Weekend Reading!

My new proposal is finally done and handed over to my super agent, so to celebrate, I allowed myself a giant weekend of reading for pleasure.

After having it gaze longingly at me from the to-be-read pile, The Sweet Far Thing finally made it into my hands. 

For me, if I'm going to read an 800+ page book, I need solid blocks of reading time.  That's why, this book, which I purchased in hardcover when it first came out (a long while ago!) has been languishing.  Also, it's the third book of a trilogy, so it's hard for me to let the series go.  Maybe that accounts for the delay, too...

As I hoped, it was an awesome read and a great wrap up to Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series.  I highly recommend it. 

So, I'm curious --


How many of you will wait to start a bigger book like I did?  Do you save books for a big reading weekend, or do you nibble away over weeks and weeks?  What is next in your stack for a pleasure reading weekend?

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Wherever You Go - Harcourt November 2011
The Clearing - HMH
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

I'm Reading Now

This doesn't fall into the category of Very Exciting Reading or even anything teen or YA-related, but the book I'm reading now is called The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play.

The book I'm reading.

Basically, I was looking for a book to help me manage my time better (aka not waste so much of it) and be more productive. I already have Getting Things Done, which is great for helping me organize the stuff I have to do, but not so great at helping motivate me to actually do the stuff.

I'm only a couple of chapters in, and already it's helped me figure out why I procrastinate. (FYI, it has to do with perfectionism and temporary stress relief.) Now I just need to read the part that helps me learn how to actually stop procrastinating.

As a side note, I downloaded the free sample of this book on my Nook and it gave me just enough pages to know that I wanted to read the whole thing (not always true for Nook samples, btw). I'm generally gun-shy of self-help-type books, so the sample chapters were definitely helpful.

What about you? Have you got any time-management, procrastination-abatement, task-motivation techniques to share? I promise I'll pay you back by writing even more books sooner!

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Sniffle, Sniffle

Ugh! Sick. It’s nearly the weekend and I’m not quite done with a nosey little cold that showed up Monday afternoon. I hate being sick. I hate missing work. I hate being out of my daily routine. I hate the endless soup and crackers and tea with lemon. I haven’t had coffee in three days! Help!

I’m planning to be better by tomorrow night. I’ve got tickets to see Galactic, this awesome band from New Orleans that blends hip-hop, jazz, rock, and funk. I’ve also got a short trip out of town planned for Saturday and Sunday. Does the cold not get that?

The only good thing to come from this cold is that I took a day off to sleep and I was able to work on my TBR pile. That was a treat. I have so many good books in my queue.

Ok, guys – seriously - what is your favorite way to get rid of a cold? I’d love to hear your best suggestions for knocking the stuffing out of a nasty bug. I've done the tea, Emergen-C and all that stuff -- what works for you?

Hugs from a distance,

Heather, the Sniffly…

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing – April 2010 HMH

Never Cry Werewolf – Sept 2009 HarperTeen

Newberry Winner Speaks!

One of the best things about loving books is that you have friends who also love to read. I’m always getting cool suggestions for what to read next from them. This week, my author friend Liz Gallagher, insisted I head on down to University Village Barnes and Noble to hear Rebecca Stead, who just won the Newberry for her book When You Reach Me. I can’t wait to read this book! It's set in NYC in 1978 - in Rebecca's childhood neighborhood. It has time travel and the $25,000 Pyramid. Apparently, Rebecca's mom really was a contestant on that show in the 1970's.

Rebecca is a former public defender, who spent years working on her first novel, First Light, with her editor Wendy Lamb. I mean years! And then this second book also went through several years of revisions and versions, each given to different people to read because the book has a bit of mystery and both editor and author wanted to see how a new reader would solve it.

There was a packed house for Rebecca’s reading and Q & A. So many of the audience members were young kids since this is a middle grade novel. They posed terrific questions. Rebecca, when asked why she enjoys writing for young audiences said, “because they pay attention and they are so smart.” I have to agree wholeheartedly

Have you read When you Reach Me? What did you think about this much lauded Newberry winner?

Hugs,


Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
The Clearing – HMH April 2010
Never Cry Werewolf – Harperteen Sept. 2009