The pressure is intense. There are so many options. There are so many people to please! How do you choose the perfect book for book club?
As I flitted around to various holiday celebrations, I started to notice a trend, people like to talk about their latest TV binge obsession. I like to binge TV too, but over my holiday break I binged something better. I binged books!
In high school, although I was loathe to admit it to friends, I loved English class. Outwardly I complained like everyone else about the 'boring' books the teachers put on the reading lists. Inwardly I loved them.
Fun and books may be around any corner, if you pay attention. Or if you just follow someone into a strange place.
With all the swirl around Beauty and the Beast lately, I thought it might be fun to talk about fairy tales. Disney has done a laudable job of Disney-ifying classics with positive messages and happy endings. And while I remember obsessing over Disney's Aladdin well into my teens, I also remember going to Blockbuster and renting videos (yes I predate even DVDs) called Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. And Shelley showed the truth about those fairy tales - they were dark.
You often hear people say "That's not my type of thing" or "He wasn't my type" or "That's not a type of food I like." Whether you're talking about people, food or, yes, even books, everyone has a "type." Some people are romance types, some people are non-fiction types, some people are memoir types, science fiction, fantasy, young adult...there are many book types to choose from and many ways to pigeon hole yourself.
Women's History Month! Another reason to love March! So, let's talk about women, specifically women writers! I know I'll probably write tons of blog posts on women this month. But, let's start with the obvious, since I'm a writer (The Travelers), obviously I love women writers. Here are some pioneers that you should read, including books you probably know and have read and lesser known works you might want to check out.
Well, I'll admit it! If there is some sort of personality test posted on a blog or Facebook, I'll take it, always, unless they make me sign up for something. Otherwise, I'm all over it. Whatever the reason, for me at least, it's a bit of an obsession. Instead of trying to fight it, I'm embracing it! Actually, I'm blowing it up...
As a child, I apparently had a bit of a doll problem. If a doll existed, I wanted it. As an adult, I got over my doll collecting obsession because you can't be an adult who buys and collects dolls, right? Therefore, instead, I transferred that obsessive nature to collecting other things, books obviously. (And, shhh, shoes too.)
K.L. Kranes 