Sandi Shilhanek | Anthology - Book Counts

As I contemplated this week’s blog I was really struggling for a good topic, and decided to read instead of worrying over the blog…either an idea would come to me or it wouldn’t!

The book I chose to read is titled Believe by Sharon Sala, but what it is really an anthology collection of three of her earlier releases; Miracle Man, When You Call My Name, and Shades of a Desperado. Now this poses an interesting set of questions…when you read a book that has three complete stories in it, do you count that as one book or as three separate stories? Do you like when the book is stories by just one author, or do you prefer two or more authors to have a story in one volume? Do you want each book to be a full length story, or when you buy an anthology do you prefer short stories that you can read here, there, and everywhere?

Here my indecision comes shining through. I like to have more than one author in the book because it’s a great way to experiment with new authors, but I will only buy the anthology if an author I either love already or having been wanting to try is featured.

I guess this week my question boils down to are you an anthology lover or hater? Longer previously released single titles or a variety of short stories? Do the stories need to have a common link or just be entertaining?

Until next week happy page turning!

Sandi Shilhanek | Discovering a New Author

In several of my yahoo groups the conversation tends to run to discovering a new to you author. As you can imagine being dedicated readers someone in the group has usually read whichever author is being discussed, and being the eclectic readers that we are can we all agree on one good book? Of course not! That then leads to the person whose just discovered an author having to get not only one backlist book, but all of them!

Do you have an author that you can remember having to glom? I know that I was late to the party on several very popular authors. One that comes to mind is unfortunately no longer writing, but when she wrote I had to head off to the closest store and get everything she had written. Now I envy the person who is just discovering Lavyrle Spencer because she has a finite backlist!

I remember when I discovered Sandra Brown. I was on vacation, and figured that vacation money wasn’t like real money, and I could take a chance on an author I hadn’t read. I bought Mirror Image and was hooked on this author. Even all those years ago she had an extensive backlist, and I have made a serious effort to find it, and read it. Of course I’m not caught up, but I know that my TBR pile holds books I will be enjoying when I decide I need my Sandra Brown fix.

Now…how do you feel about backlists? Do you have to own everyone the author you’ve just discovered has to offer? Do you read the blurbs and only pick the ones that totally appeal? Do you even (imagine me shuddering as I typed this) ignore the backlist and just move on to the current work by a new favorite author.

Sandi
DFW Tea Readers
Readers 'n 'ritas...
celebrating literary obsessions

Sandi Shilhanek | 2008 Reading

As the year begins to wind down I thought it would be interesting to reflect back and share with one another how our reading year was.

Let’s start with did you discover a new author this year? As I looked at my list I believe I read about two dozen new to me authors this year. I was pleasantly surprised with Shadow Of Turning by Valerie Hansen as it is a Love Inspired Suspense, and that’s not a line I normally read. I also was totally hooked on Running Scared by Cheryl Norman. Of course there were a couple of books in the new author tryouts that didn’t please me much, but I’ve decided to only focus on my favorites.

What book do you think was the best one you read this year? Can you really limit yourself to only one? I of course cannot name just one. I loved everything I read by Susan Wiggs, and Robyn Carr. Both had books that had moments that made me cry. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs was a discovery that I wish I had been warned about because it also had me crying. Can’t even think about closing out a favorites list without adding Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

Do you have a reading goal? Is it by books read or pages read? Is it to read so many group reads or perhaps so many new authors? I always hope to read 100 books, and this year I didn’t make it. I do have the page count for each book listed, but I haven’t mastered EXCEL enough to be able to figure out how to get it to add that up for me!

What about audio books? Do you count those as part of your yearly total if you listen to them? Was there a favorite there? A new author? This year I discovered Mary Kay Andrews, and Harlan Coben in audio. I enjoyed Charley’s Web by Joy Fielding and can’t recommend it enough.

Next week we’ll discuss reading goals for 2009. Start thinking...

Sandi Shilhanek
DFW Tea Readers
Readers 'n 'ritas