Just one more day! Yikes! Can I finish all the things I wanted to do this summer in the one day that’s left before autumn arrives on Tuesday? I doubt it. The one thing I have accomplished, however, is meeting my summer reading goal. Challenged by Jennifer Hubbard to read ten books by September 21st, I’ve read twelve:
- A Sweetness to the Soul – Jane Kirkpatrick
- Northern Lights – Nora Roberts
- Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
- The Bancroft Strategy – Robert Ludlum
- Whiteout – Ken Follett
- Through the Valley of the Shadow – Rod Gehl
- Black Hills – Nora Roberts
- Beyond the Vows – Ed Griffin
- Fury of the Wind – Doris Riedweg
- I Luff You B.C. – Jan Drabek
- Word Work – Bruce Holland Rogers
- 6th Target – James Patterson/Maxine Paetro
My desire was to read a wider variety than is my norm. My out-of-genre choice was the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series. Anything even faintly paranormal usually doesn’t interest me but I’ve met Diana at writers’ conferences and was curious about her writing style. I surprised myself by being totally caught up in Jamie and Claire’s across-the-centuries story and Diana’s captivating prose. I am now a convert and am just delving into the second in the series, “Dragonfly in Amber”.
But as summer fades so, too, do the flowers in our garden beds and there is a staggering amount of deadheading, weeding and cutting back of perenniels confronting me every time I glance out the window. Garden or read? Read or garden? Oh, what to do? Surely the gardening can wait another day while I luxuriate in one last summertime read. Of course it can!
MUSINGS 
Hi Carol,
I’m guilty…Reading is usually my first choice but we don’t always have that option.
I think it’s always good to try out new genres. I have never read any fantasy novels but plan to do so in the future. One never knows. There could be something out there we’re missing.
I’ve read a bit this morning but actually do plan to go out in the garden this afternoon. It’s too nice to stay inside.
The “Outlander” series uses time-travel, which wouldn’t normally appeal to me, but I’m glad I read the first one because it was written in a way that allowed me to easily bypass any disbelief and get right into the story. It struck me as more of a historical novel than anything else.
Wow, twelve books. I wouldn’t even accept a 10 book challenge. I’ve read two this summer. One was a humor called We Thought You Would be Prettier by Laurie Novato and the other is a literary called A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. The latter is 600+ pages. There were many others that I started but didn’t finish. Plus since I’m revising, a lot of books on that subject are sucking my time.
Like you, I would never pick up a fantasy. I am going to read Time Traveller’s Wife and hopefully finish Twilight one of these days, except that is more of a romance than horror or fantasy.
I love reading and in the summer there are always extra holiday opportunities for me to read even more than I normally would. Unfortunately it’s easy for me to spend too much time reading to the detriment of my writing!