Books: Starting stopping and in-between

Normally, when I DNF (Do Not Finish) I never go back. Either something annoyed me, or I didn’t connect, or something was there that I knew. I’d never go back to try again.

I’d find a new home for the book, a friend, the used bookstore, a home.

Right now I’m second guessing myself. Because I started a book and put it down in the first 50 pages. Went to the Tiky Tok to watch some videos (none posted) then I picked up a magazine. Started reading.

Then I just gave in and started a different book. But that first book, it had some good ideas. And it’s physical, so I flipped forward. And it does get good. I just don’t have the patience right now to wait for 100, 200 pages for a book to get good.

That’s one of the biggest differences between genres for me. Between Fantasy and Romance. Except that’s a lie. There are Fantasy writers that grabbed me by the throat and haven’t let me go even during the first book of theirs that I read.

Some even have complex world building. And the one I put aside has enough that I want to read it… Just not right now. Which is confusing because I’m used to either ripping through or DNFing with no regrets.

It’s a reader’s conundrum. How do you deal with it?

Pacing & HEA in Romance

I recently read a “Rom-Com” that clocked in at almost 600 pages. It was pretty good— I blazed through the first half, then got to what I thought was the HEA… But I still had hundreds of pages to go through.

I’m not going to name names or give titles. But there were at least 3 points where the HEA could have been achieved and the reader be completely satisfied. Meanwhile, the actual ending… Left a lot to be desired. Definitely NOT a situation I want to ever be in with a SO. Nope. Not even a little.

Does everything need to be tied up with a big red bow? Not really. But what I was given at the end of this book was 2 characters sicker than dogs and about to go (albeit temporarily) long distance. In a romance.

Now, if your readers have stuck with you for that many pages… I don’t know. Maybe give the a firework ending. Or give us the epilogue where they are reunited.

Because this hot mess that we were given? Whelp. Any of those other premature HEA endings would have been better.

As a writer I am taking from this to make DANG SURE that the payoff is worth the slog.

How’s you’re reading going?

DNF’ing Books

First of all— DNF (the way I understand it) means Did Not Finish. Clearing that up because I had to ask someone myself lol.

I just DNF’ed a book for being too YA. I didn’t realize it was YA when I bought it but that doesn’t really matter. I read YA, the occasional Middle Grade and of course my normal reading diet of Romance and SF & Fantasy. So, if I have no problem reading YA, why on earth did I DNF one for being TOO YA?

Because I have a teenager.

Yes, my lovelies, the Princeling is 16 and 6’5 (at least). And after spending a day with teenager mood swings and general angst I just couldn’t.

Could. Not.

So I DNF’ed. Do I feel bad? Not really. I’ve always said life is too short for bad books. This book wasn’t bad– I just couldn’t take the teen angst. I know growing up is hard. I know he’s at a weird age where we’re treating him differently and he’s figuring it out.

But my books right now need to be an escape for me. This one was not, in fact, an escape.

Onward!!!!

(and by onward I mean to the unlikely romance series I started thanks to my public library. I bought the book I’m currently reading and have been sooooo looking forward to it! I’ll talk about it later in the week. Cheers!)

Happy Reading!

Bookish Thoughts: The Blacksmith Queen

Sometimes a girl just needs to not DNF (do not finish) a book.

I’ve stayed away from my TBR (to be read) pile because I’ve been DNF’ing so many books. So. Many. Books. It’s much easier to DNF a library or Lobby book than one I’ve spent my pre-inflation salary on.

If I’ve read a book by G.A. Aiken before I don’t remember. I’m not sure why. Because The Blacksmith Queen was just what I needed. (Found on Libby)

Fantasy. Check.

Romance. Check.

Funny. Check.

So many things checked off my list. Magical beings; centaurs and elves and dwarves and demon wolves. A heroine you can get behind– she’s strong, knows her own mind and my goodness. There is family, politics, savage battle and a Dragon! Oh how I’ve missed dragons!

