Well, not as many as I would have liked, but here’s my book list for 2016. If you have any recommendations, put them in the comments!

The Portable Dorothy Parker – Dorothy Parker
The Dark Side of the Road – Simon R. Green
Pet Sematary – Stephen King (reread)
Monster Hunter International – Larry Correia
Wheat Belly – Willliam Davis
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
Bottomland – Trey Holt
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
The Fireman: A Novel – Joe Hill
Dying for a Living – Kory M. Shrum
End of Watch – Stephen King
Dying by the Hour – Kory M. Shrum
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – Stephen King (reread)
Hollow City – Ransom Riggs
Dying for Her – Kory M. Shrum
‘salem’s Lot – Stephen King (reread)
Dying Light – Kory M. Shrum
The Colorado Kid – Stephen King (reread)
Worth Dying For – Kory M. Shrum
Pines – Blake Crouch
Wayward – Blake Crouch
The Last Town – Blake Crouch
Library of Souls – Ransom Riggs
Gerald’s Game – Stephen King (reread)
The Dead Zone – Stephen King (reread)
Stiff – Mary Roach
Scary Stories Treasury – Alvin Schwartz
The World’s Largest Man – Harrison Scott Key
The Satanic Bible – Anton LaVey
Burying the Honeysuckle Girls – Emily Carpenter
The Things I Love Will Kill Me Yet – Rob Pierce
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
Different Seasons – Stephen King (reread)
Rose Madder – Stephen King (reread)
Christine – Stephen King (reread)
The Halloween Tree – Ray Bradbury
Insomnia – Stephen King (reread)
Charlie the Choo-Choo – Beryl Evans
The Girl with All the Gifts – M. R Carey

Does not mean I am an editor/proofreader/copyeditor. And no, friend who inspired this post (you know who you are) I am not “calling you out” or “picking on you” but you DID bring something to my attention I feel needs to be addressed, so thank you. 😀

I have an English degree. I generally can proofread things for you, and I usually will; however, you NEED to know the difference between editor, proofreader, and copyeditor. Here’s a good place to start. And this ALSO gives you a really good idea of which order you should do them in.

We don’t necessarily have the same skills. I can proof like a motherfucker, but editing is just not my thing. I tend to translate it into my voice which kind of defeats the whole purpose. What you write isn’t what I would write and that’s fine, but if you ask me to edit you you’re going to end up sounding very much like me. Because I’m just not a good editor.

So, writing 101:  find an editor you like, who gets your voice, and can effectively edit you. THEN you can call me to proof. I’ll likely be happy to do it. 😀

However, if you ever want me to dissect Shakespeare or Jane Austen for you…call me. Bring a bottle of wine. 😀

I’m a little late on this one, but here’s my reading list so far this year. What are you reading? Post in the comments.

Divergent – Veronica Roth
Insurgent – Veronica Roth
Allegiant – Veronica Roth
Tales from the Nightside – Simon R. Green
Four: The Transfer – Veronica Roth
Four: The Initiate – Veronica Roth
Four: The Son – Veronica Roth
Four: The Traitor – Veronica Roth
Quick Fixes – F. Paul Wilson
Foxglove Summer – Ben Aaronovitch
Drinking: A Love Story – Caroline Knapp
Lily Cigar – Tom Murphy
Deadline – Craig McLay
The Locket Thief – Daniel Patrick
Identity (Eyes Wide Open, Book 1) – Ted Dekker
Mirrors (Eyes Wide Open, Book 2) – Ted Dekker
Unseen (Eyes Wide Open, Book 3) – Ted Dekker
Seer (Eyes Wide Open, Book 4) – Ted Dekker
Horns – Joe Hill (reread)
Winter’s Awakening – Karen Luellen
Heart-Shaped Box – Joe Hill (reread)
Balloon Animals – Jonathan Dunne
20th Century Ghosts – Joe Hill (reread)
Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom – Marti MacGibbon
The Legend of Candy Claws – Aurelio Voltaire
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Caitlin Doughty
Joe – H. D. Gordon
Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us – Jesse Bering
Paper Towns – John Green
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
Pioneer Girl – Laura Ingalls Wilder
Everything You Need to Know to Survive English Class – Blake M. Petit
Finders Keepers – Stephen King
The Lineage – Brian P. Easton

Since it’s the first day of 2015, it’s time to post last year’s reading list. Somewhere during the course of the year I stumbled upon Pixel of Ink, a place where you can pick up all manner of free Kindle and ebooks. I’ll warn you, though, go to Amazon and read the one star reviews, because while I found several hidden gems, I found a few horribly written and unedited pieces of utter garbage. The one star reviews are usually by the people who point this out. Also, because I get the book free, I do make an effort to go give it a fair review, good or bad. It seems like the decent thing to do.

