About Marla

[Marla]

I have a message to show my current challenges

[Marla]

Reading Preferences

Some things about my reading...though I LOVE serial killer and FBI/detective books, amateur sleuths and cozy mysteries are only okay, but I don't care for lawyers or journalists and whodunits without a serious body count. I never liked Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys or Encyclopedia Brown as a child but who cares who stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

I like strong, spunky, and sassy heroines in a good action/adventure, YA or paranormal romance.

I prefer reading dead tree books. I only listen to books that I don't want to read, but are entertaining stories or that have a great narrator. If I get tired of listening to the series, then I'm done and move on. I have an ereader, but I haven't decided how it fits into my reading habits. Primarily, I've used it for books for-review by the author, ARR or R4R or R&R. Though I haven't been reading and reviewing ARR/R4R or R&Rs or participating in Buddy Reads for the past few years. I have used my ereader to take multiple books with me when I'm traveling, because besides the battery time, it is much better than carting around multiple dead tree books in my luggage.

Only if I like or care about at least one character in the story, can I usually like the book. I like books about vampires and demons again, but I'm not crazy about angels or vampire hunters. I like character driven historical fictions in spite of the history. I am not a huge fan of steampunk or dystopia, but will read them for a good love story. I am currently back into science fiction and horror, but reading less fantasy. I don't want a Mary Sue heroine, don't require a HEA but don't like depressing books. I read to be entertained and for relaxation.

I tend to go through phases where I read certain genres at a time with an occasional book club book thrown in the mix. Series books are great because I have several books with the same characters/virtual friends before I have to find another series. My current favorite genres: serial killer thrillers, paranormal fantasy romance, and romantic suspense.

Reading challenges with loose deadlines are a still an interest. But I'm scaling back from the multitude I used to do and update to using them more as a tool to direct my reading.

[Marla]

Book Advice about finishing all books you start.

Rebecca: Marla, I used to be the same way until I saw a quote on a Starbucks Cup about reading to a certain page number based on your age. In doing a quick google search, it appears to have been written by Nancy Pearl - here's her thoughts on the matter:

Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 for dropping a bad book

I've realized that there are always more books out there to move onto. The only rule where I have to finish is if I've spent money on it. Hope you enjoyed the article!

I logically support not finishing uninteresting books, but I still can't bring myself to abandon books. ~ Marla

Summary: So give a book 50 pages to draw you in or if you are over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that's your determining page count. I still can't abandon books, but the idea is growing on me.