Quick and Dirty: My New Reading Attitude

Trying to decide what to read can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. I think there’s a lot of people like me who firmly believe the adage, “So many books, so little time.” My stack grows as I get to know even more authors personally and I want to check out their writing.

Oooo, I hate to be disappointed in a book. Sometimes, it’s just that the book isn’t clicking with my current mood and if I pick it up a few months later, I love it. But others time, there ain’t NO helping it. I recently posed a question on my Facebook page and received more responses to it than I think any other post. How long do you give a book until you give up on it? I was seven chapters in to a book and feeling guilty because I just didn’t want to read any more. One highly esteemed writer said: “Some writers can lose me in the first sentence.” Whoa.

So, I’ve decided to be a bit more discriminating in my reading. If I’m not absolutely hooked by the first chapter, I’m tossing it. And I’m passing on my reads with my new attitude to you.

I’ve recently finished Sylvia Day’s REFLECTED IN YOU, the second book in her Crossfire series. This was a book I could hardly put down and I’ve enjoyed this series so far. I think Sylvia just might be one of the best contemporary erotic romance writers I’ve read. If you’ve not read her Crossfire series, place it on your list right now. Her books are truly the best kind of erotic romances for me because of the emotional depth of her characters. Amazing stuff—and great sex scenes.

Here’s a few books that have recently passed my new test—a one chapter read and YES, I want more. I’ve gotten all of them on Netgalley.

CRAVE: THE DINING CLUB by Marina Anderson. My next book that comes out is called “CRAVINGS,” so you know I had to check this out. This is not a food-centered book, as the title might suggest. This is more like a long short story or novella and it’s one in a series of books about a very interesting sex club. The writing is sharp, the story is interesting and kinky, and I’m definitely planning to read more.

CONTROL by Charlotte Stein, another one of my favorites. for me, Stein is like the erotic romance writer’s writer. She should be ten times more famous than most the the ER romance writers out there. This is one very gifted writer.

Here’s the blurb for it: When Madison Morris decides to hire an assistant to help run her naughty bookshop, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. Two very different men are vying for the position…and a whole lot more.

Andy excites her into grasping control, while Gabriel shows her how freeing it can be to just let go. Soon the lines are blurring and Madison is no longer sure who’s leading and who’s following. In the midst of kinky threesomes and power plays, can she’ll have to finally decide what–and who–she really wants. (Pub date Jan. 7)

I had a hard time setting this aside to move on to the next one. This is staying on my iPad until can get to it. It looks like this may be a re-issue of an earlier book, with a better cover. Has anybody out there read the other version?

CAKE by Lauren Dane This one is a fun and sexy read. It’s only 100 pages and it definitely meets my criteria of wanting to read more after one chapter.

Here’s the blurb on this one: She won’t be satisfied with just one bite….

Art student-slash-bike messenger Wren Davis pursues what she wants. And what she wants now is Gregori Ivanov, rock star of the Seattle art scene. With his tattoos, piercings and sensual sneer, Gregori is the ultimate bad boy. Wren’s gotten to know the man beneath the body art, too–and it only makes her crave him more.

But Gregori loves women like he loves cake and champagne–intensely, but only for the moment. And after Wren experiences just how scorching sex with Gregori is, she’s determined to show him that just one taste won’t be enough…

It might look like I’ve just added a whole lot of reading to my pile, but there were several that did not pass the test. How do you manage your reading? How many chapters do you give a book before you give up on it?

And I should mention, to begin the countdown to the release of CRAVINGS, I’m offering one of my own quick and dirty reads over on AMAZON for free this week–until Friday. RIPE FOR YOU –check it out!