July 07 2009
Reading not Writing
I’m in a writing boycott right now. So I have decided to set aside all of my creative juices (and I am quite juicy!) and opening my eyes to other books right now. (Is that considered cheating on my novel?) Considering that my first three chapters have decided they don’t want to cooperate, I thought I would take the time to look for some inspiration.
I have a small list of books to visit in my local book shelf.
And then there
were None by Agatha Christie
Angels and Demons AND The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Redwahl by Brian Jacques
Not to mention all the craft books I am reading right now.
Self Editing for Fiction Writers
Revision and Self Editing
The First Five Pages
(Oh and I’m currently just finishing up the Twilight Series again….)
Revision and Self Editing by James Scott Bell has been eye opening to me and I’m only in the first couple chapters. But it is the reason I have decided to set aside writing and do a bit of reading. It was one of the suggestions. I’m starting to wonder if my writing has suffered from my lack of reading. The reason I haven’t been reading is because I didn’t want to feel like I was “copying” anyone else’s stories. BUT now that mine is well formulated and completed, I don’t think I need to fear that any longer.
So any suggested reading material I should add to my list?
Grrrr stupid captcha code and n’s that look like v’s. So I can’t remember what I wrote, but you should check out “Wake” by Lisa McMann. I just started and finished it yesterday. Quick read, but super good! http://lisamcmann.com/html/wake.html There’s a sequel out, Fade, and a third book coming out in Feb. 2010. I’m reading through a stack of new books, so if there’s anything else in there that I think you’d like, I’ll let ya know!!
Depends what you are looking for but here are some of my fav’s and classics:
One by Richard Bach
Brave New World
The Giver
Pride and Prejudice (of course)
any of Nicholas Sparks (quite easy reads)
Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis
The Three Martini Playdate (a must for all moms!)
Happy Housewives
That’s all I got for now!
I’m going to have to make a major trip to the library. Tobby keeps suggesting ‘The Giver’ to me too. I think I’m definitely going to have to grab that one! Wake sounds good too
If you grab The Giver (amazing book) you might as well pick up Gathering Blue and Messenger at the same time. They’re a loose sort of trilogy. All the books can be read separately, but form important bonds and connections together as well. They’re fantastic. Got one of my students hooked on them…before I got her started on Twilight LOL
Geesh, you’re demanding sometimes! Not only do I follow your other blog, now you insist I follow this blog. Ah, the sacrifices I (gladly) make for my followers! ; )
I do the whole boycott thing every now and then. Sometimes, I just need to read.
I just finished Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. If you want a good laugh, read any of her Stephanie Plum novels. They absolutely make me LOL!
I’m also nearing the end of The Return of the King by Tolkien . . . for the gazillionth time. I’ve been reading the books and watching the movies as I near the end of each book. Definitely a fascinating experience. It’s really amazing how much dialog from the books Peter Jackson incorporated into the movies. It’s also interesting to see the interweaving of the tales, since Tolkien separated the tales into separate sections. The interweaving makes for a much more enjoyable experience, btw.
So, take a break from writing, read to your heart’s content, and then dig back in!
S
right now I’m reading Home Another Way by Christa Parrish. It’s phenomenal!
Here are some more awesome ideas….
The Wednesday Letters, by Jason F. Wright
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin (been wanting to tell you about this one for a long time!)
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Host: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel, by Diane Setterfield
Like Water For Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel
A Mango-Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass
Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld
The Handmaid’s Tale: A Novel, by Margaret Atwood
The Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier
The Book of Lost Things: A Novel, by John Connolly
Middlesex: A Novel, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Sorry for so many. I’m not bored, just trying to keep my mind off something. Enjoy!!
Hmmm, no, no ideas. I’m horrible with craft books. *cringe*
For Young Adult –
The Named Series, beginning with Ratha’s Creature – Clare Bell
Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt
Eragon, Eldest & Brisingr – Paolini
Adult –
Pillars of the Earth – Follett
Story of Forgetting – Block
Historian – Kostova
House at Riverton – Morton
Labyrinth – Mosse
Gone With The Wind – Mitchell
Craft –
Plot & Structure – Bell
On Writing – King
Love the new site!
HHS
I second the Giver and the two other books in the series. I also love Patricia McKillip (Riddle-Master, Forgotten Beasts of Eld), Sherwood Smith (Crown Duel, Wren Series)
MaryBeth, just read your comment at Nathan’s blog. You are lucky to have a techie husband- site looks great.
Reading rec for writers- How to Read Like a Writer by Francine Prose. (not 100% on the authors name- think i remembered it right. She’s the author of Blue Angel)
I am going to need a MAJOR trip to the Library. Thanks for all the great ideas. I don’t even know where to start.
Glad you guys like the site. We’ve worked really hard on it. Hopefully by the end of the week we will have the updates on here. I am SUPER excited about them.
Keep an eye out for them
I promise you’ll be impressed!
[...] Marybeth on Sep.18, 2009, under My Blog So I mentioned back in July in this Post that I was going to take a break and do some reading….and I can’t seem to stop reading [...]