Previously . . .
The other day I introduced you to Blogging for a Good Book and talked about how it can help you find your next good horror novel. Today I want to talk about how it can help you find books of interest that are not in the horror genre.
–GASP!–
Has the Undead One gone over to the Bright Side?
An Ugly Truth
This really deserves a post of its own but here is the ugly truth: a steady diet of horror fiction and only horror fiction is the quickest way to burn out on the genre. It’s not good for you. Not only will it stunt your literary growth but it will ruin your love of horror. Over time you’ll grow to find horror boring and move on to thrillers, mysteries, fantasies or some other genre.
Occasionally cleansing the palate with a fine classic or a brooding piece of mainstream fiction not only broadens your literary horizons but refreshes you, which keeps the horror from growing stale. This is a warning: I nearly burnt out on horror until I began to vary my diet with fantasies and thrillers, sprinkled with a little bit of non-fiction and anything else that caught my fancy.
How Blogging for a Good Book Can Help
How, you ask, can I find something I want to read that isn’t horror?
The answer is as simple as it is fun. Randomly or methodically stroll through the summaries of Blogging for a Good Book until you find one or two that catches your interest. You can use the category list on the left hand side to select the type of book you’re looking for. You can use the archive list below that if you want to start with the first summaries and work your way up or start with the most recent summaries and work your way down. You can also drop in on a daily basis just to see what’s new. I use all three methods.
The idea is to read or skim the summaries until something catches your attention and give it a closer read. Doing this today I found the next book I need to read: The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. I wasn’t really looking for yet another book to read but I couldn’t help myself. The summary made it sound so appealing.
The Undead Rat Shows You How it’s Done
Here are links to summaries of books that while not horror, still caught my interest. I invite you to take a look at them. You just might find something you’d like to read.
Red Hourglass: The Lives of Predators by Gordon Grice
Last Season by Eric Blehm
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade by Thomas Lynch
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Read On . . . Fantasy Fiction by Neil Hollands
The Triumph of the Thriller by Patrick Anderson
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry
Go, check out Blogging for a Good Book and then, if you have a moment, come back and tell me about your experience in the comments. Did they show you a book that caught your interest? What was it?
Popularity: 6% [?]
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m probably biased since I use the library from whence Blogging for a Good Book originates but here are some titles that I discovered reading this blog. I also gained validation since I have previously read quite a few of the books described and would have read them based on the description if I hadn’t already done so.
Read
Portuguese Irregular Verbs (recommended by Jessica)
Beekeepers Apprentice (recommended by Barry)
and probably more
My list of To be Read
Red Hourglass (recommended by recommended by Todd)
Hippo Eats Dwarf (recommended by Amy)
Fat, White Vampire Blues (recommended by Jinker)
Liquor (recommended by Charlotte)
and I could go on and on.
Greg,
Thanks for the kind words about BFGB! It’s good to know that we are helping folks find new books and authors.
Mack,
They do have a tendency to read good books, don’t they?
Since I started visiting their blog, my ‘To Read List’ has doubled but my reading speed has failed to keep up. And they’re adding a new book each weekday!
I’m a doomed rat.
–Greg “The Undead Rat”
Update:
If you have trouble finding the books Mack mentioned, use the search engine feature on the right hand side of the blog. I checked it and it works very well.
Barry,
Your library is providing a great service. And I’m only too happy to sing BFGB’s praises.
One of the problems with starting a blog or website on the Internet is that you can go a long time without any feedback — you may begin to wonder if what you’re doing is worth it.
I just wanted to let you guys know it is.
–Greg “The Undead Rat”