Now I either have to wait for my (estimated) 4 week wait time to get book 2 from Libby or… Wait till payday. May go back to Nook Books just because they’re cheaper but…. I really like physical books. Some books I really need the ability to flip through.

Not The Blacksmith Queen, tho. Nope. Ripped through it in less than 24 hours.

Momcation

I haven’t been by myself in a house for an extended amount of time in… Years. I always have my son (15) or my dad (95) around or coming back. It’s wonderful. I love my family. But….

I used to love living by myself too. I’ve always kept myself occupied– readings writing, television. I’m not one that gets bored and stays bored. The quiet is a friend of mine- it allows a moment of reflection, a deep sigh.

Thanks to Caltrans and my Best friend I just had that. A glorious Sunday through Thursday morning where I stayed in a house all by my lonesome. Caltrans closed the freeway that I need to get to work. (Not a work vacation, alas). My BF is travelling, and offered her house. I have to tell you….

It. Was. Glorious.

I wrote and sent out cards. I didn’t cook ANYTHING. Frozen all the way. And after work, I went to the real happiest place on earth, Barnes and Noble, and bought many wonderful magazines. One was brand new to me, called Oh, Reader and I read every single article in it. Which has inspired me– to do magazine reviews. Share what I’m loving. Maybe a few book reviews in there too.

The fact is that I miss blogging. I miss sharing the things I love, and boy do I love books and magazines!

I love my family. Of course I do.

But I missed myself, and didn’t even realize what had been missing in my life was ME.

What cha reading?

The question, often meant to be a harmless conversation starter, sometimes carries risk. “What cha reading?” when asked of an English Lit major in college can be a tense status shuffle of a question. Because what you’re reading literally can tell the other person what class you’re reading for, where you’re at in the program… lots of different things.

And then you have me. Who will tell you, flat out, the name of the romance or fantasy novel that I was reading for fun at the time. Didn’t really care if someone decided to look down their nose at me… and some did. Some asked me, in a whisper, if I had read another book by the same author/in the same genre/you get the picture. Once in a while, someone would ask me why, and I’d reply… “Well, if I’m gonna be a writer, I want to make sure I write in a genre that makes money.”

But here’s my real dirty little reading secret…. I read tabloids.

Yup.

Yes, I know alot of it is made up, speculation, what have you.

I was hooked as a teenager I saw a tabloid with the headline “King Tut dies in plane crash! Pictures inside!” Really? Huh. Never even thought of that. They had the greatest, most fantastical stories… it thrilled my little writer’s heart. Of course, I knew it was fiction, but still!

That love morphed into celebrity tabloids. I actually gave them up for a while, because I believed (and still do) that they were complicit in driving her around the bend into crazy town. (BTW— way to step up and take care of your girl, Pappa Spears! Can you adopt Lindsey?).

I know that not everything I read is true in the tabloids. And yet judgements are made. About people I know next to nothing about. I know their job. I know the persona they choose to show to the public. I know that sometimes the public needs to turn their backs and let them get the help they need… or time to pull themselves back together.

So. That being said, according to all the gossip sites Denise Richards has taken custody (at least temporarily) of her ex-husbands twin sons by another woman. Why? Because they are her daughters’ half brothers. Because she is a mom with a huge heart. According to all the sites, the both the boys’ parents (Charlie Sheen and Brook Miller) are all good with it.

So. We’ve gone from fantastical, to harmful, to uplifting. While I believe, whole heartedly, that there is a line that should not be crossed by reporters… they’re going to keep crossing them when we click onto those stories, when we buy those rags. Do I think my refusal to buy for a while impacted their economy? Nope. I did what I could, and I’m happy with that.

But what if we all said… There’s a line. You don’t need to cross it. Flex your fiction muscles and give me some more photos of King Tut driving an airplane. And remember… Always, always remember…. We the public need to say ‘I CALL BULL” when they cross the line.

Fiction should be recognizable as fiction, after all.