Stop Reading Shit!

Andrew – I heard an author once say that there are so many books in the world that if you are not enjoying the one you are reading, put it down and get another one. 

Monica McInerney the author who told me what's what

I never used to be able to do it, now I do it all the time. I have started so many books over the years that not so long ago, my bedside table looked like a literary graveyard.

(A few days ago I put all of my half read/not read books into a separate section of our library. Wasn’t that hard really and going to bed now in an uncluttered space, must be good for my feng shui.)

Gusband's side of the bed

My newly culled bedside table

The problem (and I use that term very loosely as I know it’s a problem lots of people would like) is that in my line of work publishers are always sending advanced copies of titles they want us to read. I take the ones I think I’ll one day get to but more often they simply join the growing pile next to my bed. It doesn’t help that I read everything. By that I mean I don’t have a particular genre that I stick to. I love crime, I like to think I like reading literary titles, coming up to Christmas I even read “chick lit” or as it's now called "light fiction" and young adult books. I do this under the guise of being able to suitably advise you on a Christmas gift. The truth is I also enjoy them.

When Gusband and I spent a month in Bali I had to pack a bag for just books, for several reasons. For starters I do very little in Bali but read and more importantly when you finish a book, you never really know what genre of book you will feel like next. Hence the suitcase full of options.

I have just finished a book that I really didn’t enjoy so I thought I needed to read something completely trashy. As I headed for the bath with my copy of “Unmasked: Erotic Stories of Gay Superheroes” I thought for sure I had found something suitable trashy to get me through the bath at least. Guess again and I really should have known from the title! There is nothing more infuriating than being stranded in the bath with a bad book – a bad book that is neither “erotic” or “stories” really.

So I’m almost finished Alan Hollinghurst’s “The Stranger’s Child” I love, love, love it! Don’t even get me started on “The Street Sweeper” by Elliot Perlman, it is fabulous and due to be released in October.

If this sounds like shameless self promotion, then you may be right. I just get so excited at this time of year. Ahhh Christmas new releases! You’ve gotta love them.

What are you reading campers?


Lucy - So in order to stop reading shit I guess I'll have  to start reading something more than trashy mags, which are probably classed as shit with pictures.
The last books I was truly engrossed in & it pains me to say it (especially to Andrew, bookworm extraordinaire)Yes Campers it was the TWILIGHT SERIES!!!! oh the pain of a person my age loving it, but I confess I did.
Which leads me to the fact that now I have a little bit of Rob Pats twilight life in my life. My sister has decided that I apparently love him & continually buys me Rob Pats shit! a DVD about him, the Twilight board game..... A Twilight calendar.....the list goes on & my face is getting redder by the second in embarrassment. In order to defend myself I wish you all to know that I have not played the board game or watched the DVD.

Twilight Board Game, Sad But True!

The books I do love are my cookbooks, Sawusband & I have a cookbook collection which rivals Gusbands (if that is possible), he is the queen of cookbooks but I think a lot of that has to do with his husband owning a quality bookstore. 

Most of our collection.

I must admit that since we moved away from the OC I have had trouble finding a quality bookstore that stock a great range. We did have a Borders store which has closed down now, they had a great range, but the best store I know is Boomers Bookshop in the OC. I liked it because it has rolled the ABC shop with everything else. Now It sounds like I'm promoting Andrew....Sad....but what can I do... it's true.....


Anywho I'm off to buy a trashy mag....oh, I mean a novel of substance.


Happy reading, Campers.