Evolving Readerly Taste

In my last post, I talked about how my decorating style has changed, and how even though my tastes have evolved, I am still very much the same person. And the whole decorating topic has made me think about the evolution of my tastes as a reader, and as a writer as well.

As a kid, I loved the mystery of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. But fundamentally more important to me were the hints of romance I found in those stories. I think I would never have loved Nancy so much if it hadn’t been for her relationship with Ned. As I grew, I found random other books at the library and read them. I was not a horribly picky reader, but the one consistent, most memorable thread throughout is romance.

After a number of years spent reading to my children, but not for my own pleasure (weird, I know) I came across an audio book at someone’s home, and listened while I nursed my babies/cleaned my house/bottled jam/accomplished other important things. It was a family drama type story but it involved and included romance. So naturally, I finished the entire series, and then another one. This led to many trips to the library, which led to me deciding to try writing myself.

Several years later, I read a little of everything, depending on my mood, and write YA almost exclusively (for now). But in all my choices of reading and writing, that single consistent thread remains. It boils down to who I am at the core, and what matters to my most subconscious self.

I have evolved over the years as both a reader and a writer, but when I really think about it, my basic tastes and preferences remain very much the same. I like romance. And kissing. And anything that involves feelings. All other criteria will likely change and move and shift, but that one important thread will always remain the same.

So what about you? What one thread stays consistent in your reading choices?

Habits, Ruts, and Reading Horizons

I have this really bad habit. Whenever I overhear people talking books, asking each other for recommendations, I tend to interrupt with recommendations of my own.

Don’t judge.

So yeah. Last week, I was at a soccer team meeting, and did something like that. I wasn’t even part of the conversation, but I heard one mother ask another mother for new “post-apocalyptic” books she can read. Because she ONLY reads post-apocalyptic, and she’s run out of books.

(I know, right?) So, clearing my throat, I said, “Um. I can give you a list.”

She turned to me, frowning, then handed me a receipt and a pencil, and I proceeded to fill the entire blank space with titles, including the authors. However, while I gave her the names of all my favorite dystopians, I also listed other paranormal-type books. (But I’ll get to that in a second.) After which she looked at me with admiration and said, “I can’t believe you remember all the authors.”

Yes. Yes, I do. And I listed the books off the top of my head. Because, after all, keeping up with the industry is a huge part of what I do.

I read. I read a lot. Whenever new awesome books, especially the YA ones, come out, I add them to my to-be-read list. But this week, I realized I’ve been stuck in a bit of a rut. I’ve been focusing all my energy on reading YA paranormal and dystopian, because that’s mostly what I write. And the problem with that is that I also get a lot out of reading adult books. And contemporary stories. And nonfiction. *gasp*

So, when I made that list, I deliberately recommended some books that weren’t specifically dystopian, in hopes that the reader who asked would spread her wings and broaden her reading horizon. Even just a little. And I gave her a LOT of ideas. Then I went home and dug through my books to find something that is not YA, and not paranormal. And I proceeded to read something different.

Guess what happened? Not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, the books (three!) kicked my creative self in gear. I now have a new idea percolating. And as soon as I finish drafting the one I’m working on, or maybe at the same time, I’ll get started on this entirely new thing.

And that, my friends, is the beauty of keeping an open mind, an open heart, and a diverse selection of books. And hopefully, the other lady will have a similar result.

What different books are on your shelves?

The Births of Many Books

Holy cow. In case you haven’t been paying attention, fall is one of the biggest seasons of the year for releasing new books. There are so many new books coming out this fall (or that have already been released) that I almost can’t keep track. Therefore, if I happen to miss one in the following list, please forgive me. (But do tell me so I can add it.)

Being an avid reader, I can’t help it. All of these books have gone on my to-be-read list, which is growing enormously long, but which I am slogging through as fast as I can, while also preparing outlines and character sketches for National Novel Writing Month in November (but that’s another blog altogether).

Check out the following NEW books:

Indelible (book 2 of the Yara Silva trilogy) by Lani Woodland
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
Variant by Robison Wells
Slayers by Janette Rallison
The Death Cure (book 3 in the Mazerunner series) by James Dashner
Monarch by Michelle Argyle
Shifting by Bethany Wiggins
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
Armor of Light (book 2 in the Wolfchild series) by Karen Hoover
Lydia by Wanda Luce
Identity by Betsy Love
No Angel by Theresa Sneed
Pride and Popularity by Jenni James
Hang Em High by Tristi Pinkston
Defenders of the Covenant by Angie Lofthouse
Bound by C.K. Bryant (11-11-11 release)
Become by Ali Cross (11-11-11 release)
Exiled by RaShelle Workman (11-11-11)
Pigments by Angela Kulig (11-11-11)
Breathe by Melanie McCullogh (11-11-11)

Yeah, I know. It’s a LONG list! But oh my goodness, you guys, I’ve read some of these already and am working my way through the list. If you’re looking for something great for the upcoming winter days when you’ll feel trapped inside due to snow and other icky weather, here you go.

