As most folks reading this blog probably know, there's an optional suggested blogging theme for each month developed by the founders and managers of the blog. As recurring bloggers here, we're welcome to wander off to any topic that amuses us, but we still have that nice prompt provided in case we need one.
This month "Best Book I Read in 2018" is a bit of a puzzle for me. I took one look at that and went, "Uh..." (One step up from "Duh!" and only a little sideways from "Doh!")
I'm a writer, which means that I read a lot of business books. Let me rephrase that, I read a lot of business books. I used to read a lot of craft books, those are few and far between now. Business books have taken their place. Here's a few I found useful:
- Newsletter Ninja (a must read)
- Strangers to Superfans
- Killing it on Kobo
- Direct Sales Unleashed
- Sell More Book with Less Social Media
- Mastering Amazon Ads
- Help My Facebook Ads Suck
- Blockchain Technology Explained
For recreation I read:
- The Complete (8-book set) Anne of Green Gables (a great escape when the world was just being a little too crazy!
- A couple of Debra Clopton sweet romances
- A Dale Mayer romantic suspense trilogy
- Several YA classics set in my new home town of Gloucester, MA
- Several thrillers by Lee Child
- A couple of old favorite sci-fi
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- 6 entries of a national romance writing contest
- Reread Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (one of my all-time favorites)
- And Anathem by Neal Stephenson (which was the last book that really rocked my reading world, and that was several years ago)
- And I'm sure a flock of others
But "best book"? Well that's an interesting concept and as much as I enjoyed them (I finally got over the need to finish a book I'm not enjoying--took me decades to outgrow that...mostly...kinda?), does a single one of them leap to mind?
Oddly, no.
I had a great year reading, yet nothing lit me on fire (Newsletter Ninja probably came the closest).
So I looked at this month's topic and thought about why that was.
Did I enjoy my business reading? Yeah, kinda. It was business reading, so maybe that's enough said.
Did I enjoy my recreational reading? I really did. I enjoyed every one of those books.
But why didn't anything "light me up"? Why didn't anything make me stand up and shout to everybody, "You gotta read this, man. You really gotta!"
Well, first, I don't talk like that, at least not very often. And second...hmmm... That's what got me thinking about my reading habits.
I enjoy Lee Child. And I'm interested in writing thrillers, so it's interesting to my inner writer as well. Debra and Dale are both good friends and I can hear their voices clearly in their words which is always fun. The Martian? I'd seen the movie. Anne of Green Gables, the old sci-fi and I'm sure a myriad of others...
I think the catch is, I sort of knew what to expect. My reading had fallen into a sort of rut where I'm not voyaging wildly sideways.
So, I've set myself a new quest, which I think I'll call:
READING SIDEWAYS
(sounds cooler in centered bold caps, huh?)
My goal in 2019 is to read:
- as few authors as possible that I've read before
- no fiction more than 5 years old
- And to not read anything where I know what the read will be like
I've already started:
Invisible Planets by Ken Liu. A collection of Chinese science fiction. Fascinatingly different.
Code of Conduct by Brad Thor. A straight thriller by a modern master. (currently in the middle of it and having fun.)
Got suggestions of what I should read next?
Or perhaps... What is your "Reading Sideways" list for 2019?
M.L.
"Matt" Buchman has over 60 novels, 70 short stories, and a
fast-growing pile of audiobooks out in the world. M.L. writes romance,
thrillers, and SF&F…so far. Three-times Booklist "Top-10 Romance Novel
of the Year." NPR and B&N "Best 5 Romance of the Year." RITA
finalist. As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has
bicycled solo around the world, he is awed by what's possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.
8 comments:
Matt, interesting concept to Read Sideways. I am adding new-to-me authors in larger numbers. I know I've been remiss in reading more of the business side of publishing books so thank you for your list - gives me a place to start.
That's a great idea, M. L.! I am also trying to branch out a bit and read new-to-me authors. I am joining the @YearOfTheAsian on Twitter and planning on reading a lot of Asian authors in 2019.
Hi Judith,
I think my one tip on business books is that you need to split them into 2 groups:
1. On how a business works (these books can be pretty timeless and older texts are fine)
2. On how a business tool works (Newsletters, social media, advertising, book launch, etc). I am very cautious about reading any of these that are over 12 months old.
Just my view.
Thanks for that list of business books, Matt. Tonight I started reading a Mary Balogh book. I haven't read one of hers in a long time. And I used to read a lot of Regencies. I need a change of pace. I've been reading a bunch of your novels, mainly the military and firefighting ones. Romantic suspense is my genre. But right now I need something quieter. Something I can sink into. Now that is a sideways reach for me.
Barbara, Okay, blushing for a moment. Yeah, every now and then, I just need a break (old science fiction for me). But last year was so crazy that I spent a LOT of my reading time back there in my comfort zone. This year my goal is to read forward, new, different genres, etc to try and see how others (especially top authors) are approaching their audiences. I'm thinking that a wider reading experience will lead to a wider writing experience. Do I plan to do that process consciously? Not one bit. I'm just going to read and enjoy. It'll be up to my subconscious if it wants to change, shift, enhance what I write. (tricky little things, subconsciouses!)
I'm going to try reading something I normally wouldn't now. I think you're onto something.
Like the idea of "read sideways." For me, I just need to READ. I get so caught up in my own writing and business that I don't take time to just read. I get business books and scan them to see: a) Do they have anything new to say? b) Do they have what I needed which is why I picked up the book?
As for fiction, I tend to fall into "comfort" books if I'm in a bad place or very challenging place in life. That means tried and true authors. However, I've found that I know those too well and even their new books aren't taking me away. I haven't finished a fiction book in all of 2018 except a couple of friends books where I promised feedback in advance of publication. (big sigh)
Now, do Iw ant to add this to my goals list? Hmmm...maybe. Thanks for the push though!
I feel exactly the same way, Maggie.
Do I really need another quest? Yet the new writers I've read give me some fire. I just hit a title in the RITA competition that's in a sub-genre I've never read before. The author would never become a regular read for me and that particular sub-genre doesn't fire imagination, but the book itself is a hoot and I'm really enjoying the author's cavalier way of just embracing a scene and going for it. Over the top is too far? Not for this author.
That's the kind of nudge my inner reader needs.
So, what did I put on my goals list for 2019? No rereading. Everything I read in fiction must be new. That seemed like a doable quest without saying I must read a new title every... (because that so-o wasn't going to happen).
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