My Not Enough Time Book List

Book lover? I’m past that; “book junkie” is more accurate. Paper or digital makes no difference. I’ll take my tomes straight up new, borrowed with a twist, in an ARC, second-hand, Kindled, folded, spindled . . . I just want to read. My favorite and most anguish-inducing episode of The Twilight Zone is “Time Enough At Last,” where Burgess Meredith (Batman’s nemesis The Penguin) just wants time to read. After an apocalypse leaves him all alone, he has all the reading time and solitude he wants! Until . . . If you’ve seen it, you know the ending that makes every book-lover cringe. If you haven’t, try to see it. Or just watch the spoiler, here.

I digress slightly, but there’s a point to my tangent. Time: that’s all any book lover needs. Summer gives us an advantage–Fridays are a dead zone, vacations and three-day weekends and Jitneys to the Hamptons all conspire in our favor, giving us time to read. And I need time, because I’ve got a long reading list–some of it for work, some of it for pleasure. Here’s my list; please send me yours.

[image error]

TWICE LOVED

LaVyrle Spencer

In addition to having one of the best first names of any romance author ever, LaVyrle opens with a rather killer first chapter. Rye Dalton returns from a five-year whaling mission to Nantucket, and to his beloved wife Laura. Who thought he was dead because his ship went down with all hands. Except for Rye, who got smallpox along the way and was left at a port to recover and eventually sail with another ship. Rye wrote to Laura to tell her this, only she didn’t get any of his letters, and–oopsy–she married Rye’s bestie, Dan. Talk about a love triangle. Did I mention that their son thinks Dan’s his daddy?

[image error]

WRITING YOGA

Bruce Black

I bought this without even really knowing what the book was about; it had my two loves in the title–writing and yoga–which, to me, is like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in book form.

Upon further investigation (meaning, I started reading it), I found out that the book is about keeping a journal of the deep thoughts that occur during and after the meditative process of doing yoga. It’s also about writers finding their authentic voices, which leads to more honesty in life, on and off the mat. I particularly like Black’s discussion of fear of inversions, which I share. Though maybe this journaling thing will help me tackle that. If you like paper and pens and yoga, you’ll like this book.

[image error]

THE FULFILLMENT

LaVyrle Spencer

Another historical, when I’m not a fan of historicals? Yes, because it’s another of LaVyrle’s tricky two-hero setups. In this one, Jonathan and his wife Mary can’t have children because he’s . . . Well, let’s just say that childhood battle with the mumps left his unhitched brother, Aaron, a little more able to father kids. Yeah, you can see where this is going.

Just started this, and I’m loving the unusual subject matter–male infertility!–and waiting to see how LaVyrle lets Mary and Aaron get over their shocked turn-of-the-century selves and consider Jonathan’s indecent proposal.

(Note: I’m also reading this because it’s homework given to me by my editor at Belle Books. My novel, Beach Glass, is also a two-hero deal, and LaVyrle is an expert love triangulator I can learn from!)

[image error]

THE UPANISHADS

Translated by Eknath Easwaran

Right now, you may be thinking: Okay, she’s reading about cuckolded whalers and infertile farmers all caught in bizarre love triangles, and yogic spiritual texts . . . Yep, that’s pretty SOP for me and my book list. I like going between romantic fiction to the kind of deeply spiritual text that takes ancient stories and makes them relevant, and helpful, to my life and my yoga students. For that, there’s no one better than Eknath Easwaran. Even if you’re not into yoga, Eknath’s book Take Your Time is one of the best for showing you how to do less, and get more done, that I’ve ever read. It’s kind of like the Single Habit of Highly Successful Yogis.

There are more books on my list–Gone Girl, A Discovery of Witches–but I’ll blog about them another time. Otherwise, I won’t have time to read!

xx,

S