Never Enough Hours In the Day...

This is what I want to be doing. Yep. Reading. Except there aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. Sigh. I'm trying to get a couple of stories wrapped up. That's the easy part. I have the outlines for what I need to do, just have to have the *time* to get them done. I'm also trying to spend more time with the kidlet. It's summer time, he's out of school and well, it's time to hang out. Also trying to spend time with the CBs. Gotta get the time for heat, yanno?

So what do I want to be reading? Anything that's not Captain Underpants (if you have boys, you know the character), Flat Stanley or Splat the Cat. I love the titles, I really do. But. It's hard to write heat when you're hearing fart jokes, pee pee laughs, and things the Keystone Kops wouldn't do.

I miss my books. But at the same time, I'm always looking for new titles to read. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Bad jokes? Let me know> My TBR list will love you for it. Grin.

What are YOU reading?

I'm sitting here going through my files and wondering what I want to read. I've got lots of choices, but yanno sometimes the same old, same old, just isn't what fits the bill.

So I'm wondering what you're reading right now. I've got some go-to authors, but I'm open to new ones. Some of my faves are TA Chase, Devon Rhodes, KA Mitchell...

What would you recommend? I'm in between WIP's and wanting to read something hot. M/F, M/F/M, M/M, M/M/M, bdsm...I'm good.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

I'm waiting.

Reading

Recently, I had to stop reading a couple of books and was so disappointed ... they really sounded good and had TONS of promise, but could have used stronger editing (and maybe a little more schooling on the authors' parts).

One was full of telling. Now, I slip up on the "show don't tell" mantra now and then, but I really make an effort to pay attention AND, thankfully, I have an editor who points out when I slip off the path. This author apparently did/had neither. And, I can take a little telling, but when I'm beat over the head with it again and again, I have to close the book and move on to something else.

I think what was worse for me on this book was that the author actually did a pretty good job of showing, but then apparently doubting her ability, went on to tell me what she meant.

This is what she did (I'm making these lines up, but it gives you an idea):

Martha leaned closer to Joe, her heart pounding, shivers dancing up her spine. Her nipples puckered as the brushed against his chest. Her body filled with desire when she was near him, and she wanted him in the worst way.

Over and over and over, she would SHOW me something, and then TELL me outright what the previous sentence meant.

Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. That book was deleted from my eReader and I moved on.

What kills the reading mood for you? What makes you stop reading a book? What finally makes or breaks it for you?

Booking Through Thursday - The Mysti Version

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

Are you currently reading more than one book?

Absolutely... I'm all about multi-tasking.

If so, how many books are you currently reading?

Three, and two magazines. Two fiction books, one non-fiction, Reader's Digest and Natural Pet.

Is this normal for you?

Yep. I think I have attention span problems... oooh... shiny...

Where do you keep your current reads?

The magazines are on my nightstand. The non-fiction book is on my breakfast bar. The fiction novels travel with me where ever I go.

What about you?

Pondering...

I know we, as authors, value our reviews. But do you think they ultimately make a difference in whether readers buy your work?

This question was posed on a blog I read, and the comments (9 of them) said that reviews mattered little compared to recommendations from friends and supporting writer friends.

I pondered this for a bit and wondered why I buy books, especially from a new author. And, you know what? I DO consider reviews IF they come from reputable source... I almost never use Amazon reviews because I don't think they're necessarily authentic.

I do read reviews at reviews sites and blogs, and I take them all into account before I buy. I don't trust one review, necessarily, but will compare several and see what they say.

I do prefer recommendations from friends, since they know me and my reading habits well. And I certainly support my author friends when they are published, but I don't think reviews can be discounted out of hand.

What do YOU think?