Wait! Summer's Over?

 

How did that happen? 

I confess, I've been inside a lot since March so I barely notice the change of seasons from spring to summer and now getting ready for fall. And, added onto that is that whatever is growing outside bothers my allergies, so, I'm indoors most of the time. 

And, of course, this is no UCR (usual-customary-reasonable) fall either. Staples and other stores selling school supplies should be packed. Beaches should be filled to capacity in that last effort to relax before the real world comes back. I should be on my way to Scotland for a 3-week tour/reseach/writing trip. But no, we're all trying to make our way from an unexpected summer to an unconventional fall. 

 The one thing that usually means summer to me is a visit to a beach - I love sitting on a beach and watching and listening to the waves. But mostly I like people-watching AND reading. I remember when my family rented a place on Long Beach Island and I began packing books first! The best part of that trip (since I had 3 boys at the time) was the long afternoon when my hubby took them back to the house and let me read uninterrupted on the beach for 4 hours! Bliss, sheer bliss! I may yet try to get down there for a couple of hours of beach reading....

Now (literally today!) the temps will shift a tiny bit cooler, forewarning us of the change of seasons coming. Personally, I love the fall - the cooler temps, the crispness in the air, the colors changing around me, the coming holidays. The smells of fireplaces and more baking will fill the air. Ahhhhhh. 

How about you? Are you mourning summer's departure or cheering fall's arrival? Was there a high point to your summer? Or expecting something fabulous this autumn? Let me know by commenting and I'll choose a summer and a fall person to receive a copy of my latest release - An Outlaw's Honor - or my rereleased - A Highlander's Hope. I'll choose on September 5.

 

Terri is working on her next Harlequin Historical romance while waiting for the release of TEMPTED BY HER VIKING ENEMY in November. The final book in the #SonsofSigurd series, it arrives on October 27(print) and November 1(ebook). Visit Terri's website for all the info! 

 

Crawdads by Susan Sands

I'd been on a reading dry spell for some time before picking up Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia

Owens recently. After hearing so many wonderful things about the book, it would be my first read as I jumped back into novel reading.

The story was amazing. But what blew me away about it was how quiet the story was and how  nature lived and breathed within the pages. Ms. Owens is a bestselling non-fiction author and a wildlife scientist. In Crawdads, she applies her extensive knowledge of flora and fauna within the setting and creates a rich canvas where Kya, the heroine lives completely alone most of her life. But  even when she's alone, she's not. There are the birds she feeds, the insects and feathers she collects lovingly, the marsh. Constant sounds and activities of life surround her. They are her family. She can count on the tide to come in and recede every single day. It never lets her down, not like the people who were supposed to love and care for her but didn't.

I could go on and on about symbolism and the author's knowledge of her subject and how it enhances the reader's experience. But there's something else that makes this book so different. The way it breaks the rules. The rules of writers in many ways.

As a writer who's published several books and continues to work toward larger publishing goals, as most authors do throughout their careers, this baffled me. But as I read and relaxed into the story, I didn't care. I only wanted more. The constantly switching points of view without changing scenes or using devices to do so,  the pages and pages of introspection without dialogue where nothing much happened didn't throw me out of the story. Not. One. Bit. This book did all the things every craft class /book says not to, but it did it so well that I didn't care. I just wanted to keep reading.

And there was payoff. I won't say what it was to avoid spoiling it for those who haven't had the pleasure of reading the book, but there was.

So, breaking the rules well, as they say, works. As long as you can get it past your editor. Great job, Ms. Owens. I'm a fan.

Happy summer reading, everyone! Where the Crawdads Sing is wonderful!

Susan

Summer Reading

When I was in school I have to say I never minded those summer reading lists that some of my teacher's used to furnish us.  Actually, I loved it when my kids got them to.  It was an excuse to read, which is sometimes what I need.  I love reading but somehow sitting quietly in the corner lost in my own little world sometimes needed and needs justification.

When I was in school I read so much that my mom really feared I'd never leave her house.  She used to come up with challenges to get my nose out of a book.  She loved that I read, I don't want you to think that she was discouraging me to read, but I used to set my alarm early so I could read and then I'd read at the breakfast table, in the car to school, while I was waiting for classes to start, between classes (ok, I'll admit I even used to read with the book on my lap during some classes, which might explain why I still don't really get science!) and then I'd read on the way to swim practice, read on the way home and read after dinner.  Her concern was real!

So when I had the summer reading list I didn't have to justify to mom that I was reading.  She took my sisters and to the store and she used to buy all the books on the list and then as a family we'd read them over the summer.  It was great.

What I really loved about the summer reading list was that it had books that I wouldn't have normally chosen to read.  So this summer I'm making a reading list for myself that's not as romance heavy.

Here are a few of the books on my list:

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe  
This is a series of letters written by a young woman who went to London to nanny in the 80s.  The BBC made a TV series out of it that was really good so now I want to read the book.

Midnight Crossroad (Midnight Texas #1) by Charlaine Harris
I love the Sookie Sackhouse series and heard that this series has cameos from some of her characters so I thought I'd give it a try.

The Trials of Apollo The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
My son is a huge Rick Riordan fan and we have always both read the books and then discussed them, which I love!

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2 by J.K. Rowling
My daughter loves Harry Potter.  It was the book that made her into a voracious reader.  She has been dying to see what happened in the play and frankly, I have too.  We all pre-ordered a copy because we don't like to wait to read it!

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I read about this book around Christmas last year but haven't had a chance to read it.  I like Mindy Kaling so I think I'll enjoy her book. :)

I'd love to have some recommendations from you! What's on your summer reading list?  Have you read any of the books on my list?

It's Summer - Let the Summer Reading Commence!

