Books Read
As I studied successful authors, I spotted a trend—they read a lot of books. Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series, says he reads 300 books a year. Stephen King, who says he reads about 80 books a year because he is a slow reader, states, "If you want to write, you must do two things above all others—read a lot and write a lot."
I have taken that challenge to heart and set a goal of reading 100 books a year—mostly fiction and different genres. I watch for recommended books from authors I have never read, but also read everything a handful of authors write (two of those mentioned in the first paragraph).
Many of my readers asked that I share that list and a lot of the newsletter subscribers email me regularly to recommend I try a book (something I love). Thus, this section of the website has evolved to list all of the books I finish reading.
To be clear, these are not reviews. You will find I never rate a book as "bad" because, frankly, I never finish a poorly written book. Too many good books exist out there to waste a minute of time reading a bad one. Since the books reported here are only the ones I finish, they are all good.
When I read reviews from on-line bookstores or review sites, I find most of them are based on whether the reader "liked" or "didn't like" the book. The problem with that approach is whether the reader "likes" a book has as much to do with the topic as the writing skills of the author. For example, I am not a fan of sci-fi romance books with werewolves (which is probably a genre, but who knows?). So if I said I didn't like such a book, and you enjoy time-traveling, shape-shifting lovers, then my review is useless to you. It might even prevent you from discovering a book you like.
So instead of like or not (since every book listed I liked enough to finish), my reviews take a few paragraphs to explain what the story is about. Hopefully, that will help you decide whether to read or not.
And, yes, if I really, really, really loved a book and think it's awesome, I will say that. Count on that once every month or two.
Hope you enjoy my list and find something new to read.
P.S.—Please, share what you are reading. I try very hard to read authors I have not tried before.
The monthly recap of my reading list, Books Read April 2018 includes 11 books, bringing my year-to-date total to 39. Come see what I am reading and share what you are reading.
Click to Read
Another month has passed, ten more books have been read, and two new-to-me authors have been tried. Let’s review my books read March 2018.
Click to Read
We are approaching the start of daylight savings time and thoughts of spring, so time to update Books Read February 2018 and other activities.
Click to Read
A post with books and pestilence – what a mix! We will get to the pestilence last, but let’s start with a summary of my Books Read January 2018.
Click to Read
For nearly 30 years, I toiled away in Corporate America. In finance. So, forgive me, but I tend to think in calendar quarters. I set goals quarterly. I review progress quarterly. I measure results quarterly. Yes, I really do this every 90 days. Now that I work for myself and, frankly, no one would notice … Read moreQ3 2017 – Reading, Writing, & Arithmetic
Click to Read
Three months ago, I wrote a post called Journeys, Detours, and Destinations highlighting how I came to this place in my life as an author and photographer and where I want to go. Since that time, I established a routine of sharing new short stories every Monday and photography at the end of each week … Read moreReading 300 Books A Year?
Click to Read