Do you have a drop-everything-to read author? I have several. Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, J.K. Rowling (back with Harry Potter was being published), and Nora Roberts are my drop-everything-stop-reading-everything-else authors. This week this concept became abundantly clear. I usually don’t pay any attention to the idea of stopping a book in the middle to read something else, but this week I did. This summer has been big as far as new releases by my favorite authors and I’ve spent a considerable amount of money on new books (new releases and books for my Summer Reading Project). Julia Quinn released Ten Things I Love About You in May, and Lisa Kleypas released Married by Morning in May and Love in the Afternoon came out last week. Nora Roberts published the 3rd book in her Vows Quartet, Savor the Moment, in May and her latest single title The Search was released on Tuesday. With the exception of Love in the Afternoon, all of these were purchased and read on their release date. I’m holding on to Love in the Afternoon as a treat to myself when I’m having a bad day. I didn’t want to rush through The Search because I love love love Nora and I like to savor her books since she only releases one single title a year. It took me three wonderful nights of reading and the book was amazing. Unfortunately, I’m way behind on my summer reading.
All these new releases, along with SB Sarah’s Sizzling Summer Book Club, has made it a little harder to read all the books on my reading list. I’ve already read 39 of them which is huge progress of course, but I’m accepting the fact that I won’t be able to finish the list before Labor Day. It’s an impossible goal to read 8 books a week. That’s more than a book a day, and something I just can’t accomplish while working full time. Now if this was my full time job (how awesome would that be?), it would be no problem. But it’s not and I can only hope to read 2-4 books a week and hopefully will accomplish my goal before Christmas.
I’m not complaining. This is an awesome project and I look forward to reading all these books. It’s been a little exhausting though. I usually read a lot of romance, but I’ve never pushed myself through so many. I’m a little burned out on alpha males and HEAs. I’m also forming some very strong judgments about what does and what does not make a good romance. I haven’t liked all the books on the list, and some of those didn’t get finished or I skimmed through because there was something about it I didn’t like. I’m thinking I should make a list of those I liked and those I didn’t, because I’m starting to get them mixed up.
So that’s what new with me on my summer reading project. Are you reading anything special this summer? How’s it going?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently discovered Ann Beattie, who is an absolute master of short fiction. Walks with Men was the absolute perfect feel for a melancholy afternoon, and just beautifully written. When I'm reading longer works I like to have short fiction to break it up, and she's a perfect choice.
Next on my list is Fifth Avenue, 5AM, which is a wonderful non-fiction work about the writing and filming of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a great read by Stieg Larsson. Don't let the size fool you… it is a really fast-paced read.