So, without further ado, here’s what I read in 2014:

Libertarianism from A to Z – Jeffrey A. Miron
Broken Homes – Ben Aaronovitch
The Four Man Plan – Cindy Wu
Life Without Bread – Christian B. Allan, Ph.D. & Wolfgang Lutz, M.D.
The Undead Pool – Kim Harrison
Winter Omens – Trisha Leigh
What it Means to Be a Libertarian – Charles Murray
Skin Game – Jim Butcher
Coveted – Stephanie Nelson
Mr. Mercedes – Stephen King
Awakening (The Guardians) – Samantha Long
Betrayals in Spring – Trisha Leigh
Summer Ruins – Trisha Leigh
This Sceptered Isle: The British Empire – Christopher Lee
Cell – Stephen King (reread)
The Atrocity Archives – Charles Stross
Lisey’s Story – Stephen King (reread)
Memoria – Alex Bobl
The Gunslinger – Stephen King (reread)
The Drawing of the Three – Stephen King (reread)
The Waste Lands – Stephen King (reread)
Wizard and Glass – Stephen King (reread)
The Wind Through the Keyhole – Stephen King (reread)
Wolves of the Calla – Stephen King (reread)
Song of Susannah – Stephen King (reread)
The Dark Tower – Stephen King (reread)
The Witch With No Name – Kim Harrison
Eight Cousins – Louisa May Alcott (reread)
Dying to Forget (The Station, Book 1) – Trish Marie Dawson
Dying to Remember (The Station, Book 2) – Trish Marie Dawson
Dying to Return (The Station, Book 3) – Trish Marie Dawson
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Irreparable Harm – Melissa F. Miller
Revival – Stephen King
Dark Places – Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn
Cold City – F. Paul Wilson
Dark City – F. Paul Wilson
Fear City – F. Paul Wilson
From a Buick 8 – Stephen King (reread)
Hexed – Stephanie Nelson

Well, here it is, the entire list of books I read in 2013:

A Hard Day’s Knight – Simon R. Green
The Slow Burn Revolution – Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades, Fredrick Hahn
Harbingers – F. Paul Wilson
Winds of Change – Jason Brannon
The Bride Wore Black Leather – Simon R. Green
A Fistful of Charms – Kim Harrison
Bloodline – F. Paul Wilson
Midnight Riot – Ben Aaronovitch
Eaters – Michelle DePaepe
Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter – Brian P. Easton
For a Few Demons More – Kim Harrison
The Last Mailman: Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Zombies – Kevin Burke
By the Sword – F. Paul Wilson
Moon Over Soho – Ben Aaronovitch
The Outlaw Demon Wails – Kim Harrison
The Stand – Stephen King (reread)
Whispers Under Ground – Ben Aaronovitch
Heart of Scars – Brian P. Easton
Ground Zero – F. Paul Wilson
White Witch, Black Curse – Kim Harrison
Fatal Error – F. Paul Wilson
The Tommyknockers – Stephen King (reread)
Dead Ever After – Charlaine Harris
Black Magic Sanction – Kim Harrison
The Dark at the End – F. Paul Wilson
NOS4A2 – Joe Hill
Pale Demon – Kim Harrison
Nightworld – F. Paul Wilson
A Perfect Blood – Kim Harrison
Throttle – Joe Hill and Stephen King
The Dracula Tape – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
The Holmes-Dracula File – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
An Old Friend of the Family – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
Thorn – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
Dominion – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
A Matter of Taste – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
A Question of Time – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
A Sharpness on the Neck – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
A Coldness in the Blood – Fred Saberhagen (reread)
Ever After – Kim Harrison
In the Tall Grass – Stephen King and Joe Hill
Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography – Victoria Price
Storm Front – Jim Butcher (reread)
Fool Moon – Jim Butcher (reread)
Grave Peril – Jim Butcher (reread)
Summer Knight – Jim Butcher (reread)
Death Masks – Jim Butcher (reread)
Blood Rites – Jim Butcher (reread)
Dead Beat – Jim Butcher (reread)
Proven Guilty – Jim Butcher (reread)
White Night – Jim Butcher (reread)
Small Favor – Jim Butcher (reread)
Turn Coat – Jim Butcher (reread)
Changes – Jim Butcher (reread)
Ghost Story – Jim Butcher (reread)
Cold Days – Jim Butcher (reread)
Side Jobs – Jim Butcher (reread)
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane – Katherine Howe
Doctor Sleep – Stephen King
Craved – Stephanie Nelson
Death Has a Name – Jerry Hanel
Hostile Witness – Rebecca Forster
Fever – Mary Beth Keane
After Dead – Charlaine Harris
Bloodlines – Skyla Dawn Cameron
The Summer I Died – Ryan C. Thomas
Deceived – Stephanie Nelson
Chaos Born – Rebekah Turner
Born to Bleed – Ryan C. Thomas
Village Books – Craig McLay
Hunter – Skyla Dawn Cameron
The Rock Star’s Daughter – Caitlyn Duffy
Survival Instinct – Declan Conner
Road from ar Ramadi – Carlos Mejia
Wool – Part 1 – Hugh Howey
To Kill a Warlock – H.P. Mallory
Whispers in Autumn – Trisha Leigh
Dead, But Not for Long – Matthew Kinney & Lesa Anders

