According to my husband I am a veracious reader – and I confess, it’s true. When I’m not working on my latest book I can be found curled up in a chair in my living room (with a cat) listening to vinyl and reading a book. It’s the best way to escape the craziness and get lost in another world for an hour or 2.
I read most genres, but historical fiction is my preferred choice – I once read Forever Amber in one sitting, and if you’re familiar with it you’ll know it’s tome! I am old fashioned in that nothing for me beats the touch and feel of a real book – actual paper but I confess that I also love taking my Kindle to bed so I can drift off with it still in my hand. I have a terrible habit of pushing it under my pillow, and it’s been left behind in so many hotel rooms!
For some reason I read quicker on a Kindle and it’s not unusual for me to complete a 3 – 4 book series in a week. I set myself a challenge of reading 100 books in 2018 and I achieved it in 6 months!
With paperbacks I read slower, and take the time to savour the details on every page. I do skip some of the superfluous descriptions of scenery if I feel they’re not adding anything to the plot.
My favourite historical fiction author is Philippa Gregory, (you may have heard of The Other Boleyn Girl) and I fell in love with her writing back when I was 16 and read Wideacre for the first the time. Ever since then I pre-order everything she writes and always know that I am in for a good read!
My other favourite genre is psychological thrillers. A plot that keeps twisting and turning and has you on the edge of your seat (or up until the early hours) is hard to find, but I do like Karin Slaughter (not advisable to red just before bed!)
I also read a lot of what I call throwaway fiction (apologies to the authors of these) but things like detective novels or police crime books. Character is so important in these, and if I don’t ‘feel’ the character in the first couple of chapters I’ll stop reading!
So there you have it, quite a diverse range! Let me know what you read, which authors you follow and why.
