Reading

It turns out, even before the strike, TV wasn't that compelling.

Early last year, I spent every night watching TV. That kind of continued with the Dark Angel and Gilmore Girls DVDs in the summer, but when fall hit, I was bored. There was one show that I still felt was great, a few that made me want to watch before they accumulated many episodes, and some I just had to drop. I still haven't watched much Bionic Woman and no Private Practice yet. I weep for the return of Supernatural, and I'm looking forward to Lost and The Sarah Connor Chronicles. But I'm not eager to turn on the TV, not even to rewatch Supernatural, which I did at least three times each episode last year.

So what am I doing instead?

Sometimes I'm working. Sometimes I'm reading blogs and entertainment info (much of it strike-related) online. But most of the time, I'm reading.

It's nice. Quiet. My kids are in bed, my husband downstairs on his computer. I have a dog and two cats in the room with me, usually one on my lap, and I'm completely relaxed. It's something I'd been doing less regularly since I got into TV on DVD, and I missed it.

I think I mentioned that my TBR pile was very low, and between my brother, my husband/kids, and some generous friends with gift cards, I was able to build it back up again. I go to start a new book and stand in front of the shelf, giddy with choice, many of them books by friends or people I know.

One of those is Deep Magic by Joy Nash. I met Joy years ago, I think first through the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of RWA. I judged her first Celtic paranormal historical, Celtic Fire, in a contest, and even though I was already not reading historicals anymore, generally speaking, I really liked her entry. I met her in person a while after that, and when I went to speak at her chapter and we had dinner first, she was talking about the book and I recognized it!

Anyway, I haven't read Deep Magic yet, but I know it will have the same blend of rich worldbuilding, intense emotion, and heart-pounding action as her earlier books. You can check it out here.

So, what books are you looking forward to? What's drawing you to the armchair in the silent living room, under a warm kitty, with a yummy beverage steaming beside you? (Or, you know, the equivalent. :)