Tag Archives: Writing

[Book Nerd Links] Five Literary Links for a Warm Wednesday

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Seven (Eccentrically) Themed Reading Lists for Summer

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I don’t know about you, but my To Be Read List doesn’t need more entries. It’s already massive, unwieldy, and intimidating. With summer officially here, though, it’s natural to dream of sunny days spent lingering over crisp new books. Warm weather adds a refreshing quality to the act and art of reading. Why not take advantage of that fleeting feeling as frequently as possible?

What would you read this summer, if you had nothing but free time?

With this in mind, I’ve compiled seven themed reading lists. They include some of my favourite books, as well as intriguing looking ones that are new to me.

Let’s go!

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”-Oscar Wilde

FANTASTIC GOINGS-ON:

  1. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick (BAS BLEU #UJ5352)-$14.95.
  2. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (DOVER)-$7.95
  3. The Secret Rooms: The True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey (DAEDALUS BOOKS #52583)-$4.98
  4. Beowulf Translated by R.K. Gordon (DOVER)-$2.50
  5. The Tempest by William Shakespeare (DOVER)-$2.50

CHARM SCHOOL:

  1. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (BARNES & NOBLE)-$12.10
  2. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell (BAS BLEU #UK0172)-$13.95
  3. The Technique of the Love Affair: By a Gentlewoman Edited and Annotated by Norrie Epstein (Amazon)-Prices Vary
  4. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (BARNES & NOBLE)-$13.22
  5. The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar by Martin Windrow (BAS BLEU #UJ7662)-$17.00

BECAUSE I SAID SO: Continue reading →

Love at First Site: What Should I Read Next?

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The website What Should I Read Next? is exactly what it sounds like.

Users enter a favourite book title or author, and the site’s database is mined for a “similar” option. What Should I Read Next? is community driven: readers add their own lists, which in turn generate the recommendations.

Although my TBR list is already monstrously long, I decided to give it a whirl.

I intentionally chose a less-than-common novel:

A Glastonbury Romance

A Glastonbury Romance

These are the suggestions I received:

Results, Part 1

Results, Part 1

Results, Part 2

Results, Part 2

I’m not sure how helpful those suggestions are. Middling? Surprising? It really doesn’t matter, because I could do this all day. As a time-wasting game, it’s pretty fun. If my TBR list gains a few new entries, that is delicious, fluffy icing.

If you give it a go, please let me know your results!

Reading Habits

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Charles French tagged me in a nice little Reading Habits Q&A.

You know that I am all about reading, books, dead writers, and reading books about and by dead writers. I’m also not shy about sharing my preferences and opinions. This Q&A is my cup of tea.

**

  1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next? My real life TBR pile is pretty lengthy, and growing, although it’s nowhere near 20,000. Still, I have years of practice in determining which book to pluck from my teetering stacks. This method involves one part  mood, one part intuition, and one part “it cannot be in the same genre as my own current writing project.” I also have at least 6 books in active rotation at all times.
  2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or commit? If I start a book, I will finish it at any cost. I’ve been known to walk away from a particularly terrible or boring book, but I always return. I’m incredibly stubborn.
  3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close yet so far away on your GoodReads challenge. Do you quit or commit? I only joined GoodReads in May 2014, so this year is my first challenge. I’m totally indifferent as to whether or not I reach my goal. I honestly don’t know how to feel about the concept. I read for myself, and sometimes for professional obligations, but it’s not a race. However, if you remember the last line of my answer to question #2…I’m incredibly stubborn.
  4. The covers of a series you love DO. NOT. MATCH. How do you cope? I. DO. NOT. CARE. As long as the covers aren’t “worthy” of being on Lousy Book Covers, I don’t give a damn how they look.
  5. Everyone and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings? The world is full of people reading books I really don’t like. I’ve better things to do than look down on others for their choice of reading material. We’re all adults here.
  6. You’re reading a book and you’re about to start crying in public. How do you deal? By crying in public? Tears aren’t poisonous, and neither is some stranger’s opinion.
  7. A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a summary on GoodReads? Cry in frustration? I’d re-read the book as quickly as possible.
  8. You don’t want ANYONE borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people “nope” when they ask? Books are for sharing. (Except for a few old, precious ones.)
  9. You’ve picked up and put down five different books in the past month. How do you get over the reading slump? Reading slump? Never had one! I’ve been on a reading tear since the age of three.
  10. There are so many new books coming out that you are dying to read! How many do you actually buy? I have a book buying addiction. Most of the books I buy are either second-hand or on sale. If there is a new book that I must have NOW, my sweet momma usually gifts it to me. Of course, I cannot buy every book that I want to read. Thank goodness for libraries, friends, my Nook, and Kindle for desktop.
  11. After you’ve bought a new book you want to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf until you actually read them? It depends on the book, the timing, and my mood.

**

Thanks for tagging me, Charles!

I’m passing the torch to anyone who wants to participate!

A Favourite Author by Poul Friis Nybo, before 1929

A Favourite Author by Poul Friis Nybo, before 1929.

Music and Writing

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Be warned. I’m about to ask you a common writing question, for no good reason save my curiosity.

Here it is…

Do you listen to music when you write?

18th century house concert. Unknown artist.

18th century house concert. Unknown artist.

If you answered no: Why don’t you listen to music when you write?

If you answered yes: What type of music do you prefer to write to? Do you like it low? Slow? Loud? Fast? Some of the above? None of the above? Why?

My favourite music is loud and dissonant. I definitely don’t dial it back when I write. This allows me to tune out everything but the task at hand. This has been a habit since my high school days, only now I write stories and reviews instead of homework assignments.

What does your typical playlist look, and sound, like?

Click on the link for my Spotify playlist:

Mae’s Writing Soundtrack