If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to be a reader.
Yes, I know you know that. But are you reading? Not the newspaper, or the magazines in the checkout aisle, or the cereal box on the breakfast table. I’m sure those all make for mighty interesting reading. But what you’ve got to read is mighty fine books.
And what I’ve found today is the Goodreads Choice Awards over at Goodreads.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to be bothered with posting all the books you’ve read on Goodreads. Or that you don’t care about the really cool Goodreads widgets. Or that you might get sucked into playing that books trivia game and have a screaming hissy fit because you miss three questions in a row that, really, you knew but didn’t go with your gut first answer. Ahem.
No, writers. What matters is what you’ll find at Goodreads that’s going to help you become the best writer you can be.
You’re going to find lists of books. And with the Goodreads Choice Awards, you’re going to find 15 excellent, current books in each of 30 categories. You’ll find the best humor books (Want to write humorous essays? Check ’em out). You’ll find the best of the year’s memoir (Got a life story? Check those out.) You’ll find the best non-fiction (Thinking of a proposal? Look into what’s out there.). And you’ll find the best in fiction, from horror to historical, graphic novels to romance, picture books to paranormal fantasy.
So, off you go, writer. Goodreads is a mighty fine place to start finding, well, good reads. And if you’re like me, you’ve got an awful lot of reading to catch up on!
Cathy C. Hall Writes 
Ack! More books to add to my to-read list! The good news, though, is that I'm right in the middle of reading – and enjoying! – the first one on the first page, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN. (I mean, come on! What a great title!) 🙂
I KNOW! I'm like number 87 trillion on the wait list of my local library. Pooh.(I hear A Monster Calls is really good, too–if you like MG.)
Hi Cathy! I'm not even going there…to Goodreads, I mean…or the fact that I've been in a reading slump for a long time. I'm pretty picky about what I like and what I'll read. If I'm not really into it in the first few pages, they've lost me! I just picked up a book Wednesday from the library and hope I love it…I'll tell ya later! 🙂
Oh, good luck, Becky! There was a time when I HAD to finish a book once I started reading. But now…not so much. 😉
How do I find the time to go out to all these nifty sites you keep telling me about? Does Goodreads list any reliable books about cloning?? I have actually signed up at Goodreads, I just don't head over there very often.