Friday, January 13, 2012

Books I'm Reading

One of my new year's resolutions is to read more books, specifically books that make me think and books that are well written and in styles that I would love to have seep into my own writing.  My creative writing teacher reminded us that writers not only write, they also read, and there's nothing wrong with imitating writing styles to learn new things about writing.  So I resolved to go to the library, book sales, and yes, even to open my thin wallet when I visit Barnes and Nobles, and to read, read, read this year.

Here's the stack of books I'm working on now.
Forgotten God by Francis Chan and Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller were Amazon purchases. Even though I thought I would buy books at B&N, I actually sat with a cup of Caramel Apple Spice and read the first chapter or the introduction of about 6 books, decided which ones I wanted to buy and then went home and ordered them on Amazon. It probably saved me $10 minus the purchase of the Caramel Apple Spice. 

At first I couldn't decide which Donald Miller book to get since he's written quite a few that I haven't read yet. But after reading the introduction, I had to choose Searching for God Knows What. After all, it's not every writer who references M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, and that settled it.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is a book I've seen floating around being read by this or that person and everyone of them would exclaim over how much they liked it. I just received it for Christmas. I'm about a quarter of the way through. She's a very poetic writer; her prose is descriptive and musical. I'm enjoying the book except for the little habit she has of using adjectives as adverbs which the teacher in me wants to correct.

The Pawn by Steven James was another Christmas gift. I requested this one. I had borrowed it from the library, read the prologue, and then let it sit on my shelf for weeks because I didn't think I would like it. (The prologue is incredibly weird and creepy.) Then boredom struck and I started again. Once I got past the prologue I was hooked and now have the 4th and 5th books on hold at the library but also want to add them to my own stash to read again when I need inspiration for the mystery/thrillers I have floating in my head.

Shattered by Dick Francis is the other fiction book in my stack. I found this one for fifty cents at the library book sale and had to buy it because it's the book that started my fascination with Francis. When I read his books I can hear the words in my head and I love the intelligent English accents of his characters. I'm about halfway finished rereading it.

Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler is fascinating book about China that a customer at the store recommended. I found it at the library. It's taking me forever to read but I find myself nodding at the way he describes China's culture and people. It's incredibly informative, making connections between China's past and present that make me say "Ohhh, I get it."

If you're lucky, I'll give you an update when I'm finished letting you know which ones I consider worthwhile reading. In the meantime, if you read any of them yourself, I'd love to know what you think.

I'm also taking suggestions for my next stack. Is there anything I just HAVE to read?