My grandmother used to love to start jigsaw puzzles in winter. A huge football fan, she’d wait for college bowl games to end. The second they did out came the 1000 piece puzzles and we’d sort through the pieces to find the edged ones to put those together first. She’d finish one, carefully put the pieces back in the box, and start a new one. Come spring and summer, we’d go for a walk to Flamingo’s, the local ice cream parlor, and leave the puzzle assembling behind for next winter. For some people, puzzles occupy the winter doldrums. Others love quilting (or knitting or crocheting) while still others head to the library and stock up on new releases. With winter upon us, it brought up the question to my mind: in what season do you read the most?
Winter, spring, summer or fall? In the winter, I love to snuggle up with a good book. Maybe you’ve seen the meme on Facebook or somewhere else: Keep Calm and Snuggle with a Good Book. In the spring, I love to get a bowl of jellybeans and curl up on the patio with a book. In the summer, I love to read while traveling somewhere on vacation. And in the fall, I love to pull out the blankets, send the kids to school, and well, you fill in the next three words (read a book). I’m an equal opportunity reader who loves to read regardless of the season. I don’t need an excuse to read although sometimes I need extra time to read.
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. Little by little, I’m absorbing the information and knowledge imparted by this book. From setting to characters, the author weaves his observations about writing to convey craft information about forming more memorable novels. How to up the conflict. How to create more compelling characters. How to take the ordinary and up the ante so the reader feels a bond, feels the urgency of the conflict. I’d definitely recommend this book to writers of all levels. It’s extremely readable, and the information makes you think about getting into the minds of your characters more and coming up with even more conflict.
Four Weddings and a Kiss by Margaret Brownley, Mary Connealy, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Debra Clopton. (A note: I received a free copy of this book at RWA 2014.) I think I’m going to stay away from anthology novellas for a couple of months. While it’s great to read new authors, the past couple of anthology novella books I’ve read have left me conflicted. I enjoy reading different authors, observing their writing styles and getting involved in the story. But in this book like the others I read this year, I’ve enjoyed two of the stories much more than the others. For some reason, I liked Spitfire Sweetheart and Courting Trouble the most out of the four. Maizy’s tomboy ways in Spitfire Sweetheart endeared me to her. Grace’s conflict with death hanging over compelled me to read to find out what happened to her. I just finished the book last night, and it’s worth checking out of the library, especially for the first and last stories.
The Rancher’s Reunion by Tina Radcliffe. Oooh, Kath had to borrow my Kindle to read Jane Eyre for school, and I didn’t get much further, but the next ten pages had me wanting to curl up in an armchair with my new dog and read, read, read this book. I am so enjoying this book whenever I have a few minutes here and there. I so want to find out why Will has never noticed Annie before and how they get together.
No matter the season, I love to read. For some people, winter means more reading, for others, less.
Do you read more in one season than the others or do you read the same amount year round? Let me know.