I spent most of November reading Lisa Kleypas books (see below).  I didn’t list most of them. While I enjoyed them, I felt I should only include the ones that really blew me away.  I think I read eight to ten of her novels, though, as well as some really dry research books.  I didn’t have a lot of time for short fiction and what I did read was curiously flat. I read an entire anthology of mystery fiction that had adequate stories—no bad ones and no good ones.  I kept reading, thinking someone had to write a superb story, but no one did.  It was one of the odder reading experiences I’ve ever had. So this short list doesn’t really reflect how much I read in November.  But it … Read entire article »

Of course, here I am, posting this a month later than I wanted to. I got behind in November, and I’m not sure why.  But I did. I knew October would be a difficult month for personal reading. Dean and I taught the two-week Master Class.  During 2008, I read 400,000 words in that two weeks.  I suspect I read as much or more in the 2009 class.  That doesn’t leave a lot of time for leisure reading. Plus I left the class and flew to Indianapolis for Bouchercon.  Conventions steal reading time as well.  I managed to read on the plane and late at night in the hotel room, but that was about it.  And, to make things worse, both teaching and conventions put me back in critical voice, … Read entire article »