I have always been a reader. Growing up, I read at the breakfast table, in the car, waiting in any line.  Once middle school rolled around and my peers no longer realized that recess and lunch were SUPPOSED to be about elaborate imagination play sessions that involved wizards and dinosaurs, I read through those class breaks too.  In high school, I devoured the works of King and Koontz, then moved onto legal thrillers, with one foot firmly planted on the fantasy touchstone that has always been my favorite.  And in college, there was plenty assigned reading that was amazing, but I managed to reward myself with books of my choosing – as in, “Okay, just tough through one more organic chemistry problem and you get to read a chapter of “Eye of the World.”  From hydrogen bonds to warder bonds in one quick page turn!

But in adulthood, especially as I moved into a writing career, finding eyes-on-page time has become more difficult. When I read these days, it’s scripts, outlines, and premises.  The reading need is fulfilled, but not the escapism.  Inspired by my friend Christina Lam, I’ve been trying to read at least 25 books a year, to stay connected with my literary love.  Unfortunately, at the end of the day, looking at words doesn’t feel like a relaxing escape, especially if I can’t turn off my editing brain.  Solution?  Books on Tape!  (Yeah, they’re not really called that anymore, Nicole. )  Er, AUDIOBOOKS.  I have an Audible subscription and I love it.  Because when you’re LISTENING to books, you can multitask – ie, wait in line, clean, go for a hike, drive in a car… It almost makes grout-scrubbing something to look forward to!  Almost.

The one exception to this audiobook rule is when I really, really want to savor a book (Patricia Briggs!).  Or if it has diagrams (see “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”).  Or if it’s not on Audible (obvs).

Here’s a list of the books I’ve read this year so far…

• Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City, by Greg Grandin
• The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin
• Wolfsbane and Mistletoe: Hair-Raising Holiday Tales, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
• Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline
• The Giver, by Lois Lowry
• Fledgling, by Octavia Butler
• Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell
• Fire Touched, by Patricia Briggs
• Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
• Following Atticus, by Tom Ryan
• The Hob’s Bargain, by Patricia Briggs
• Putin Country, by Anne Garrels
• The Secret Life of the American Musical, by Jack Viertel
• Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
• Beauty, by Robin McKinley
• The Water is Wide, by Pat Conroy
• Masques: Aralorn, Book 1, by Patricia Briggs
• Year of Yes, by Shonda Rhimes
• Belgravia, by Julian Fellows
• The Many Selves of Katherine North, by Emma Geen
• Monster Hunter International, by Larry Correia
• The Tournament, by Matthew Reilly
• Wolfsbane: Aralorn, Book 2, by Patricia Briggs
• The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, by Amy Schumer
• Little Nothing, by Marisa Silver
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
• Nu-Strike, by Steve Hulett
• Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
• The Lark and the Wren, by Mercedes Lackey

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