Update on "To Be Read" pile

A while back, I lamented the fact that my TBR pile had reached untold heights and was quickly overtaking my little house. I am happy to report that I am slowly catching up on those untold pleasures (having some extra time while I’m looking for work will do that for you). So, in the last eight days, I have read six books, cover to cover….and now, I can’t seem to get enough. Yes, my eyes are blurry and feel like they’re filled with sand but that’s okay. I love my Kindle though. I can make the type bigger so I can keep on reading.

             

So what have I read? I finished Caris Roane’s Burning Skies (love how she writes), Terri Brisbin’s Mistress of the Storm (my first one of hers…there will be more), Kathryne Kennedy’s The Lady of the Storm (excellent); Erin Quinn’s Haunting Beauty (beautifully written), Elizabeth Hoyt’s Wicked Intentions and To Seduce a Sinner (both of which I loved) and I just started Stormwalker by Allyson James.

            

Have I worked on my own books? Not as much as I probably should have (I have a Civil War story I’m working on, but it’s making me pull my hair out) but my TBR pile is shrinking and I am pleased. So, what are you reading? Anything you want to recommend?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

For a chance to win either COWBOY DAD by Cathy McDavid, GRAYSON by Delores Fossen, or BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES VOLUME VI by Tori Carrington and Kate Hoffman, leave a comment and tell Marie what you are reading or what you would recommend :-)

What to Read Next

I have a problem.

If you’ve read my posts on Happily Ever After Thoughts, you all know that my TBR pile (To Be Read) has overrun my house.

I’m one of those kinds of people that usually has several books going at once – I can put one down, pick up another, and another, then go back to the first book without missing a beat – read a paragraph and I’m right back in the story where I left off. However, I have finished all the books I had in various stages of being read, so here’s my conundrum. I don’t know what to read next!

What am I in the mood for? A historical romance? Horror? Fantasy? Mystery? Something light and fun that will make me giggle in the most inappropriate places and give my poor brain a rest? Something deep and dark that makes me think? Or something that will scare the living daylights out of me and make me not want to close my eyes?

So what are you reading at the moment? Care to suggest a book or two or three?
Happy Reading!

Marie

Help! My To Be Read Piles Have Taken Over!

HELP!

My “To Be Read” pile of books is overflowing! It has spread from a small, discreet pile on my bedside table to three piles on the floor beside my bed, two piles in the living room and several books scattered here and there throughout my house (I even have three in the bathroom! Yes, the bathroom)! And one in my purse. These are some of my favorite authors and I so looked forward to their new releases, but just haven’t been able to find the time to read.

So, I ask myself “How could this be?” What happened to me being able to read two to three books a week while writing on my own novels and working the day job and raising a family? The number of hours in a day has remained the same so what changed? Is it my age-dulled eyes that no longer see as clearly as they once did and makes it more difficult? Is it the day job that puts such demands on my time and brain functions?

Whatever the reason, I’ll have to find a remedy. I miss reading of far away places and history and romance. I’ll just have to sacrifice something to make time to enjoy one of the things I truly love doing. And I know exactly what I can sacrifice - I’ll give up making dinner when I get home from work. I’d rather read than cook, wouldn’t you?

Happy reading!
Marie

Choosing A Book - The Goose-bump Factor

How do you choose a book? Or a new author to try? For many of us, this is a very personal matter and we all have our own way. We might read a review and just know, we’d love that story. Or we might get a recommendation from a friend who tells us we have to read this author or this story.

I have taken recommendations from friends and not been disappointed. I might choose a story because the review was fabulous. I do have a long list of favorite authors I regularly read (and have been reading for many, many years) but my own way of choosing a new book or author is something I call the goose-bump factor.

First, the title and cover must strike me enough so that I pick up the book and flip it over. If the blurb on the back gives me goose-bumps, I investigate a little further. When I open the book at random and read a page and the goose-bumps remain, I must buy that book. I’ve been buying books and falling in love with authors for over 35 years this way…..hasn’t steered me wrong yet!

Happy reading!
Marie

A Place to Read

Having just moved, I find myself in a quandary as to where will be the most comfortable place to read. Of course, not everything is unpacked nor all the furniture in its place; however, that doesn’t preclude me from wishing to get comfortable with the next book from my “to be read” shelf.

I could always go outside and lay in the sun, but I have found over the years this is not a good idea. In addition to the obvious risks, I discovered I’m one of those people who can sit still for long periods of time. Yes, I’m a portrait artist’s dream. The only problem with this ability to remain motionless is it usually results in a very serious sunburn. It is one thing to get a burn while being active. It is a completely different experience to do so while remaining perfectly still!

So, where will my comfort area for curling up with a good book be? I don’t know, but I’m open for suggestions. Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a comfy chair or is a lounge chair by the pool more your style? Let me know :-)

Alexis

What to read next?

Wow, what a great blog last week with guest blogger Laura Breck. Thank you everyone who commented. The winner of the goody bag was Hannah Howell! Congratulations, Hannah.

Since I’ve already read Laura’s book, I was looking at my “To Be Read” shelf and wondering what to read next when I decided to expand my horizons and see what others might recommend. So that’s my question for this week. What have you read recently that you just couldn’t put down and think I should read? I’m open to all possibilities as long as it’s romance and it is available for purchase now. Give me the name and author of the book and a little about the story to wet my appetite. Whichever commenter’s book I choose will win a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble so she can buy her own next book. Don’t be shy. I need some suggestions!

What to read next

I was looking over my "To be read" shelf yesterday in a serious bid to determine what to read next. I will have a lot of reading time on my hands next month and I want to make the most of it, but besides the books I have already bought, there are at least five others I hope to buy. I think I will start reading Elizabeth Hoyt as I now have two of hers to be read, but there are so many others. I have unread books by Johanna Lindsey, Joy Nash, Allyson James, Judy Fennell, Cassie Ryan, Veronica Wolf and more. Where to start? Have you decided what to read next? How do you choose?