Monday 1 October 2007

First time out........

Okay, this is scary, writing into the wide world of the internet. But if I'm going to join all the wonderful other bloggers writing about books, I guess it's time I get started! Since I have no idea how to add links yet, all the wonderful sites will have to wait for another day for me to add.....and the book reading challenges (and links to them) I've decided to join for 2008........I already have my piles of books ready......
For Hallowe'en this year, I decided to pick 4 books to read for October: Dan Simmons -A Winter Haunting, Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, re-read Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, and poke through Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings. So if anyone else out there is reading for Hallowe'en, let me know what you are picking. This was all last minute, to get in the mood for Hallowe'en. I thought I had a copy of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which is one of my all-time favourite frightening ghost stories to read, but I have lent it to a friend and it has not made it's way back to me yet.
I'm currently reading Jasper Fforde's The Well of Lost Plots. Having lots of fun with her ideas of hwo books are developed and given to authors, and how characters wander through books and some have to be stopped. Very clever. I have to finish it by this weekend or I'll never get through my horror reading! Working full time and raising kids (very young kids) means reading time is at a premium, and I've decided to cut back on my tv viewing, especially as it looks like I won't make my goal of 50 books read this year. My actual goal is 100, but I've never made it yet, in 10 + years of trying......though I've gotten close a few years.
I've just discovered Mary Oliver, which I found at my local favourite bookstore in Ottawa - Collected Works, an independent bookstore! - and am thoroughly enjoying reading Owls and Other Fantasies. I am also reading Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy (an English poet) on the go, as well as Walter Mosley's You Can Write a Book in A Year, which I have by the bed, to inspire me while I sleep (and help me get up at 5:30 so I can get my writing done.....)
I did it! My first blog!!! About books! O heavenly joy! (Ok, it's not so hard, but for the technically challenged, this is quite a feat. Now to see if this actually turns up on my blog as a post.......)

4 comments:

Laurie Stewart said...

Yay, congrats on joining the ranks of the techno-geeks!!
You should read Shadowman by Cory Macfadyen, it's a debut thriller, darker than most authors and got him a 3 book deal right off the bat.
I've been corresponding with him, and might get film rights. He's very friendly, not what you'd expect from his books.
You could also try the Shadow Masters series by Peter Lancett (my editor at Ransom, he sent me 3 of his best) THEY ARE SCARY. Apparently people tried to return the books because they were too scary to finish. I don't see that as a flaw in a scary book, do you?

Patricia said...

Congratulations big sister! Now all you gotta do is add all the extras...like pictures of the books you are reading ~ pictures of the kids looking at the books you are reading...heh heh heh. I might even try reading some of these books myself. Scary huh?! and thanks for the http address finally!

Susan said...

Hey you two - thanks! It's exciting to have a blog!
Haven't heard of Cory MacFadyen but will look out for him, and I think it only helps if books are so scary they can't read them! Stephen King's The Shining was like that for me. I could only read it at work - I was living alone in Montreal at the time!
Yes, I know pictures have to be added.....working on it! I'd actually like to 'dress up' my blog like I've seen some others do, but hey! I'm not Martha Stewart! Just talk to the dust bunnies in the corners.....
thanks for writing, both of you. I like the pictures on your site, Patricia, so now have to figure out how to get some on mine!

Unknown said...

Hey Susan...way to go with the blog!
A couple of horror books that scared(okay, not scared but freaked) the heck out of me were:
Robert McCammon's "Swan Song" and Gary Frank's "Forever will you Suffer". I'm going to check out that author(Peter Lancett) that Laurie posted in your comment column...you know me, i always like a good scare.
I've been such an awful friend...i havent kept in touch ALL summer...(sorry). Well, at least with this blog i can tune in from time to time to read your thoughts.
Take care and keep writing.