Something I've noticed lots of authors do in either FAQ pages, advice to people, interviews and whatnot, is say that the best research and practice for writing is reading. And really, it makes sense. If you want to learn how to put a car together, it makes sense to see what different cars look like when they've been assembled by an expert.
Inspired by this [and overjoyed by the fact that my ability to concentrate for more than 2 seconds at a time seems to be returning (albeit slowly)], I've been reading a LOT. Anything I can get my hands on, really.. Old books I've read [what feels like] thousands of times, new books from authors I love, books from authors I don't even know! I've even been doing something that feels really reckless to a bookworm like me, and that's taking book advice without actually doing any research. So far I'm 3 for 3 [or 5 for 5 if you go by book and not author] and I'm really impressed with how much I've loved these books that are pretty much the equivalent of 'blind dates'. That is -- books a friend thought I might like, that I've never heard of and know nothing about.
Anyway, I've been raving about all of these books on pretty much every social media available to me so I thought why not do a bit of a little write up about them here! Who knows, maybe someone who reads this might be interested!
The first of my 'dates' was a trilogy of books recommended to me by Karen [otherwise known as My Twin -- and so I suppose maybe this doesnt fall under 'blind date' because it stands to reason that if she likes it, I will too (that seems to be the case for most things. haha!)], The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop. I read the first of these while I was on vacation. I started reading out of boredom but then was so completely captivated that I went on to read the first and second book within 2 days of eachother [no small feat, they're almost 500 pages a piece and I had to fit sleep in there somewhere, too]!
I would classify the Black Jewels books as 'typical me' reads. I tend to be very drawn to the Dragonlance style book. Sara Douglass, Robin Hobb, Raymond E Feist.. these authors all feature prominantly in my personal library and I feel Anne Bishop fits very nicely among them, when it comes to not only writing style but also what they write about. Of course their concepts are unique, but these worlds are made up of fantasy and magic - unicorns, elves, etc. This is a 'typical me' book.
The second [or fourth if you don't count all three Anne Bishop Books as one] 'date' I had was completely on a whim. I had been recommended this book [and series - I seem to be incapable of reading books that stand alone] by a few people but it was very much at the back of my list. Anyway chance presented this book to myself and so I found myself reading Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast [of the House of Night series]. Honestly this book has been named as copying Harry Potter, copying Twilight, copying every young adults book or series under the sun but I think for what it is [comfortable fluff -- there's no real substance to the book but it's a good story and a good read if you arent needing anything too intelligent] it's fantastic.
Lastly -- but certainly not least -- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I literally put this book down 30 minutes ago after a 5 hour straight reading frenzy in which I didn't come up for air until I was done and my head is still spinning with how well written, intense and scary this novel was. I knew this book was popular in nerdy circles on the internet but I honestly had no idea what an impact it would have on me. I'm actually going to reread it [maybe even tonight].. it was THAT good. I picked this book as a 'pallet cleanser' - it isn't the kind of book I'd typically go for. But oh-my-gosh am I glad I had blind faith in those around me to pick this one up. Fantastic. Amazing. Breathtaking. I cannot say enough good words.
I don't want to ruin any of these 'blind dates' by giving you an explaination of the plot. I think that would ruin the fun of it. But give it a go - if you're going to try only one I would strongly, strongly recommend you pick The Hunger Games. In the world we live in, everyone needs to read it atleast once.
I'm still so fuzzy and submerged in this book, so I'm going to cut it short there. To recap:
The Black Jewels trilogy - Anne Bishop
Marked - P.C. and Kristin Cast
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Read something. Tomorrow! You won't regret it.
xx. A.
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