Reading Re-Reading, and Studying

When it comes to reading, I tend to multitask. There are books that I am reading, books that I decide to re-read, and books that I mull over as I read— that is the studying part. Seldom do I read one thing at a time.

The last fiction item that I read was a bit of a disappointment. Having read Angela Knight’s entertaining paranormal romance, Jane’s Warlord, I purchased her new entry in that series, Warrior: The Time Hunters, from eBook retailer Fictionwise. Jane’s Warlord, considered a “debut” novel by the “big time” publishers in NY, was not a debut at all, because Angela Knight, who has written for newspapers for years under her real name, has been writing erotic and science fiction for the eBook publishers for quite a while prior to making the jump to a bigger publishing house. My take on Jane’s Warlord is that Knight has a magical ability to combine character, setting, suspense, and a sufficient amount of science-fiction/fantasy elements to cause a lover of the genre (me) to say, “Wow, that was a good book.” Any readers of this blog who don’t know me might not realize that I do not gush over anything, so that is high praise. Alas, Warrior may share the same setting and a few characters, but it seems to be a pedestrian work. Knight has great talent, and I will probably try something else by her, but this book is not just not worthy.

For the past few weeks (months, really) I’ve been reading (and sometimes re-reading) Conversation Peace. This is a combo inspirational and self-help book. The intended audience is the gossiper, and, as I noted in my previous post, that is not usually a problem for me. That is not why I am studying it. All people, certainly not just yours truly, are sometimes victims of the wagging tongue. The lesson in this book is to avoid retaliation when being victimized. I suppose that means that perpetrators and victims can benefit from it! Certainly it is worth a read, and I am actually studying and not just reading it.

As for re-reading, I have logged some time in health care facilities recently— not as a patient, but as a “caregiver.” When there is nothing to read, I turn to my handy Palm, with some 65 eBooks installed. Thus, I was clicking through the list, and picked Pauline Baird Jones’ “The Key” to wile away some time, and I was hooked, yet again. An earlier entry is devoted to this book, and I did enjoy it the second time as well. Some books don’t hold up to re-reading, but this sassy heroine’s adventures are such fun that I finished it at home, where there are plenty of things in my TBR stack.

For more on my reading, including some upcoming titles, see my shelf at Shelfari.