Easter's Lilly

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Books To Be Reviewed
Review of Shattered by Karen Robards
Book description:

After Lisa Grant loses her job at a Lexington, Ky., law firm in this seductive romantic thriller from bestseller Robards (Pursuit), she heads home to Grayson Springs, a once thriving Kentucky horse farm, owned by her mother, who's dying from ALS. Lisa becomes a research assistant for former crush Scott Buchanan, the Lexington-Fayette County DA. While she initially finds Scott's grumpy personality unappealing, she begins to feel differently after looking into a cold case: the inexplicable disappearance of Michael and Angela Garcia and their two children, Tony and Marisa, in 1981. Astonishingly, Lisa discovers that both a treasured childhood doll and herself as a young girl resemble Marisa. Lisa's informal investigation leads to dangerous repercussions, including an act of arson at Grayson Springs, in which she and her mother almost perish. Scott's timely rescue tightens their budding relationship as the action builds to a startling if far-fetched conclusion. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

My Thoughts:

I have a friend who loves Karen Robard and that is the only reason I picked this book up in the first place. I realize that I am unusual when I say that if a book doesn’t grab my attention right away, I rarely finish it. I have this book on Kindle so I can’t say how many pages it took, but I will say that I was 61% of the way through it before it finally caught my attention. I almost put it down a million times but my friend kept insisting that the author is worth the journey. I was riveted after that particular point in the book and literally walked around with it in my hands until I finished it. However, I would never have finished it if not for the recommendation.

I understand that she is a very talented writer but this book simply took too much time to warm me up. I can usually finish a book in two or three days, depending on my schedule, but this one took me a very long time to get through. If you enjoy descriptive journeys and books that meander slowly like a stream through a mountainside, then you may enjoy this more than I did. But if you prefer a thrilling ride through the rapids, this will not keep you up at night turning pages. I gave it three out of five stars.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Finding Time to Read


I have a dilemma. In order to be good writers we must first be good readers. I find this to be quite the challenge from time to time. The novels that I'm writing seem to be piling up and finding time to actually put them down to read for leisure or research (depending on how you look at it) is almost impossible. Especially with four children, a husband and yes… five dogs. Someone always needs food, water or a ride somewhere. So, I bought a Kindle. Now, when I exercise, I read my eBooks at the same time. But what happens when I don’t even find time for that?

I have a very organized writer friend who has attempted to help me with this challenge. Schedule your time better, she told me. It’s all about time management. And I suppose there is some truth to that. Get up at a certain time and exercise. Then, when you’re through with that, shower, have breakfast and write a little. Take a break for lunch and read for 30 minutes. Have lunch and write some more. If it was only that easy. I have made many attempts at a schedule and it simply never works. Any suggestions would be welcomed. I would love to hear from you. When do you find time to read? What kind of books make you a better writer?