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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

GUEST POST: My Nightstand Books by Janet McNulty


By: Janet McNulty (author of Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice)

As an author many people want to know what it is I read. To be honest, I read just about everything. I love young adult books as well as general fiction. I also like to read nonfiction, mostly histories or biographies. My bookshelves are filled with books on American and World history. But they also are filled with books in fiction ranging from Fantasy, to sci-fi, to mystery thrillers. There are even a few of the classics mixed in.

Naturally I have read the Harry Potter series. I have actually read them about three times. I’ve been through The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, which I plan to reread. I have even read the Inheritance series, though I believe those books could have been better.

I have been known to read five or six books at the same time. Basically I’ll read a few chapters of one, and then move to another book and read a few chapters of it and so on. It seems to be a family habit. My grandmother and mother do that and so I picked it up. I probably also picked that habit up from my school days when I was required to read about 10-15 different books in a short period of time.

My current reading list consists of Dante’s Divine Comedy and a big collection of Shakespeare. I even have a copy of Fablehaven sitting on there. On top of that is a copy of The Forgotten History of America. That is one I usually read a few pages of before putting it down and moving on to something else. I have a copy of Dune that I have not opened yet, but plan to soon. I even have a few copies of the original Nancy Drew series, which I have read many times.

Of course, my nightstand isn’t the only place swarming with books. The floor of my room is as well. This is due to the fact that my bookshelves never provide enough space. I bought a bunch of new shelves and filled them within weeks. So as a result, the books now spill out onto the floor. Like a lot of avid readers I seem to have too many books and not enough time.

But despite all of the time I spend reading, I also spend time working on my own writing. I am an author after all. But I use some of the things that I read as inspiration. When I get stuck on a particular portion of my book, I usually turn to my pile of books and start reading where I left off. This helps me to not only get through another book on my list, but it serves as a way to get the creative juices flowing. Many of my books will contain notes of ideas I have for my own writing.

To cut down on the clutter in my home, I bought an eReader. But what really happened is I filled it up quickly with a bunch of books that I want to read. One such book is a collection of Sherlock Holmes. I have gotten through half of volume one. At least with an eReader, I do not have a ten pound book on my lap. It currently sits on the stack on my nightstand.

Reading is one of my passions. But it can also be one of my banes. When I finish one book, I usually find ten more I wish to read. Eventually I will get through them all. All the while I will be writing my own books that will be added to the shelves of others like me.

About Janet McNulty:



Janet McNulty currently resides in West Virginia where she moved after receiving her B.A. in History. She lives with her three cats who keep her on task.


Ms. McNulty has also recently published a novel, Legends Lost: Amborese, under the pen name Nova Rose. She is currently working on the second novel in the series called Legends Lost Tesnayr, but also has another nonfiction book in the works, that is untitled at this point.



Title – Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice

Genre – Paranormal Mystery Thriller

Format – Ebook

Publisher – Self Published

Release Date – January 26, 2012


3 comments:

Val said...

I loved the Inheritance series. You thought they could be better? Hmmm...they aren't Lord of the Rings but I think that's what I like about them them most.

Valerie
StuckInBooks.com

Amy S. said...

It seems like I am always reading two or three books at a time too. At least one is non-fiction, and usually the other two are YA. If one is a dystopian then the other is paranormal or contemporary. I pick up whichever book I feel like reading at the time. It seems to take longer to actually finish books this way though...and my TBR book continues to fill up in the meanwhile.

engelsigh said...

That's my approach to reading too Amy. I have books all over the house, at work, in the car, on my phone, etc. I usually have several going at once....but my TBR pile is pretty formidable.

 
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