Reading Stuff and MUCH More (You won't be disappointed!)

Sometimes I use my car as my office.  That's what I'm doing right now and the library is so kind as to give me free wi-fi, even when they're not open.

Reading Stuff
I am coming along not so swimmingly with my library reading list.  I have been keeping up in two of the four books I'm reading right now.

1. Nicholas Nickleby
2. Dickens: A Biography

I must say I find his biography more interesting than his novel at the moment.  I was enjoying it at a level 5 tizziness, but the next day the chapters were arduous, the descriptions painfully long, thousands of unnecessary words per page (maybe not quite that many, but the print is small so it might be possible).  Maybe the book became my fo-o-e-e because of how thick it is and I'm thinking "I've got to finish my library reading list!  I've got to keep up!  And YOU, Nicholas Nickleby, are making it so. much. harder!  You horrid thing!  Ok, I detest you now.  You're going from a 5 to a -5.  Ha!  How do you like that????"

Yes, I do think that is what happened with me and poor Nicholas.  Well, it cannot be helped.  It's more important to complete your reading goals than to enjoy what you're reading.  (BIIIIGG sarcasm alert there.  If I had a siren, button, thing, I would make it howl very loudly right now.  EAH!  EAH!  EAH!  EAH!  That's supposed to be the siren, button, thing.)

In Closing
Well, that's all I have for you today.  Think of me while I read N-i-cho-las Nick-le-by--heh-ee *sobbing a river...sobbing like a river?*.  After that I'm going to read A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn which is actually not too bad (even though it's published by Harlequin).  No "defense" (as my brother says) to them but they usually publish very fruity (as in light, fluffly [I meant to spell it that way *sarcasm!*], boring plot) or very sexual stuff.  

I'm not a huge fan of sex scenes in books.  I mean how embarrassing is that to be reading in a public place and feel your cheeks getting hot and your pulse racing and you think "Oh my word!  Everyone can SEE me!  It's like I'm doing it with a BOOK or something!  This is so odd and EMBARRASSING."  I mean, the person that is reading it might as well be acting it out cause it jars all the same bodily responses.  And in public??!!  To me, private is not any better.  It's still just as embarrassing.  But that's me.  Maybe you like that kind of thing.  I'm just not that into it.  

I cannot show my face because my skin will sparkle.  Ha!

That's why I'm liking A Spear of Summer Grass right now.  Deanna writes about a very racy woman who sleeps around a lot.  The woman "did it" once already and I've never been more impressed by a sex scene.  You knew they did it, but the way Deanna wrote it, it was quite clean.  And keeping it discreet, vague, clean, whatever you want to call it, did not make the story or the character one bit artificial.  I feel like Deanna allowed readers to choose what they would imagine.  And I like that.  

There are some books that are really great plot-wise, but then they are filled with sex scenes.  So where do (that was on purpose) one go to get a good story without sex scenes?  The Christian Romance genre does not automatically fit the bill because, yep, no sex scenes there, but hard to find a plot that is interesting.  I'm not busting on them.  I'm a follower of Christ.  But I don't think you have to be boring because of it.  And I don't think adding sex scenes to a book makes it automatically interesting.  In fact, it does the opposite for me.  

The closest example I can pick of interesting without literal sex scenes would be in screen form, and that's Downton Abbey.  There is scandal time after time without everyone sleeping with everything (oops, I meant everyone) else and showing entire steamy scenes about it.  I think discretion and modesty go a long way in creating an interesting plot and characters.  All that excitement over sleeping around is for teenagers.  Sorry, teenagers, that's how I feel.  (It just doesn't work in real life.  It's HURTFUL, not exciting.  *in stage whisper so I don't bweak their wittle hearts*)

Ok, enough of that.

You know where to find me:
Facebook
Twitter @EdinanRoman
Wattpad
Tablo
Goodreads
Google+
Read my book for free in an exciting chapter by chapter release!