  Now that Memorial Day has passed, it's 'officially' summer! Well, not astrologically, but for all practical reasons, our thoughts are on vacation, warm weather and, around here, the beach!




 April and May were my crazy travel months - I was away almost 4 weeks over that time! I attended my very first LoveLetters Convention in Berlin, Germany. It was soooo lovely! 









I was dined and wined by the wonderful team at HarperCollins/Cora and met hundreds and hundreds of avid romance readers amd signed at a huge bookfair. My Harlequins are released there in German, but the readers enjoy the English versions, too. 

Schools will be out soon -- Brisbin boy #3 will be graduating from college next week so this is my last 'final day of school' experience! Many other kids will be facing the dreaded 'required summer reading' lists. I was probably the only kid in my classes in school who looked forward to those. For me, it was a way to legitimize the hours and days I spent in my little town's library. It was the best excuse - 'sorry, I have three books I have to read....'  Of course, now, I don't bother with the excuses, I simply read.
 
Now, before I head into a deadline binge of writing, I'm looking forward to a pre-deadline-binge of summer READING and I've been stockpiling books in anticipation!  Some of them are: 
 

 I've been waiting for this book for a long time. It's the end of Monica's series set against the Scottish Wars for Independence and they are simply wonderful!


And Madeline's end-of-trilogy book THE WICKED DUKE - another can't wait to read!

 I simply loved Joanna Shupe's first Regency series and this new one - set in the Gilded Age in NYC has been getting rave reviews!
    
The Emma Wildes' book is not new but a friend gave it a raving review so it's in my TBR pile for the summer. Have you read it?

Something different for me is Sarah Morgan's book -- she did a reading from it at LoveLetters and I ordered it on the spot! It's not her newest but I'm looking forward to it! 

And finally, a treasure just arrived from the Clan Cameron Museum in Achnacarry Scotland (a place I will visit in September!) -- it's the newly-revised history of the Camerons. I admit - I began skimming it as soon as it arrived. My Harlequin series - A Highland Feuding - focuses on the Mackintosh and Cameron clans so this will be very helpful in the next books!


So how about you? Do you have your summer reading planned yet? Anything to suggest or to rave about if you've already begun? I tend to go heavy on historicals but I'm open to a good paranormal or contemporary! Any recommendations?


Terri's next "A Highland Feuding" comes out in October - Kidnapped by the Highland Rogue is the third in the series. Visit her website for lots more info about her and her books and connect with her on Facebook.

C. J.’s Summer Reading List

Salutations and Happy Independence Day to my American readers and friends. I’m going to be spending the fourth at our cottage in Montana with my daughter Tessa and her friend Ella. I wish we could look forward to some fireworks over Flathead Lake but conditions have been so dry lately, that those sorts of celebrations are being discouraged.

The good news is...we can still read! In the hot summer months one of my favorite indulgences is to dive into a fast paced book and just keep reading until it’s done. With July off to a good start, I thought it would be fun to share the top three books on this year’s summer reading list.

For Reading When It’s Just Too Hot To Move:

The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad

The chills in this book will keep you from overheating on those very hot summer days. I am about two thirds in and can’t wait to finish! It’s a very captivating mystery with some pretty cool characters. The gun-toting, venison-eating hero captures your heart when you learn he raised his niece as his own after his sister’s murder.

For Reading On A Rainy Summer Morning:

It’s You by Jane Porter

Don’t let rain clouds dampen your day. Just make a cup of tea, crawl under your quilt, and snuggle down for a read that will touch your heart and make you think about who really are the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ in this world. I gulped this one down in just three days!

For Reading In Your Beach Chair:

A Week At The Lake by Wendy Wax

I don’t have my copy of this one yet, but I love the cover and I’m a fan of Wendy Wax, so I don’t see how I can go wrong. When I’m done here I may go pick another title from Tule Publishing. They have so many excellent books out this summer with the most delicious-looking covers!

Tell me—what will you be reading this summer? I need some more books to add to my list and I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Hope you enjoy your summer!

C.J. Carmichael

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Lori Wilde: Beach Reads

As people head out for vacation, I thought it might be fun to let you guys see what new books are my summer reading list, and why I chose them.

1)     Unexpected Reunions by Carolyn White Greene (Inspirational) Bought it because it’s written by one of my best friends, and because it won two Holt medallion awards. I knew she was a brilliant writer, but now everyone else knows it too!

2)     First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (Magic Realism) I love Sarah’s lyrical style and romantic storytelling.

3)     Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (Romance) Because I’ve heard so much about Moyes‘ books, I have to see what all the fuss is about.

4)     The Yoga Miracle by Sanjay Patel (Nonfiction) Yoga has completely changed my life. The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know anything.

5)     Suddenly One Summer by Julie James (Romance) She’s one of my favorite new-to-me author. Love her hip urban settings and characters.

6)     Swag by Elmore Leonard. (Mystery) Love the way this man writes dialogue. After binge watching Justified, I’ve started glomming in Leonard’s books.

7)     Carolina Man by Virginia Kantra (Romance) Virginia is up against me in the RITAs’ this year, and I want to know just how screwed I am. She’s so great with character emotions.

8)     Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Mystery) I’ve already read it, and seen the movie, but now I want to dissect the book line by line as a writer, just to see how she pulled off such brilliance.

9)     Once in a Million by Jill Shalvis. (Romance) Same reason for reading Kantra. Plus Jill’s books are just so fun.

10) Surrendering to the Sheriff by Delores Fossen (Romantic Suspense) Delores is another friend of mine who is about to hit BIG. Be on the lookout for her upcoming single titles from HQN.

How about you? What’s on your summer reading list and why did you pick the books you picked?