Why Blog?

OK…I guess I put the proverbial cart before the horse by blogging about book suggestions before telling my readers why I am taking the time to write this blog.  While you probably already got the idea by reading my first post, which suggests some good mysteries to enjoy while sitting poolside, I am going to give you some more background just to make sure. 

I am a reader, plain and simple.  When asked what hobbies I enjoy, my response is “reading.”  While this is not the most exciting of hobbies, it is one that lets me travel through time, visit a multitude of places and experience things that I would never get to do otherwise.  I get to sit and knit with the ladies of The Friday Night Knitting Club, live life on the Isle of Palms through The Beach House or be transported back to the 1980s to work in a Brooklyn sweatshop alongside a young, Chinese immigrant with Girl in Translation.  I can be swept off my feet by a handsome man (Too Good to Be True) or living in the United States’ last leper colony (In the Sanctuary of Outcasts).  I get to do all of this and more from the comfort of my favorite reading spot.

For the longest time I found myself in a rut, always reading the same type of books. To help push me outside of my comfort zone, I have become a member of two separate book clubs.  One consists of the moms in my neighborhood and the other is a group of teachers I work with.  This was the best thing I could have ever done.  The result is that I have read and enjoyed so many books that I would have otherwise never read.  Now that my eyes have been opened to the all these new books, I am constantly searching for what to read next.  Because I never know what I will be in the mood to read, I spend an exorbitant amount of time searching the Internet and reading book reviews for my next great read.  As a result, I have a “too be read” list that seems to be never-ending.  Now if only I had the time to make a dent in the list, life would be grand!

So, what role does this blog play in my obsession with reading?  Well, I am one of those people who love to pass on a spectacular book to another reader.  I am also one of those people who love to talk about what I am reading.  Thanks to some great reading karma, I have recently enjoyed a lot of wonderful books, books that I can’t tell enough people about.  And that is where the idea for this blog was born.  This is a place where I can share what I am reading and hopefully help other readers discover a treasure they might never have read without a nudge in the right direction. 

Quick reference of books mentioned in this post…

1.       The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

2.       The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

3.       Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

4.       Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins

5.       In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White