Consult the list. Hope it’s helpful.

Happy October!

Chameleon of Change

You know how I've been claiming I write my blogs on the weekends and schedule them to post? Well. Since it is nearly 10am on Friday and I am only right now writing today's post, obviously, that didn't work out this week. My schedule has been thrown askew.

I'm going all out here, writing off-the-cuff. Yikes!

It's okay. I can adapt. It's one of my strengths.

So, I just finished reading the book Candor by Pam Bachorz (great story, FYI) and am now halfway through Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor. Completely different books. One's a YA dystopian, the other a middle grade contemporary. Waiting to be read next (since it's a library book and gets priority over the other TBR books on my shelf) is Tithe by Holly Black. YA fantasy. Again, very different from the other books.

But this morning I realized all these books have a common theme. In fact, all my most favorite books share some version of this theme.

The main characters are all learning to adapt to the conflicts thrown into their lives. They may not all be Katniss Everdeen, but they're still warriors of one sort or another who take what's thrown at them and go with it, use it, adjust. They may not be happy about it, but they accept that things are changing and rearrange their way of thinking (and sometimes their schedules) and act accordingly. Over the course of the story, the characters themselves change, grow.

Change happens, whether we like it or not. How have you dealt with recent changes in your life? (Good or bad, I'm not picky.) Are you a chameleon of change? A desert gecko turned fish when you reached the ocean? An Arizona desert dweller turned Rocky Mountain snow angel?

And while you're thinking, how has dealing with change made you a better, stronger person?

Escaping into Books and Movies

Last week as I spent time with my family, grieving, and remembering, and saying goodbye, I realized why books and movies will never truly go out of style. More than just forms of entertainment, they are a means of escape, a way of stepping out of or away from the stresses or hardships of every day life.

Funny thing: As we spent the day at the hospital on Monday and Tuesday, there were at least two copies of MOCKINGJAY in the waiting room, along with two or three other books brought by various members of my family. (Yes, we pretty much dominated the room—large families tend to do that.) Not that any of us read much, but we all had that desire, that need, and at one point or another, we all tried.

Friday after the funeral , I had this intense urge to go to a movie. Something funny, happy. Something that would make me laugh. Not because I didn’t respect all the funeral proceedings or the fact that so many people were grieving, but more because I was also grieving and needed an escape. A laugh. A release other than tears. (Okay, also, I wanted salty theater popcorn.)

Books and movies offer an opportunity to step out of one world and live in another, for just a few hours at a time. Regardless of what’s happening in our lives, the break we get from stepping temporarily away helps give us perspective and new clarity of mind.

Isn’t that the whole point? I mean really, that is why we read, right? To step into someone else’s world, experience life through someone else’s eyes. To gain knowledge from someone else’s experience. To grab hold of someone else and ride the roller coaster with them—even though we know these people aren’t real. We feel what they feel, want what’s best for them, and more importantly, we want the best possible outcome for their situation and conflict.

And at the end, we’re able to close the book and move on, get back on track with reality, hopefully rested enough from the issues in our own lives that we’re able to focus and progress.

Have you found this to be true for you as well? I’d like to know how reading has helped you escape.

Harnessing the Power of Books

I don’t have a favorite genre. I mean, I do. I love YA, generally paranormal and dystopia, but I also read issue books. And religious books. And adult genres, specifically romance, but not always. Depending on my mood, I might read a drama, or an inspirational, or a fun little middle grade book. My kids will even tell you that I have my very own stash of picture books that they are not allowed to touch without asking. (Yes, sad, I know.)

But why should you care what I read? What does it matter?

I’ve discovered that even though I know what genre I’m writing (no really, I do!) everything I read—be it inside or outside my chosen genre—affects my writing. It does. Okay, so probably not directly, because a writer isn’t anything if not original, but think about it.

Poorly written books help me learn from the mistakes of other authors so I don’t make those same ones.

Excellent writing gives me the desire to reach higher out of my comfort zone and try new methods, or points of view, or styles.

Books that leave me thinking about the characters for days afterward give me reason to delve deeper into my own characters. That way my readers will become so attached, they’ll have the same problem as me.

If nothing else, every book is written in a different voice and style, both of which can be full of lessons for writers.

