Ever find yourself with a TBR pile so high it’s practically a skyscraper? Well, you’re not alone! Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, I love to read! Okay, I have a relatively narrow field of focus in each section, but I love, love, love them. Which means I’ve got two mile-high TBR piles waiting for me. From romantic suspense to historical romance in the fiction pile. And personal development, psychology, writing craft, and the publishing, in the other.
Next On My Fiction TBR List
Reading fiction is more than a pastime; it’s a portal to countless worlds. My heart has a special place for romantic suspense and historical romance.
It Takes a Thief by Anne Stewart
It’s been an age since I last read a historical romance, and I need to be in the right mood for them. But Anne Stewart writes them brilliantly and always adds that touch of intrigue that makes you one-click buy hers.
Trapped with the Secret Agent by Julie Rowe
I couldn’t resist this title’s promise of a thrilling ‘trapped together’ scenario with my favourite hero archetype – the spy. Anticipation is half the fun, isn’t it?
My Current Non-Fiction Habit
After a major Anne Stewart binge, I’ve swung back to non-fiction this month – I can have major binges in both camps for months at a time. My current bedtime reads are The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. During my lunch breaks, I alternate between listening to The Artist’s Way (I like to listen to the current week’s chapter to let the lessons seep deeper into my brain), Atomic Habits by James Clear, and The Write Diet by Julia Cameron.
I don’t tend to have quite so many books on the go at once. Usually, there’s a good fiction book in the mix, but I’m making up for not reading any non-fiction for a few months.
Next on My Non-Fiction TBR List
The Heroine’s Journey by Gill Carriger
I love story structure. It’s been one of my primary focuses throughout my writing, from screenwriting to novel writing and as an editor. I hunted this book down after reading about the feminine journey in Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s 45 Master Characters.
The concept fascinated me with its different structural model. I say structure, but it is, as the title suggests, a journey. One where the timing of the character’s inner change is very different to that of the traditional Hero’s Journey. I can’t wait to dive into this book!
Wide for the Win by Mark Leslie Leffevre
I’ve never been one to put all my eggs in one basket. I like having a backup. I’ve had my novellas in Kindle Unlimited (KU) and though they did quite well there, I didn’t feel like it would be a good fit for any future novels. Being forced to keep your book eggs in the Amazon basket doesn’t really appeal to me, and when I did have my novellas wide—in all the online bookstores (Apple, Google Play, Kobo, etc.) I found I had readers in Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa, you name it. Countries where readers didn’t have access, at that time, to Amazon stores.
When I took a break to edit full-time, I saw the dark side of KU. I had clients twisting themselves into knots to release a new book every forty-five to ninety days to feed the Amazon algorithm—or, as they called it, the Amazon Monster.
It was heartbreaking to see. Their joy for the work was all but gone, and it was clear in the quality of work they were turning into me. Seeing what it did to them cemented my decision to go wide with the Deniable Unit novels when I’m ready to publish. And, as it has been a good load of years since I published any books, I think having Mark as a guide is a smart plan.
My Wish List TBR Books
- A fourth instalment in Anne Stuart’s Fire series. These books are full of danger, deadly operative heroes, hot sex, and romances that leap off the page.
- And, of course, I have to include my own books. I can’t wait to hold the final version of each of my Deniable Unit series novels. Seeing my creations join the ranks of these titles will be a dream come true.
What’s on your reading list? Got any recommendations that might work for my tastes? (No, there’s no such thing as too many spy romances!) Drop your suggestions in the comments, and let’s share our love for the written word
Happy reading, and stay awesome!
Susan x
I’d recommend any of the James Bond books, authored by Fleming or otherwise. Fleming’s include some things that would be considered questionable views these days, but I find that true of a lot of older stories – they are a product of their time.
Thanks for the rec, Kevin. I’ve heard that about Fleming’s books, but forewarned is forearmed!
Morning, Susan. It’s the same thing with the old Conan and John Carter books. Great stories, but you can tell they were written when mindsets were quite different, to put it mildly.
There isn’t enough lifetimes to read all that I would like to read
That’s the curse, isn’t it!
Me too. I will never finish all the books I have in my house and on my Kindle. There are too many.
I keep buying them and forget I even have them!
I’ve a formidable (and growing) list as well. Next up for me is ‘Stories of Your Life and Others’ by Ted Chiang. Very excited about it!
Oh, that sounds like a great next read! I’ve just added it to my TBR 🤦♀️
Really looking forward to it!