I have loved reading since early childhood, reading illustrated fairy tales and Little Golden Books.
Escaping into the world of a book is magical to me - there's a sense of adventure every time I open a book. What is going to happen? Will I cheer or jeer at the characters? Will I laugh, cry, curse over what happens in the book? It's all bright, sparkly, and oh so addictive.
It makes me happy.
What also makes me happy is reading a wide range of books and not only books in the genre I write in. While I read tend to gravitate more to fantasy romance, romantasy, fantasy, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy, that is not all I read. I like to balance my reading by reading science fiction romances, crime, thrillers, contemporary romances, historical romances, historical mysteries, women's fiction, science fiction, children's, YA, romantic comedy, graphic novels, murder mysteries, and less frequently non-fiction.
At the time of writing this, from the last 25 books I read, there were:
- women's fiction 3
- children's 2
- historical romance 1
- historical fantasy romance YA 1
- science fiction 2
- fantasy 4
- romantasy 3
- paranormal romance 4
- small town romance 1
- thriller 2
- urban fantasy 2
Reading wide provides escapism. It helps to live in another's shoes for a little while, enhancing empathy and cultural awareness. It also helps reduce stress because when I don't read because life is busy or because my brain fog is more pronounced, I feel miserable and antsy.
I also think that reading wide helps me as a writer, as well as it provides inspiration, as well as being exposed to different voices and styles.
I have mixed it up with not only my genres, but also in how I read. I read paperbacks, ebooks, and listen to audiobooks as well. I do think a great narrator can make me enjoy the story more. I recently stopped listening to a book in audio form because I couldn't get into the narrator's voice. Nearly every sentence ended with a lilt up. I persevered for a bit, tried different speeds but in the end, I stopped listening and borrowed the ebook instead.
Another thing I do is to read more than one book at a time. I can have a couple of audiobooks, a couple of ebooks, and a couple of paperbacks going concurrently. Well not at the exact same time, but you know what I mean. It depends on mood and location on what I pick up to read.
Do I mix up the stories? Nope. Okay, only a couple of times because they were in the same genre. But on the whole, as I don't mix up my tv shows, I don't mix up my books, and them being different genres helps keep them straight as well.
How do I choose what book to read next? A few ways–what is available from the library at the time or holds coming through, time since I last read an author's book, an author A-Z challenge (so I can read a number of authors), and I try and rotate authors I know–including DarkSiders–into the mix.
One thing I do struggle with is finishing off series, because I'm constantly starting new ones. I do like to have a little break between books in a series, so everything can sink in but sometimes it can be months or even a year or so between books and I fall behind. Boy, I'm so behind!
I think next challenge should be to finish X books from each series. I did manage to finish off four this year, so that's something. I keep track of my series and go through the list once in a while to make sure I am not leaving any left lingering, but sadly that still happens.
Series I've read books from and enjoyed this year (in italics are authors I know/met via writing including DarkSiders):
- Hell Squad by Anna Hackett
- The Walker Papers by C.E. Murphy
- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
- The Inn Keeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews
- Chronicles of the Applecross by Rebekah Turner - finished
- The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
- Summer Court, Fated Mates of the Fae Royals by Helen Walton
- Cemetery Girl Trilogy by Charlaine Harris & Christopher Golden - graphic novels - finished
- Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
- London Steampunk by Bec McMaster
- The Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
- Ghost Hunters by Jayne Castle
- Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
- The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
- Discworld by Terry Pratchett
- Gangsters at War by Mel Teshco
- Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
- Barrington by Susan Mackie
- The War of Lost Hearts by Carissa Broadbent
- The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - finished
- The Bookshop Detectives by Gareth and Louise Ward
- King Rolen’s Kin by Rowena Cory Daniells
- The Healer by Maria V. Snyder
- The Edge by Ilona Andrews
- Relic and Legends by HM Hodgson
- Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K Hamilton
- Chronicles of Ixia by Maria V Snyder
- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
- Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews - finished
- The Willow Witch Chronicles by Efthalia
- Point Muse Cozy Mystery by Kelly Ethan
- Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy by C.J. Archer
- The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston
- Dream Harbor by Laura Gilmore
- The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni - YA
- Shadows and Crowns by S.M. Gathier
- The Lizzie Grace series by Keri Arthur
- Huntress / FBI Thrillers by Alexandra Sokoloff
Do you read widely or do you have preferred genres? Do you love reading series?
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