Saturday, November 24, 2012

Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Books?

Somebody help me, please!

 Hi, I'm Lily Silver, author and historian. Thanks for joining The Beach Book Blast Thankful for Great Books Event!  Our Grand Prize for this event is a Olive Garden Gift Card. Whoo Hoo, I love Olive Garden. Enter to win the Olive Garden gift card on the main BBB site and maybe you'll be going out to eat a romantic dinner on us! Also, leave a comment for me here with your email and be entered to win a $15 iTunes Gift Card on me! 

I'm an avid reader. My favorite pastime as a teen was being cloistered in my room reading a great book. Even better when summer came, as I'd spread a blanket on the grass under a shady tree in our back yard and read away the afternoon.  Bookish, yes, that was me as a teen.

Not much has changed over the decades. I still always have a nose in a good book. The trouble is, these days I find there are just too many good books to read and never enough time. I work at a library. It's heaven, and it's hell. Heaven because I literally have books come to me daily as I work the circulation desk. It's like a kid in a candy story. I check the books in as patrons return them, admire the lovely covers, read the blurbs, and inevitably end up taking many of them home. More of them than I can possibly read. The hell part comes into play when I have to return some of them because they are due, (being a conscientious library employee) without even being able to read them. When it comes to books, I don't have a lot of self restraint. And that's not a bad thing. Nobody died yet from reading too many books.

My first truly memorable read, aside from the ones we all read in school was Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice. It was a new book, back in the '70's. I was a teen and nobody had heard of Anne Rice. I loved Louis, the tortured, angst ridden vampire. I loved the setting of New Orleans in the 18 and 19th centuries depicted in the novel. I loved the time travel feeling as Louis told us about his life back then. Those elements stuck with me. As a writer today, I like historical fiction, mainly romance. I love time travel romance, and I love fantasy (the vampire element of Interview).

As a young adult, I went on to discover Kathleen E Woodiwiss, and her wonderful historical romance stories. My first by her was A Rose in Winter, a historical romance set in 18th century England, with a masked, scarred Lord, and a very poor woman who agrees to marry this dark and scary man in exchange for her stepfather's debts being paid. It was a lot like Beauty and the Beast. I read this book several times, and still have a copy. I've read all of Ms. Woodiwiss' books, but have always considered A Rose in Winter to be her best.

So, as a power reader, I feel I owe tribute to these two women, Anne Rice and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, for shaping my reading tastes and for influencing my writing career. Anne Rice gave me an imaginative peek into the supernatural and let me see the historical world changing through the centuries through her vampire character's lives. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss gave me wonderful romantic fantasies set in exotic locals of the past that were rich with detail and packed a strong emotional wallop. I'm eternally grateful to these two grand ladies, for opening up new worlds to me as a reader and giving me something to aspire to as a writer.

As for my own stories, I do like to imbue a strong element of fantasy within them. The romance genre is all about fantasy. I have heroines who are seers, fairies or as in my most recent release, a celebrity. And my heroes are always a little larger than life. Yeah, that's a fantasy for most of us, isn't it? Being wealthy and famous. But what if . . . what if you achieved success, lived in a nice posh home in Malibu and the guy next door was  . . . a Rock Star! A real rock star--the one you used to fantasize about when you were a teen? And what if  he believed you were his lover in a past life and he wanted you to marry him . . . right now, without hesitation? Would you? Or would you be a little worried about this scenario?

That's the storyline of my newest release, The Rock Star Next Door. It's every woman's fantasy from her teen years. Doesn't matter if it was Elvis you drooled over or Justin Bieber, or maybe you dreamed of country music stars instead. Doesn't matter. You get it if you're a woman. You dreamed of meeting your idol, kissing him, and maybe a little more, maybe a lot more. Well, here's your fantasy and mine . . . your favorite Rock Star chasing after little ol' you.

So now it's your turn:
What are your most memorable reads?  What writer influenced your tastes as a reader today? 
Leave a comment here with your email address and be entered to win a free $15 iTunes card on me, so you can buy more good books! I wish for you the same wonderful dilemma; so many books and so little time!

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26 comments:

Debby said...

Rosemary Rogers is another great author and I love Julie Garwood's historical romances. I too read Kathleen Woodiwiss.
debby236 at gmail dot com

bn100 said...

Congrats on the book! I like Lisa Kleypas' books.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Too Many books, how is that possible?
Add more bookcases or stuff a few more on the cloud!
Best wishes for continued success.
Barbara - bkg0605@aol.com

christina said...

Hey Lily GReat post today

Some of my most memorable reads have come from Johanna Lindsey I love her Malory Family SEries as well as Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. If you enjoy historical romance I would recommend both.

I already read The Rock Star Next Door and really enjoyed it. Yes, we have all drooled over some singer at one time.

