I'd say reading for fun is one of the things I miss most about being a writer - partially because of time constraints, but also because I have a hard time shutting down the "editor" side of my brain.
It seems to take a lot more for me these days to lose myself in the voice of a book (although I still have a list of "must buy" authors that I can fall into without issue. Could be the mental mountain disappears simply because I choose NOT to look at their writing with such a critical eye - because I trust them to deliver.)
It used to be I'd finish every book I started - good or bad. Now, if a story doesn't grip me quick enough, I let it slide away. I can't tell if it's a sense of overall jadedness or simply that I'm too exhausted most of the time to be interested.
I'm less forgiving, overall and that makes me a bit sad.
(Not that it stops me from buying books. The TBR list on my Kindle grows every week...but I despair of ever getting to most of them.)
As a writer, I don't think it's particularly healthy to not be reading, but it shouldn't be a chore either. But I'm going to try to slip in at least a book a week from here on out.
That being said, I'm open to suggestions - anyone got a current fave they're loving right now? (I'm looking for more Fantasy/Sci-Fi type of things than anything else...) :)
I really loved N.K. Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - I think you would, too. Great voice. Really interesting story.
ReplyDeleteGah. It's been on my Kindle for at least 6 months TBR. >_< I'll fire it up this weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteI've recently enjoyed Kalayna Price's Alex Craft Grave Witch series. Her take on Faerie is as interesting as yours.
ReplyDeleteI'm re-reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. OMG OMG OMG.
ReplyDeleteAlso, one of my new SF favorites is Paolo Baccigalupi's The Wind-up Girl. It's brutal and kinda hard to get at first, but once it all clicked, I was like, Dude. This is freaking amazing.
And that picture is freaking creepy, btw. ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry. I'm reading a really great business book at the moment, though, called More Than a Pink Cadillac: Mary Kay Inc.'s 9 Leadership Keys to Success, so if you're ever inclined to go that route, I can highly recommend that one.
ReplyDeleteSolitaire by Kelley Eskridge (beautifully written SF).
ReplyDeleteI feel the EXACT same way. So funny, I blogged the same thing (sort of.) It makes me sad that I can't slip into that authors world as easily anymore.
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