Genre Fiction

Whenever I see someone reading, I get nosy and try to see the cover and title of their book. Yesterday, on my commute home, I had a field day snooping on my fellow bus riders and their activity of choice, reading included.

Next to me, a young girl listened to an MP3 player while playing games on hercell phone. Two people at the front of the bus read the free daily newspaper; further back, two people solved the crossword and sudoku puzzles from this same paper. Two high school girls taught each other clapping and stomping rhythms. Finally, I noted two people - one man and one woman - reading books. It took some careful spying, but I determined what novel they each held.

The woman was reading one with an interesting cover: it had three women in bikinis, draping themselves sexily about in water. The name of this tempting gem? Sistergirls.com. After looking it up online, I am even less inclined to give this one a try. There are no fewer than eight authors credited for the five books in this series about the intrigue and danger of meeting someone online. It follows the (apparently) in demand Blackgentlemen.com series.

To the left of me, was a boy-man that made it difficult for me to be nosy - the nerve of him getting antsy upon noticing me staring! But I was finally successful; he was reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner Azkaban (1999) by J. K. Rowling, the third of seven in the Harry Potter series.

And that’s what people around me are reading. Keep your eyes open - it’s fun to spy on reading people!

Today, July 31, is Harry Potter’s (the character) birthday! Likewise, it is Potter author J.K. Rowling’s birthday, too.

Happy birthday to both J.K. and Harry!

Although I tend toward historic fiction lately, sometimes, a good, girly, light-hearted read is what I am looking for. It didn’t take me long to figure out that such novels had a stronger tendency to be disappointing. Likewise, I quickly figured out that looking for the Red Dress Ink logo (shown here) on a cover or spine was a quick and easy way to ensure the book with captivate and entertain me. When a fluffy, pink-covered, chick-lit novel is what I need, I turn to Red Dress Ink.

Here are some of the Red Dress Ink titles that have a found a welcomed home on my shelves.

Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend (2002) by Lynda Curnyn: Her boyfriend leaves her for a job cross-country and, rather than wallowing in her sorrows, Emma spends time focusing on her career, her girlfriends, and her self.

Fishbowl (2002) by Sarah Mlynowski: Three women from three different walks of life - a law student, a party girl, and a youthful, innocent one - become roomates and are surprised to find fast friendship.

On the Verge (2002) by Ariella Papa: A 23-year-old, small town, New Jersey girl, who work in New York City at a trendy magazine, makes the leap and moves to the city. She’s on the verge of becoming a self-sufficient person, a magazine professional, and a woman.

It’s not often that I give up on a book. Cold Mountain (1998) by Charles Frazier and The Little Friend (2003) by Donna Tartt are the only two books that I remember putting down half way through reading.

But I have found a book that can repel me faster than any other, a book that I put down a mere ten pages in. Tuscany for Beginners (2005) by Imogen Edwards-Jones is that book.

At face value, it seemed like a similar story as Under the Tuscan Sun (1997) by Frances Mayes. In the preface, Tuscany admits to taking cues directly from Tuscan, saying that the main character had a rough patch in her life, then became inspired by reading Under the Tuscan Sun and headed to Italy. The novel is to be her diary of this adventure. After the first small chapter, however, the diary format disappears and third person steps in. On top of the writing aspects that annoyed me so quickly, the main character irked me as well: she was rude to her daughter when she wanted to visited.

That was it. The book was closed and listed for trade on Paperback Swap.

I feel that I have grown as a reader to be able to put down a book that is not interesting, where I used to believe that it was a must to drudge through, regardless.

UPDATE: I forgot the most annoying aspect of the writing style used in this book: to give an Italian edge and feel to the novel, or perhaps to just constantly remind the reader of the locale, every tenth word or so is randomly in Italian! And they are not words and phrases that you can use contextual clues to deduce the meaning of.

Bibliotherapist showed up on my career placement exam when I was graduating college. I had never heard the term before, and was definitely intrigued.

The practice of bibliotherapy merges psychological therapy with reading as a form of recreational therapy. Practitioners use books with a message, targeted toward their patient’s specific needs, to help portray the psychology of a situation through easy-to-relate-to characters and stories.

A new adult fiction book, released last week, sets out to help readers lose weight under these same theories.

A Novel Diet (2008) by Nikki Lang tells a story too familiar to many women today: 32-year-old Cheryl is tired of being overweight, and is ready to do something about it.

