin Carter’s The Man Who Loved Mars. I’m not usually a SF reader, but I was looking for schlock horror to read on vacation. Something about this book caught my eye and I discovered one of the best wounded heroes ever. My modern discovery was Laurie R. King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Say no more.