Thanks for sharing

Allyson said...

Great post and Excerpt, Binding Arbitration by Elizabeth Marx even though a book I read this year, was just memorable and just amazing! I went through every emotion you can and couldn't put it down! Happy Holidays
allysonbrann06@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien and Raymond Feist -- Johanna Lindsey, Eloisa James and Michelle Sagara (West).

Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
GFC: BookAttict

Stacy Green said...

Hi Lily! We have a lot in common - Anne Rice was a big influence on me, too. Her ability to weave her fiction into history is amazing. Great excerpt, too!

Stacy
stacygreenauthor@gmail.com

Becky said...

Great post! I have a lot of memorable reads which makes it hard to chose. I love reading Diana Palmer, Nora Roberts, and Sandra Brown to name some.
beckyqward@gmail.com

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

I'm not entering the giveaway, but I have to say, when I was in High School, my 'rock star' was Corey Haim. I even wrote a book with him as the main romantic hero and sent him a copy via registered mail. LOL about that, but sad how his life ended.

Johanna Lindsey and Elizabeth Lowell were auto-buys for me about 15-18 years ago. Now I read all the wonderful books my writer friends create! You included. :)

Lynda Haviland said...

Wow! You had me at Kathleen Woodiwiss and Anne Rice. Not to mention that I have my original copy of "A Rose in Winter". I think it's the only romance novel I've ever re-read. Maybe because it appeals to the part of me that loves a good "beauty and the beast" storyline. I love Anne Rice too, but it was her book "The Mummy" that launched my obsession with ancient Egypt. :D

Thanks for offering a great prize!
Lynda@lyndahaviland.com

Janice Lane Palko said...

Loved Little Women, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and the late Maeve Binchy. Going to miss her.

PJ Sharon said...

Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer was one of those books that I could read again. Her prose are so beautiful and her characters feel so real, you remember her stories long after the last page. I love when that happens!

lsilver60 said...

Hi Debbie.
I have also read Rosemary Rogers in my earlier years. She always kept me entertained. Thanks for stopping in.

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Hi bn100,
Lisa Kleypa is my favorite author of historcial romances at present. I love her wallflowers series and the Hathaways. Thanks for sharing.

Lily

lsilver60 said...

I'm with you A.
Too many books, nah. Just push out the walls. If you love books, the library is a great place to work!

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Thanks for stopping in Christina. I have not read Julia Quinn, but I think maybe I should be reading her soon. Johanna Lindsey, yes, years and years ago. I need to check her out again.

Thanks for the compliment on Rock Star. Lex is every woman's fantasy.

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Allyson, thanks for sharing. I'll check that book out. I've heard of it, but with the TBR pile literally towering, it gets tricky trying to remember every new release you want to read.

I"ll write that title and author down!

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Wow, you are very diversified! I like most of those, too.

I love Eloisa James, she's always given me a great adventure with plenty of romance.

Thanks for stopping in.

lsilver60 said...

Hey, isn't that cool.
Yes, I love the Anne Rice vampire chronicles because she does bring the history alive for me, and the supernatural element is cool, too.
Thanks for stopping in, Stacy!

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Becky, thanks for dropping by. I have not read Sandra Brown or Diana Palmer. I'll have to look for them at the library.

Thanks,

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Stacey,

Corey Haim? Hmmm? Interesting. Did he ever write back to you?

I've not read Elizabeth lowell or Johanna Lindsey. I'm with you, I have so many wonderful books to read by writer friends, its hard to keep up with them, let alone buy other books. You have kept me very entertained in the past few years with your wonderful books!

Lily

lsilver60 said...

Yes, another Kathleen Woodiwiss fan! A Rose in Winter is my most favorite romance of all time. Its a shame Woodiwiss died a few years back. She was an true romance icon, like Barbara Cartland.

Thanks for sharing.


Lily

lsilver60 said...

I didn't discover little women until I was an adult. Reading it to my kids. It was great. Same with Jane Eyre. Didn't read it in high school. I discovered the Bronte sisters later in life.

Lily

lsilver60 said...

I've not read her as yet, but I will have to give her a go. A good friend of mine also reads Kingsolver and she is an automatic buy for my friend.

My problem is too many books, not enough time.

Thanks, PJ, for stopping in to share.
Lily

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

I got the slip that he received it (or most likely his agent, or someone) and still have it in one of my 3 scrapbooks of him. I have grown up, really, but it's a childhood memory that's a bit hard to let go.

I'm glad you enjoyed my books! Because you have so much extra time, I suggest you try out her medieval series. Untamed, Forbidden, and Enchanted. Her "Only" series set in the old west is awesome, too.

Unknown said...

I am always look for good books to read online. Reading books is my hobby.

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