Choosing a book to read, by Susan Sanderson

 Writers are encouraged to read widely to improve their vocabulary, their writing style and their background knowledge. Perhaps there are other reasons, I haven’t thought of. If so, your comments are welcome.

When I was a child I was bewildered by the wide choice of books even in our small local library. I took ages to choose. One day when Mum had taken us to the library, Tawny Owl from the Brownies was there. I hadn’t chosen anything, so Mum asked the Brownie leader for recommendations. She suggested the first of The Chalet School series. I enjoyed all those books.

Nowadays I go to the library with a good idea of what I like to read. I mix fiction and nonfiction, literary fiction and light reading. My index of book reviews I have written includes many authors, although some appear more times than others.

I find it interesting to read books by people I have met. A number of ACW members’ names appear in my list.

A shelfie

Books of local interest have a list of their own. When I joined a reading group at a local branch library (now closed), we began by reading books from the local studies section. It was interesting to discuss the merits of traditionally published and self-published books. We each read a different book between meetings.

Later we used sets of books for reading groups. I read some wonderful books that I’d never have found on my own (and a few I struggled with!). While I was a member of the reading group, I wished that it was a writing group. That was a few years before I began blogging and joined ACW. The members of the local writing group I joined have also brought news of books they have read. We picked books by authors with a first or second name beginning with each letter of the alphabet in turn. Meeting every two months, that kept us busy for years!

Recently I have been privileged to receive requests from one or two publishers to read an advance copy of a book. This month I have two such books to blog about. Although they are both novels from Christian publishers they are very different.

I prefer not to read reviews by other people before writing my own. Apart from short reviews in magazines such as Together, I avoid reviews of books I have not yet read.

Talking to other people results in more book recommendations than I find time to follow up. I have a lists in the back of a few diaries! My intention is to look at them on visits to the library, but often I find something else or have left my diary at home.

The next book I have on my pile is Fran Hill’s, The Cuckoo in the Nest. I was fortunate to win it in a competition she ran, probably due to my enjoyment of cryptic crossword puzzles.

How do you choose your next book?

Susan always wanted to be a writer.  In 2012 she revived her interest in writing with a blogging project to collect the kinds of sayings, which were much used in her childhood.

Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, nature study and gardening  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church. She and her husband live in Cumbria. 

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