As readers follow Cheryl’s story, common weight-loss questions are answered, a format more appealing and memorable than reading an F.A.Q. guide. Topics addressed include: How is breakfast vital to shedding pounds? Why does is help to eat more, smaller meals? Why do people who weigh more tend to cook less? Which types of exercise are crucial for weight-loss?

Dr. Lang - that’s right, the author is an M.D. - has a similar book targeted to teens, and her own Web site - Novel Medicine - where you can learn more about her novel approach to health care through recipes, her blog, and more.

I’m a very lyrical person. I memorize even the lyrics and tunes of TV commercials just by overhearing it a few times. This may explain why I get so geeky excited (I’m easily entertained) over songs that mention things - anything - that I like. I smile over songs with my name in it, vegetarian mentions, or nostalgic mementos.

Listening to the radio today, I was reminded that there are songs out there with books, novels, and fiction woven in.

Nickelback compared their love life to books in the second verse of Someday:

“Now the story’s played out like this
Just like a paperback novel
Lets rewrite an ending that fits
Instead of a Hollywood horror”

Seal’s words in Kiss from a Rose were commonly misunderstood as a book reference. Where his lyrics read: “To me you’re like a growing addiction that I can’t deny”; listeners (me and my mom) often heard: “To me it’s like you wrote a dictionary, don’t you know?”

Can you think of any more?

Tonight, one of my favorites events ever is going to happen. I finished my nighttime book last night, and tonight I get to pick out which book to dive into next. I live for this moment.

But so many choices! And it’s such a big decision. Do I hit up one of Jennifer Weiner’s that I haven’t read yet? Or Barbara Kingsolver? Which way do I turn?!

After careful strategizing and planning, I have narrowed my next bedtime read down to two choices. Neither is one that I had heard of prior to spying them at the used bookstore, but both remind me of another story that I’ve previously enjoyed.

Option 1: Tuscany for Beginners (2005) by Imogen Edwards-Jones, which sounds like a more comical version of Under the Tuscan Sun (1997) by Frances Mayes.

Option 2: The Birth of Venus (2004) by Sarah Dunant seems to fall in line perfectly with Tracy Chevalier’s fantastic works of fiction blended with art history.

Decisions, decisions …

I’m guessing that you enjoy reading books. I’m also going to guess that your interest in reading began at a young age because someone put a fun, colorful, easy-to-read book in your hands and taught you how to read.

Not all children are so lucky. Some cannot afford books. Some have illiterate parents. Some will never learn to read; others will have such difficulties that they will be turned off from books.

That’s where First Book comes in.

First Book is a nonprofit organization that gives “children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.” And they need your help on both ends - collecting and distributing.

Here’s how you can help inspire a child to become an avid reader:

* Donate funds to First Book. Every $2.50 buys a new book, because 98 percent of their income goes directly to the cause.

* Register your organization, school, community center, etc. to be eligible to receive new books.

* Buy yourself some new books through the First Book shop and the proceeds of your purchase will go to the charity.

* Check out the “Get Involved” part of the Web site to realize dozens of other ways to help.

Hello and welcome to my new site - Genre Fiction!

I am not the first writer to grace these Web pages, and Genre Fiction is not the first pages that I am gracing. You can also find my musings at Living Without Meat - a resource for vegans, vegetarians, or those just interested in animals and healthy food - and Style Fix - updates on what’s happening in the fashion world.

But to write about books? I am thrilled for this opportunity!

I have started out by reworking the “categories” section a bit (it’s to the right and down a bit on every page). Checking these out should give you a hint as to where I intend to go with Genre Fiction.

Adapted for Film: if it is, was, or will be turned into a screenplay for TV, big screen, or mini-series - you’ll find anything I write about it here.

Author Bios: sometimes, for me, it’s all about the writer behind the book (I’ll read anything by Augusten Burroughs!).

Book Reviews: … yup. They’ll be here.

Book Tours and Other Events: if you want to get your copy signed, meet the author, bump elbows with other readers, or just be “in the know” about where authors are headed - it will be here.

My Favorites: I will try to be unbiased, but there are strong books out there that I will read over and over and over and …

My Rantings: every thing must have a home. Quick personal spurts, news, etc. (like the intro you’re reading right now) will be caged here.

New Releases: classics and old faves are great, but nothing beats the anticipation of waiting for highly-praised book to hit shelves. I’ll do announcements, quick reviews, and more … within a month or so of the book being released.

New York Times Bestsellers: you’ve heard the buzz, it’s been labeled a hit by the NY Times, will you love it? And why is it so popular?

Written by Previous Writers: as I mentioned, I’m not the first. All previous reviews and writings are gathered together here.

Hope to have you back soon!