K.L. Kranes

All book lovers experience “book logic.” You know what I mean. It’s the part of the night where you do that calculation in your head. If I read one more chapter I can go to bed by 1 am and that leaves about 6 hours of sleep. The calculation leads to a rationalization. Six hours is enough sleep. Sure they say we should all get eight, but what do “they” know. I feel perfectly fine with six or five even, maybe I could read two more chapters… 

It’s hard to argue with book logic.

Not all books make me want to stay up late reading. And that is OK because I am already an insomniac without the book obsession so I need books that aren’t edge-of-your-seat page turners. Those books are great too. But there are some books that take my calculation/rationalizations to a new level of ridiculousness. 

If I could name one author who keeps me up the most, it would be Cassandra Clare. Those damn Shadowhunter books are like a whirlpool sucking me down into the depths of sleeplessness with their twisty plots about vampire, fairies, werewolves and demon-hunters and divinely wicked sardonic characters.

There are two reasons why I forgo a hard copy book for a kindle book. 1) Expediency when I travel (only if my shoulder hurts because of all the books in my carry-on) and 2) when I can’t possibly wait 8 hours until the bookstore opens so I can go get the latest book.Cassandra Clare’s books fall into the latter category for me. When I finished the first book in the Mortal Instruments series, I immediately downloaded and started reading the next one.

I finished all six books in a very, very short time. Along with my daughter, I even dressed up as a shadowhunter for our local ComicCon. (Note: tattoos, black boots and all black…it was short notice. The purse wasn’t really on-trend for shadowhunters, but what can you do? And, yes, I am WELL over the age of 20 and 30. Don’t judge me. 🙂 #shadowhuntersareageless!)

I consumed the latest Cassandra Clare book Queen of Air and Darkness several months ago, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t found other books to keep me up late. I recently read The Selection by Kiera Cass because it was a free download on my kindle app. I was waiting for my daughter at dance class and (gasp!) found myself without a book. I didn’t expect much from it but the dystopian Cinderella story piqued my interest. Well, I finished the book 8 hours later at 2am. Soooo, it definitely surprised me.

Oh, also Eleanor & Parc! I am a fan of Rainbow Rowell, but wouldn’t normally put her books in the category of “page-turners”, yet I couldn’t stop reading this one. The characters were so well developed. Normally, I struggle reading a book about children who are abused in any fashion (and this one was difficult), but it was so well done. The burgeoning love affair between broken, walled-off Eleanor and sensitive, proto-punk Parc was page-turn worthy.  Although, I was a bit disappointed at the ending, especially when I stayed up late to finish it.

My late night insomniac causing books are not limited to YA fiction. How about YA poetry? Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down was a book I didn’t want to put down. I mean seriously, a poem that takes place over the course of one elevator ride, what an incredible concept! I kept telling myself, just one more poem…just one more level…and then it was 3 am. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman was another book that kept me up late. This book was like the Handmaids Tale inverted and on steroids. Wow. In the book, women suddenly begin to develop the power to harness electricity and men do not, thus shifting the balance of power. That book changed me…and not necessarily in a good way. Power corrupts… shudder…one more chapter…

It is not often a non-fiction book makes me want to stay up all night reading. That is why I strategically insert non-fiction into my TBR (because I need a few nights of decent sleep!) But Educated by Tara Westover was a surprising stay-up-all-night-reading memoir, despite its bland (and I think incongruent) title and cover. (Dear Tara Westover I have some names better suited for your incredible memoir!) Who knew that stories about fundamental survivalists and their terrible treatment of their children would be so enthralling.

OK, tell me! What addictive authors or books do you recommend to keep people up at night? Who needs sleep anyway? So over-rated. 🙂