As you can see, I’ve been busy, even rereading some old favorites (I see a Dark Tower reread in 2014, oh yes I do). I also discovered Pixel of Ink, and signing up for their emails to get links to free Kindle books has turned me on to a lot of good authors I otherwise wouldn’t have tried (and a couple of really horrible ones, but I’m about 90% to the good). I recommend giving it a try.

What are you reading? Post it in the comments.

So, it’s June again, time for the reading list update. I’ve been introduced to a lot of cool authors lately – you may want to check some of them out. The Easton and Aaronovitch books are my latest finds, but stay away from Brannon – not a fan of the story or the writing. If I hadn’t picked it up for free, I would be really ticked.

Also, WHEN IS THE NEXT HARRY DRESDEN BOOK COMING OUT???? Jim Butcher, I’m looking at YOU.

Here’s the list:

A Hard Day’s Knight – Simon R. Green
The Slow Burn Revolution – Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades, Fredrick Hahn
Harbingers – F. Paul Wilson
Winds of Change – Jason Brannon
The Bride Wore Black Leather – Simon R. Green
A Fistful of Charms – Kim Harrison
Bloodline – F. Paul Wilson
Midnight Riot – Ben Aaronovitch
Eaters – Michelle DePaepe
Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter – Brian P. Easton
For a Few Demons More – Kim Harrison
The Last Mailman: Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Zombies – Kevin Burke
By the Sword – F. Paul Wilson
Moon Over Soho – Ben Aaronovitch
The Outlaw Demon Wails – Kim Harrison
The Stand – Stephen King (reread)
Whispers Under Ground – Ben Aaronovitch
Heart of Scars – Brian P. Easton
Ground Zero – F. Paul Wilson
White Witch, Black Curse – Kim Harrison
Fatal Error – F. Paul Wilson
The Tommyknockers – Stephen King (reread)
Dead Ever After – Charlaine Harris
Black Magic Sanction – Kim Harrison
The Dark at the End – F. Paul Wilson
NOS4A2 – Joe Hill
Pale Demon – Kim Harrison

What are you reading?

I have a mad love affair with books, and over the years I’ve found a few really good sites for book lovers. My top three are below:

Shelfari – build your virtual library here. You can rate books as well as show others what you’re currently reading, want to read, and have read. Also, lots of discussion groups to join and you can follow others and have others follow you. A really good book lover’s site.

FictFact – I freaking LOVE this site. Tracks book series you are reading and lets you know what the next book is. If you’re waiting for the next book in a series, it lets you know when it will be out. I read so many series that I would pull my hair out if I didn’t have this site. SO much better than trolling around the ‘net trying to figure out which book is next.

BookCrossing – a great way to recycle your books. Put an ID tag on them, put them somewhere, and wait to see what happens. I’ve never had any luck getting mine found, but I keep hoping. You can also hunt for books in your area. It’s fun.

What are some of your favorite book-related sites? Post them in the comments below.

