Both books are bestsellers but The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires included violence toward children, which is a nonstarter for me, and I wish the book had struck more of the sprightly tone of its title. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, on the other hand, delivered more than promised by its prosaic title.
WWK--Better than ever--Look for the return of blogs by Linda Rodriguez! She's back--on 1/4. Watch for our new blogger Tammy Euliano--debuting on 1/17
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Margaret S. Hamilton's short story, "Killer Weeds," appears in the January 20 edition of Texas Gardener's Seeds: From Our Garden to Yours. Congratulations, Margaret, who, if you follow Facebook know, is a superb gardener herself!
Congratulations to Jennifer J. Chow for garnering a 2021 Lefty Nomination for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. We're crossing our fingers for Jennifer!
Congratulations to Paula Gail Benson whose "Reputation or Soul" has been chosen for Malice Domestic 16: Mystery Most Diabolical anthology to be released this spring.
KM Rockwood's "Stay Safe--Very Safe" appears in this year's 2020 BOULD anthology. Congratulations, KM!
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Dealing at the Dump" appears in Cozy Villages of Death Fall 2020.
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Black Market Baby" and Debra H. Goldstein's "Forensic Magic" appear in Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories Fall 2020.
Jennifer J. Chow's Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines (interview on WWK on 11/11) released on November 10.
Annette Dashofy signed with agent Dawn Dowdle of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Congratulations, Annette!
KM Rockwood's "Secrets To The Grave" has been published in the SinC Chesapeake Chapter's new anthology Invitation To Murder, released by Wildside Press on 10/6.
Susan Van Kirk's Three May Keep A Secret has been republished by Harlequin's Worldwide Mystery. The WWK interview about the book can be accessed here. We're so glad another publisher picked up this series.
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Monday, January 11, 2021
Has the Pandemic Changed Your Reading Habits?
Both books are bestsellers but The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires included violence toward children, which is a nonstarter for me, and I wish the book had struck more of the sprightly tone of its title. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, on the other hand, delivered more than promised by its prosaic title.
7 comments:
I’ve found myself reading many more YA and fantasy than usual, fewer crime novels, and hardly any nonfiction. I’ve never found horror much to my liking, even in the capable hands of masters like Stephen King.
Not so much changed by the pandemic as increased. I have always been a voracious reader, but since the pandemic, I can't seem to be without a book or story in hand to fill any downtime.
The pandemic has ended one of my favorite reading pursuits--going to the public library to see what I can find, especially on the "new releases" display. It's always been my primary source of discovery of new authors and books, and now, it's closed to us. Public libraries are valiantly rising to the challenge of serving their patrons, but unfortunately it now requires the patron to have a very good idea of what they want. I miss the serendipitous adventure of exploring!
Jim, I think escape is the name of the game. And however much I admire Stephen King, he's often too scary for me!
Kait, I envy you! I'm glad you're still more than able to enjoy reading.
KM, you've touched on something that's very important to me. I, too, love the serendipity of a good library find, but ours are closed too, and rightly so. I remember days at the library when we'd have over a thousand patrons through the door, readers of all ages from babies to seniors. I keep my fingers crossed that my librarian friends will be included in priority groups for vaccines, since they serve the public, but I'm not holding my breath. Most elected officials have no idea what librarians do or how important they are to their communities. *gets off soap box*
Late to the party but I'll check out the books you're reading. Our Cincinnati Hamilton County library system has curbside pickup.
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