I love to look at the wall of books in our family room, it is filled with characters who have become part of my life. They have taken me to places I may never visit and if I do, I’ll likely have a sense of deja vu. I have met people I would never have had the opportunity to meet in my everyday life. And they have told me such secrets that it is almost shocking! I have lived through history, almost as a time traveler without ever leaving the comfort of my recliner…yes, reading is one of my favorite past times.
Some of my books have brought such comfort and joy to my life that I’ve read them several times, they are like good friends to me. However there have been times I’ve loved a book and upon reading it the second time, I wonder what I thought was so special about it the first time! I bet I’m not the only one who has experieinced this phenomena. And who of us hasn’t had at least one friend who has disappointed us?
I had an interesting message on web mail a few days ago, a list of the 50 Most Unforgettable Female Protagonists in Literature. There were the expected names of Scarlett O’Hara of Gone With the Wind, Jo March of Little Women and of course Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina as well as Pippi Longstocking. And strangely Storm from Marvel Comics was listed! Two of my favorites were missing; Lara of Dr. Zchivago and Scout Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird. You can check THE list by clicking on the link below. And even better you can nominate your favorites in the comment box.
Till next time…keep reading!
Last week I had the pleasure and distinct honor of spending some time with author Louise Penny, touring a local museum with her and later escorting her to dinner at our local university where she gave a witty and very interesting talk about her books and life as a writer. It is not often that a writer/speaker gets a standing ovation but she did and it was well deserved! If you haven’t read her books yet, I strongly urge you to check out your local library. Her books are real page turners, you won’t be sorry! She has written six in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. The first was, Still Life and the most recent, Bury Your Dead.
One of my favorite ever books is Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. I was anxioulsy waiting for the movie version to come out and we went to see it the first night of its release. It is a nice movie but varied a bit too much from the book on several key parts to satisfy me. And sadly the variations weakened the story. I walked to the car with my husband wondering, “What ever were those movie makers thinking!?”
I’ve been busy writing, Third Book is officially completed. I must decide which avenues to pursue in the publishing realm. I’m hoping to find a larger press that will not only publish but do ditribution for this one. It is still very important to have books on the shelves of Brick and Mortar Book Stores!
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the writing process of writing Book Four. Though sometimes disheartening. Like those days I turn the computer off with a smile on my face, confident that I have written pure genius prose… Only to turn the computer on the next morning and discover that yesterdays genius looks so much like rubbage that I delete and completely rewrite the scene!
Till next time, keep reading and be well!