So, I’m a couple days late (story of my life) but here’s my 2012 book list. To be fair, I’m still working on the collected works of Lovecraft (hey, the book is 1100 pages long and I’m reading it between other stuff – sue me) but otherwise, here’s what I’ve read. Feel free to leave comments/questions below, and share your reading list, if you care to!

2012 Book List

Dead Beat – Jim Butcher
Rose Madder – Stephen King (reread)
All the Rage – F. Paul Wilson
Why We Get Fat (and What to Do About It) – Gary Taubes
Night Shift – Stephen King (reread)
High Deryni – Katherine Kurtz
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything – Christopher Hitchens
Proven Guilty – Jim Butcher
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend – Barbara A. Oakley
‘salem’s Lot – Stephen King (reread)
White Knight – Jim Butcher
Small Favor – Jim Butcher
Turn Coat – Jim Butcher
Changes – Jim Butcher
Side Jobs – Jim Butcher
Ghost Story – Jim Butcher
Hosts – F. Paul Wilson
Dracula’s Guest: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories – Michael Sims
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – Lynne Truss
The Haunted Air – F. Paul Wilson
H.P. Lovecraft: Complete and Unabridged – H.P. Lovecraft
The Wind Through the Keyhole – Stephen King
Something from the Nightside – Simon R. Green
Deadlocked – Charlaine Harris
Agents of Light and Darkness – Simon R. Green
Too Good to Leave, too Bad to Stay – Mira Kirchenbaum
Brothers to the Death – Darren Shan
The Shining – Stephen King (reread)
Nightengale’s Lament – Simon R. Green
Gateways – F. Paul Wilson
Hex and the City – Simon R. Green
Skeleton Crew – Stephen King (reread)
Paths Not Taken – Simon R. Green
Crisscross – F. Paul Wilson
Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth – Simon R. Green
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens – Christopher Hitchens
I, Zombie – Hugh Howey
Dead Witch Walking – Kim Harrison
Hell to Pay – Simon R. Green
Infernal – F. Paul Wilson
The Unnatural Inquirer – Simon R. Green
The Talisman – Stephen King and Peter Straub (reread)
Black House – Stephen King and Peter Straub (reread)
DarkStar – Carol J. Hansen
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
Just Another Judgment Day – Simon R. Green
The Good, the Bad, and the Undead – Kim Harrison
Cold Days – Jim Butcher
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny – Simon R. Green
Every Which Way But Dead – Kim Harrison

#NaNoWriMo. Yeah, every year I start with good intentions, and every year, I give up. Well, not give up, really, just decide I’m never going to meet the deadline, so I end up with 1/3 or 1/2 of what I need.

And, true to form, it’s November 3 and I haven’t done anything.

So, either I will get my butt in gear tomorrow, or I’ll sit on the sidelines and cheer for my friends who are working so hard this month (which I would do anyway, but I’ll have time to cheer harder, I guess).

Fingers crossed!

So, June is officially over, so it’s time for…drumroll please…the half-year reading list! Here’s what I’ve read so far this year:

Dead Beat – Jim Butcher
Rose Madder – Stephen King (reread)
All the Rage – F. Paul Wilson
Why We Get Fat (and What to Do About It) – Gary Taubes
Night Shift – Stephen King (reread)
High Deryni – Katherine Kurtz
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything – Christopher Hitchens
Proven Guilty – Jim Butcher
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend – Barbara A. Oakley
‘salem’s Lot – Stephen King (reread)
White Knight – Jim Butcher
Small Favor – Jim Butcher
Turn Coat – Jim Butcher
Changes – Jim Butcher
Side Jobs – Jim Butcher
Ghost Story – Jim Butcher
Hosts – F. Paul Wilson
Dracula’s Guest: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories – Michael Sims
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – Lynne Truss
The Haunted Air – F. Paul Wilson
H.P. Lovecraft: Complete and Unabridged – H.P. Lovecraft
The Wind Through the Keyhole – Stephen King
Something from the Nightside – Simon R. Green
Deadlocked – Charlaine Harris
Agents of Light and Darkness – Simon R. Green
Too Good to Leave, too Bad to Stay – Mira Kirchenbaum
Brothers to the Death – Darren Shan
The Shining – Stephen King (reread)
Nightengale’s Lament – Simon R. Green
Gateways – F. Paul Wilson
Hex and the City – Simon R. Green

What are YOU reading? Post in the comments – I’m always looking for good books.