A Book I've Enjoyed--A thank you to Helen for helping bring back my love of reading

I've loved reading ever since I first picked up Nancy Drew and Bambi. Which is a good thing--writers are supposed to read.

Problem was, after I was first published, I lost the pleasure of reading. Spent most of my reading mentally editing or critiquing or downright rewriting.

So when a friend of mine, fabulous author and writing educator Helen C. Johannes, started making book recommendations to me via Goodreads, I marked them as "Want to Read" -- but didn't manage the actual "reading" part, lol.

Until recently.

Life is getting more and more complex. Takes more time and energy. I'd simply had it--I needed downtime and I missed my reading. So I made a mental effort to stop critiquing, editing, rewriting.

Shockingly, it worked!

Freed, I went back to Helen's recommendations and reserved a bunch at my library, thinking I'd get a few dribbling in every week.

But noooo. Nine of them came in at once. (Insert reader fright/excitement here (!!)) So I tried one...and found myself gobbling up most of them in less than a week.
 There are many that stand out from my first reading frenzy. One is First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones.

Why did I enjoy it?

• Charley is sarcastic
• She has an enigmatic, sexy love interest
• Mysteries!
• Quirky secondary characters (including a dead guy who only stands facing the corner of her room!?!)
• Awesome concept. "A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper."

First Grave on the Right

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.


Tons of buying choices on Darynda's site.




Thank you, Helen!!



Frankly, doing book reports as a child was grueling. I just wanted to read the story, to experience the adventure and the emotion. But I do want to share my favorites with you. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a book I've enjoyed!