Let's Talk Lit

I started this blog because I love to write and while working on the project made famous in my first blog post I decided I needed an outlet to work my itchy writing fingers. I figured, "Everybody else is doing it, so why can't I?" So here's a kind of shift in gears to let you all in on one of my other addictions: reading.

In my very short stint as a college co-ed (University of Massachusetts, Boston-class of never) I developed a passion for real literature, but my love of books began long before that. One of my earliest memories is of me sitting at the kitchen table reading See Spot Run aloud to my mother who was either washing dishes or starting dinner as my father arrived home from work. I was three years old. As my reading skills progressed I tore my way through the Little Golden Books collection which included children's favorites like The Poky Little Puppy, Rags, and The Shy Little Kitten which I read so many times I'm surprised I can't recite it.

Having a teacher in the family certainly helped. My aunt Mary taught elementary school in a quiet Long Island town. Although she lived hundreds of miles away, we were close. She always made sure I had loads of school supplies and tons of books. My favorite was Charlotte's Web. I can't even count how many times I read that E. B. White classic. I had a complete meltdown when it got misplaced and Auntie Mary sent me a new copy; that's just how she was. I even bought a new copy when I was in college so I could read it yet again. As I grew, I discovered the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew which sparked my lifelong love of mysteries and crime dramas as well as my insatiable appetite for stories involving the paranormal. I was all over any book about ghosts, werewolves, and vampires whether they were touted as fact or fiction.

Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Dean R. Koontz and Anne Rice traveled with me from my teens into early adulthood where they were replaced by Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Kurt Vonnegut, and Robert B. Parker. Recent years, however, have been sparse for me in a literary sense. I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I found out the movies were in production. I read the Harry Potter series because I needed something to do while stranded in an airport due to a flight delay and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone called to me through the gift shop window across the aisle from where I sat. But I'd lost the desire to make time to read. THAT is why I decided that 2011 would be my Year of the Book. I presented myself with a challenge to read 30 books this year. As of this moment I've finished 29 plus countless short stories and raised my goal to 50.

If you'd like to find out which books I've read and what I thought of them, scroll down. The list and rating system is at the bottom of the page. Also, I've used the same system used by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) to let you all know what you might expect. If you've got any suggestions for my reading list, please comment. I'm open to just about anything. You'll see a whole lot of paranormal romance because I discovered a couple of series I really enjoyed.

Happy Reading!