We’re all going to read the Stephen Kings and James Pattersons and Oprah picks and the works of other best-selling authors we love. That’s a given. For me, part of the purpose of reading is the joy of discovery. Sometimes that means taking a chance on a book from someone new.
I always check reviews and I write a review of every book I read. Last year, I read more than 50 books, some fiction and many biographies. The best: the time-travel novel, The Ministry of Time. The worst: Whitney Houston – The Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall of the Woman Whose Voice Inspired a Generation. In my review I wrote, “repetitive paragraphs with a barf bag full of adjectives.” I think it was written by AI and not fact or grammar checked.
Even a terrible book takes loads of time and dedication to complete. One of mine, The Naked Truth, is both wonderful and awful depending on the reader. Non-nudists love it. (They’re who I wrote it for.) Many nudists hate it. (And they have let me know!) Once an author gives birth to their book-baby, it’s up to others to decide whether it has value.
There are lots of worthwhile books that don’t have huge marketing machines keeping them in front of your face. For every John Grisham (whom I believe has jumped the shark) there is a Carolyn Arnold – a full-time writer who keeps pumping out engaging stories for her devoted fans. relying mainly on good reviews and positive word of mouth.
Here are four suggestions on wildly dissimilar topics from authors you might not have heard of. They’re as different as night, day and dusk! I’ve read them all and offer you my honest thoughts.
MONEY
If the name of my former broadcasting colleague seems familiar it might be because she was supposed to go to Mars. Karen Cumming was chosen to become one of the 100 civilian astronauts in the Mars One project. More than 200,000 people had applied and Karen made the final cut. Ultimately, after several years-long delays, the company went bankrupt and ended her dream of being Mars’ first journalist.
Karen is a teacher now and she possesses an inquisitive mind. Her book. The Wealthy Martian, is a practical guide to financial literacy. She was inspired to write it after realizing how few of her high school students understood the power of money. In my review I wrote that THIS is the information we adults are always saying, “they don’t teach this stuff in school.” It’s the kind of financial guidance that every kid should have. Many adults could benefit from it as well.
FUN
Bill Diehl is another broadcasting colleague but from New York City. Radio stations all over the world played Bill’s entertainment reports from ABC Radio. When I worked at 680 News, we had occasion to exchange emails. He said, “if you’re ever in New York….” My pal Betty and I took him up on it and through Bill’s connections we met David Hyde Pierce after his performance on Broadway.
Bill has released several books and his latest, Confessions of a Flea Market Junkie, is pure fun. Bill attends Big Apple flea markets nearly every weekend, not to mention the ones he’s been to in Russia. He has an eye for the unusual and absurd. This volume contains mostly photographs of rare, kitschy and in some cases, important historical finds. It’s a softcover coffee table book I’ve gone back to leaf through several times.
PERSONAL GROWTH
I’ve known Kendra Raines for many years but we’ve only met in person once! Kendra lives in the US and she was Derek’s friend first. She and her husband Tim are two of the most solid, wonderful people we know. We just have an almost unspoken trust and belief in each other. For a while, we worked together almost daily on voice-over projects and it was a blast.
Kendra has written a book about the difficult and messy journey of quitting a daily marijuana habit in order to face her emotional traumas. Becoming Unstoned: A Journey of Un-numbing is deeply personal. Kendra offers help and hope to those who are numbing themselves and want to stop. Kendra’s current reality is terrifically happy. She could only get there once she shed the heavy load of traumas and put them to rest. Kendra has done the hard work and hers is an inspiring story.
QUEENAGERS
Novelist Lydia M. Hawke writes about Queenagers, even though that’s not what she calls them. Lydia is “an urban fantasy and paranormal women’s fiction author” who’s the alter-ego/pen-name of romance writer Linda Poitevin.
Linda was my roommate in Prince George, BC, early 1980s. Even then, she knew she wanted to write novels. Now, writing as Lydia M. Hawke, she has several series to her credit featuring strong, mature female leads. The Obsidian Sisterhood series centres on a 69-year-old former nun who has two black belts. The Crone Wars has Claire, a wife, mom and grandma who’s overcoming creaky joints and hot flashes to save the world.
It’s about time women with grey hair and laugh lines stepped up in the world of fiction. Lydia/Linda has a huge following, which just proves that the world is ready for these female protagonists. Bring on the Crones/Queenagers!
And please, if you read them, kindly leave an honest review at your point of purchase. It means more to the author than you know.
You not only met David Hyde Pierce, you met David Hyde Pierce in his bathrobe!
Thank you for putting the focus on books. And thank you for putting the focus on a VARIETY of books. English professors would have us believe the only things worth reading are the books that are difficult to get through. Not so. Some of my favourite writers, like Charles Bukowski, write at a grade-school level with a depth and nuance that is amazing.
I have read a ton since the holidays and reading is one of the things that’s getting me through a tough time right now!
David had just left it all in stage in Curtains, which won him a Tony!