While there is no mistaking my preference of genre I like to keep this inclination fresh by changing the county of origin of the author. Makes no difference you say?
Then perhaps you have not moved out of your reader comfort zone and have unknowingly stuck to the top 10 list of authors for country in which you live.
I love the UK authors, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, English it doesn’t matter bring on: Val McDermid, Adrian McKinty, Ruth Rendell, Stuart Neville and Denise Mina.
Switching it up means heading into the lands of: Jo Nesbo, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Karin Fossum and Henning Mankell.
When my brain needs a break from the detail and complexity I tend to reach for the easier, quick reads by: Harlen Coben, James Patterson, Stephen J. Cannell and Patricia Cornwell.
Canada, my home and native land brings: Giles Blunt, Louise Penney, Robert Rottenberg, Linwood Barclay, J. Kent Messum, and Andrew Pyper, all these authors and many move give me pleasure from all their writing styles.
It’s a short list and not the least comprehensive. There are many other countries and many other authors and shortly, I will finish a book by Israeli author D.A. Mishani – The Missing File.
For me reading is its own art form. The scenarios, images and shapes take place in your mind, parsed by your perception of the author’s intent. The author writes, you imagine. The author imagines, you read.
It is dance, it is motion even when your heart is stolen or your breath cut short.
Care to share your dance with a favoured author?
6 responses to “The art of reading”
[…] a great supporter of fellow crime writers, their books, events and websites via her blog, Murder in Common. We finally met in “meat space” at Toronto’s latest Noir at the Bar event […]
Madeleine thanks so much for asking me to post on your blog.
I look forward to meeting you again…in person or cyberspace.
June Lorraine
I tend to read books from the USA – probably because there are plenty of them. Mar Preston, Susan Fleet, Wayne Zurl are favourites as well as a number of “big” authors. UK authors – the quintessential whodunits are also favourites. Being Australian, I enjoy Aussie whodunits too as I understand them so well lol Brian Kavanaugh, Vicki Tyley and Laine Moriarty (not strictly crime) are favourites, as is Michael Robotham.
Hello Diana, you are so right; having an understanding of the people and the setting brings depth to a book. I lived in Asia for 3-years so when I read a book taking place in that part of the world it really brings a flavour to the pages I am turning.
I very happily Googled some of the authors you mentioned that I was not familiar with. I now have more names to add to the list. Not to mention I took a peek at the write-ups for your own books: The Naked Room & The Celibate Mouse. I hope there will be more to follow.
http://dianahockley.webs.com/
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
June Lorraine
Interesting topic, June. I agree the author’s country of origin makes a big difference. And like you, I like to mix them up. When the country or location is not one that I’m familiar with, the setting becomes a character in its own right.
I’m currently reading Say You’re Sorry by Michael Robotham. While Robotham is an Australian author living in Sydney, the book is set in the UK (he worked there for some time as an investigative journalist).
A very astute comment Vicki, thanks.
I am a Robotham fan having read: Lost, Say You’re Sorry, The Night Ferry and The Suspect. I’m sure you are enjoying his work,
June Lorraine