If You Like Books, Read This; If You Don’t, Look Away

I seem to like getting started when everyone else is getting off work.  I woke up from a short nap thirty minutes ago, took a walk and still don’t feel awake.  There is a tree removal service currently removing trees in our neighborhood that I find far more fascinating than trying to rouse myself into the editing mood.  

Today’s subject is my ridiculously long Library Book Reading list, that I posted about a while back, put upon myself by no one other than...me!  In case you don’t remember, the story goes like this…

I had fourteen books checked out from the library.  Some I’d had out a month while others were going on three months.  (Our library is great, in that, if you aren’t finished with the book and you’ve already used up your three, three-week allotted renewals, you can simply ask the librarian to check it in, then check back out to you immediately.)  Because of the aforesaid liberalness of our wonderful library, I knew I was never going to finish reading these books when the due dates meant absolutely nothing.  So I came up with a plan.  (Here’s where it gets good!)  I vowed to read ALL fourteen of the books I had checked out before their next CHECK-IN DATE.  That means that if I can renew them online (those three allotted renewals), I may.  But by the time the last renewal has run out, I must have the book read because I’m not allowing myself to check it in then check it right back out to extend my borrowing period.

That said (and if you’re utterly confused by now just abandon ship), I launched into my reading.  Within the first couple days, I realized the awful truth:  I was not going to finish three of the books that were next due.  The only way was to read ALL DAY LONG, but I couldn’t do that and forsake my writing.  That was making this challenge far more important than it should be.  So I made myself a few allowances.

1. That I could renew 2 of the 3 books due since I still had over 500 pages EACH to go in them.
2. That I could return the one entitled Harry, A History about the phenomenon behind the Harry Potter books.  My reasoning: I am currently reading through the Harry Potter series for the first time and don’t want to accidentally read any spoilers.  So I felt it ethical to return this book until such time as I had finished the series (books and movies, btw) and could enjoy reading about Harry’s history fear-free.

My list is currently at eleven titles.  Since I began the challenge (on August 20, 2015) I have completed two titles

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (by I’m Pretty Sure You Know Who, but not You-Know-Who from the books of course)

(This one made me cry.  Maybe I’ll tell you some other time why.)

2.) This Wicked Magic (by Michele Hauf)

(Don’t ever read this one.  I would have to write a full review in a blog post to explain why, but there are so many other WONDERFUL things I’d rather write about.  So you’ll have to suffer for eternity not knowing.)

Here are my remaining books to be read (roughly in the order I plan to read them).  Those with one * are ones I have started (I like to read one chapter of a book then set it aside to do the same to two or three more).  Those with two **’s are ones I am currently reading out of every day.

1. Anybody Out There (by Marian Keyes)**5
2. Nicholas Nickleby (by Charles Dickens)**4
3. Dickens: A Biography (by Fred Kaplan)**3
4. From First Draft to Finished Novel (by Karen S. Wiesner)**5
5. Guilty Pleasures (by Laurell K. Hamilton)
6. A Spear of Summer Grass (by Deanna Raybourn)*
7. The Secret Keeper (by Kate Morton)
8. Silent in the Grave (by Deanna Raybourn)

I should hope those in the graves are not making sounds!!

9.) Twilight (by Stephanie Meyer)*

10.) Vampire Academy (by Richelle Mead)*

11.) The Fire Sermon (by Francesca Haig)*

What do the numbers on the right mean:  Here is my scoring system for how much I like the books I’m currently reading.  One (1) is a little bit, 5 is a lot bit and you understand the numbers in between.  These numbers may change as I read.

Well, that’s it for now.  You can follow my reading progress on my Goodreads profile.  See you later! I got a-a-a-all these books to read. I better get started.

Also follow me on:

Right here by subscribing via email in the right hand panel

Facebook

Twitter @EdinanRoman

Wattpad

Tablo

Remember to follow the story Innocence on Wattpad or Tablo.  Chapter 2 will be released this Friday!