Saturday, March 24, 2012

100 Books in 2012 Challenge Update

I deliberately did not post about by progress in this challenge for almost two months because I needed a long-ish list so that it wouldn't be obvious which books I read and judged for the RITA contest.


Listed below, not necessarily in the order in which I read them, are books 8-27 in my progress toward the goal of 100 books read this year.

8.  Dangerous Diversions by Margaret Evans Porter (reread from 15 years ago)
9.  Toast of the Town by Margaret Evans Porter (reread from 15 years ago)
10.  Lady Emma’s Dilemma by Rhonda Woodward (reread from 6 years ago)
11.  The Marquis’ Kiss by Regina Scott
12.  Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke
13.  Dangerous in Diamonds by Madeline Hunter
14.  Heartache Falls by Emily March
15.  Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
16. Risky Christmas by Jill Morrison and Jennifer Morey (two novellas)
17.  One Summer by JoAnn Ross (sb2)
18.  The Angel in my Arms by Stefanie Sloane
19.  The Next Always by Nora Roberts
20.  On Lavender Lane by JoAnn Ross (sb3)
21.  Devlin’s Light by Mariah Stewart
22.  Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash
23.  Coming Home by Carla Kelly (three novellas)
24.  Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri Dulong (ck3)
25.  Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb (id32)
26.  New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (id33)
27.  Tides of War by Stella Tillyard

Of all these books, the ones I liked the best were On Lavender Lane by JoAnn Ross and Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri Dulong. The book I liked the least was Tides of War by Stella Tillyard. The author's non-fiction books that I've read were excellent, but, unfortunately, she does not know how to write a good novel.

Considering that the year is not quite one-quarter old and I've read twenty-seven books, I think I'll succeed in this challenge.

Is anyone else participating in the 100 Books in 2012 Challenge? What's the best book you've read this year?

Susannah

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Fiction and the Brain

If you've ever wondered why authors describe things the ways they do, here's there answer. The New York Times' Sunday Review summarizes the results of some scientific studies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html?_r=1