As
an avid reader, and an active participate in my book club, which has met once a
month for the past 12 years, it still surprises me how many amazing books and
amazing authors there are that I haven't heard of before. Getting introduced to
a new-to-me writer is one of the many reasons I love my book club. Everyone in
our club has decades of reading pleasure behind them, and collectively,
familiarity with many writers in many more genre than I could ever have, even
if I spent every waking moment reading and perusing book reviews and news about
new books. Their suggestions have led me to some wonderful discoveries. I
thought I didn't like mysteries, for example, until Donna suggested we read one
by Elizabeth George called Deception on
his Mind. I reluctantly agreed after I was outvoted, and was pleasantly
surprised when I picked up the book. I was stunned by how cleverly the author
wove several intricate plots through the novel, all the while developing
fascinating characters that I have since grown to love. I devoured the book,
and was disappointed when I reached the end, because I wasn't ready to say
good-bye to the characters. My disappointment turned to elation when I realized
George had published eight other books prior to Deception, and several since
then. I went on a treasure hunt at my local library, and one by one read every
Elizabeth George book I could get my hands on. Those that weren't in the
library ended up in my personal collection, along with every book she published
ever since I discovered her works.
This
wasn't the first time I became a serial reader, nor the last. I've often had
one book lead to another, starting back to childhood when I discovered Beverly
Cleary and Laura Ingalls Wilder. The trend continued through college, when I
discovered the works of John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Irving Shaw, Somerset
Maughin and F. Scott Fitzgerald. My serial reading habit has continued
throughout my adulthood, and I still get truly excited when I discover another
great author who's work is new to me. Most recently, I discovered the work of
Henning Mankell, when my book club read Italian
Shoes. Donna, who loves mysteries, casually mentioned Mankell's Wallander
series, and, once again, one Mankell book led to another, and another, and,
well, you get the idea.
My
serial reading isn't just limited to great authors. It also involves
fascinating subjects. My book club, once again, read Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman, which is a fictional
novel about Mary Todd Lincoln, a highly controversial figure who was married to
one of America's most beloved presidents. Curious about how much of the book
was fictional and how much was factual, I read several biographies about Mary
Todd Lincoln after finishing the novel. Both the novel and biographies
mentioned one of Mary's few friends, a black seamstress who launched a very
successful business after being freed from slavery. Elizabeth Keckley also
wrote a book about her relationship with the Lincoln family, so I purchased a
copy of Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln
White House: Memoirs of an African American Seamstress to get more insight
into Mary Todd Lincoln and her troubled life. When I was done with the book I
passed it along to another member of my book club, who, like me, is also a
serial reader.
This
month, my book club is reading The Tender
Bar, which is a memoir by J.R. Moehringer. It's yet another book that keeps
me reading way past my normal bedtime. As soon as I finish it, you can bet I'll
go online and do a search to see if he has any other books out.
Terri Morgan is a book junkie and
journalist turned novelist from California. Her novel Playing the Genetic Lottery, was published in May 2012. She blogs
on her website at http://www.terrimorgan.net/terris-blog.html
You can contact her at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Playing-the-Genetic-Lottery-a-novel-by-Terri-Morgan/192095997524663
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soquelterri
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/397836.Terri_Morgan
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