But what about those of you who aren’t writers? Reading a variety of genres is good for everyone, for many of the same reasons. When something is done poorly, you learn how to not make that mistake yourself. When something is done with extreme excellence, you inherit a desire to stretch farther and reach higher. When you read something that affects you deeply, you’ve generally learned a lesson about self or relationships. But if absolutely nothing else, readers generally have a better sense of life, the world, and, well, the universe. Oh, and also words. Can’t forget those. Readers know how to use words to the best advantage.

Guess what? Reading is a pretty powerful weapon. Regardless of your genre favorites, never be afraid to use your powers for good.

Who knows? Maybe something you’ve read will help you save the world someday.

It could totally happen.

Stephenie Meyer Nailed "The Host"

By Nichole Giles

Well, I finally got to it. After months of whittling down the never-ending pile of books on my dresser, I finally got to read The Host.

I have to admit, I was worried, for more than one reason. First, I was concerned at the size. A book that big is either going to so engross you that you can’t concentrate on anything else, or drag on so long that you can’t stand to finish it—or if you do finish, it takes a month. I’m going to be honest, I don’t have a month to dedicate to one single book—unless it’s my own. And I’ve been hesitant to open a book that will consume my mind when I have about fifty other things I should be working on—though it was so tempting.

Another thing that deterred me was my love for Stephenie’s Twilight series. I loved her vampire / werewolf world, but that was a fantasy. And it was such a wonderful success, I wasn’t sure I wanted my opinion of her writing to be diminished in any way. I worried that her attempt at science fiction would leave me disappointed. Also, I’d heard mixed opinions on The Host.

Then there’s the thing. The one big thing—actually, come to think of it, the same reason I put off reading Twilight. Those idiotic thoughts running through my brain (this is called closed-mind syndrome, and we all get it from time to time) that made me think, “Ew, invasion of the body snatchers? That doesn’t sound appealing at all.” Except when it was Twilight, I thought, “Ew, vampire romance? No thanks.”

So, it is with humble chagrin that I admit how wrong I was on all accounts. The Host was every bit as brilliant and wonderful as Twilight. It had romance, and friendship, and impossible relationships—even a love triangle of sorts.

The size wasn’t bad once I got started. I read the entire thing in about three days. Not quite as quickly as I read Twilight, but considering that I was sick in bed then, and that this time I had to keep up on other writing / editing projects as I read The Host, I thought that was pretty great.

Stephenie proved to be every bit as brilliant writing science fiction as she is writing fantasy. Her characters are well developed, her plot continuing forward at a steady pace, and the conflicts always present, even hovering at the edges of thought. Her writing is engrossing and full of emotion and feeling.

So, that brings me to my last point. I will never doubt one of Stephenie Meyer’s books again. But not for reason’s you are thinking.

Being a writer myself, and an avid reader, I’ve learned a lot about the way authors work. I’m going to use Nora Roberts as an example. The first book I read of hers was brilliant, and wonderful, and I was an instant convert. Of course, I went right back to the library and picked up five more, which I read in the period of about two weeks. I continued this pattern until I’d read all the Nora Roberts books in two libraries. Then I started buying the other ones. After having read twelve or thirteen, I finally got a trilogy that was one of Nora’s earlier works. This trilogy was wonderful too. Well-developed characters, a complex plot, fantasy elements, all of it. But I could tell it was an earlier work. Part of it was wording, I think, and lack of certain details I’d come to know of Nora’s work. And there was just something about the entire series that told me it was years old.

My point is, I didn’t think any less of the earlier series because I read it after several of her later ones. But I was able to see certain elements of style and description in some of her books that weren’t necessarily present in earlier ones. She started out as a brilliant, talented author. Her books were loved for a reason, and with every book she has written, she’s become better. The first ones were wonderful, and each consecutive book got better.

That’s how Stephenie Meyer is for me. Twilight was brilliant. New Moon was better, and so full of heartache and emotion that I couldn’t help but bawl. Eclipse was action packed and full of even more of that emotion I’d loved in the first two. And Breaking Dawn was the perfect finish for the series, even though the end fizzled just a bit. It was the all time most-happy vampire / werewolf ending.

I’m not saying The Host was better than the others, because it’s very different in so many ways. But Stephenie’s writing style is very present, still there, and her ability to inject large amounts of emotion into her story is strong and true. I’m constantly impressed with her creativity and her fresh new ideas that will continue to suck readers in on the first page, and keep them engrossed until the very last. By the time I finished, I was disappointed that the story was actually over. I might have read it through a second time if my fifteen-year-old son hadn’t taken it from me. (And he’d already read it twice!)

What else can I say, except, way to go, Stephenie. Thanks for creating such inspiring and entertaining stories. You deserve your own happy ending.

The Host receives five diamonds!