Cathy C. Hall Writes

The reality of my book shelves

Writers tend to be voracious readers, don’t they?

Of course, I was more voracious before I started writing so seriously; now, I squeeze in my reading in odd little increments here and there. Still, I savor any snippet of reading time, and I’m sure I’m a better writer because of reading.

During early days of writing kidlit, I read a lot of kidlit. Because I was drawn to writing middle grade and chapter books and humor, those are the books I sought out in my library. And then I immersed myself in picture books because I had a hankering to write a picture book or thirty-seven. Then back to middle grade and YA novels where my heart was calling. If I wanted to write kidlit, I figured, I needed to be kidlit.

Or something like that.

But a funny thing happened. I missed adult books. I missed mysteries and women’s fiction and award-winning novels. I hungered for Brit wit and classics and Neil Gaiman’s fairy tales. Oh! And ghost stories! I love true ghost story collections!

The book shelves of my sweet dreams

And so I began to sneak in an adult novel here and there, or a cheesy ghost story paperback, into the old TBR pile. To be honest, those sneaky books would always somehow end up on the top of the pile. So I’d practically read ’em under the covers– and get back to my serious kidlit reading before anyone caught me.

Until one day when I realized that any reading–even the really bad stuff– is good for me and my writing.

Goodness. That was a long way to go to ask what are you looking forward to reading in 2018? Do you have reading goals? I hit my goal over at Goodreads for 2017, thanks to a pile of terrific rhyming picture books I read there at the end of the year (and a ghost book or two).

So. I started this year with a book of essays, I WAS TOLD THERE’D BE CAKE by Sloane Crosley.

And you know what? I’m enjoying every delicious minute of it!

What? Checking Facebook for game stuff is work.

So I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish before the big college championship game tonight. But bright and early this morning, whilst reading about the big game in my newspaper, I heard from a Mister Brother Man (I have three of ’em) and brother men do not call just to chat. There was business to discuss (plus football, natch), and would I do some research for him?

Okay, fine, but first I needed to call Juniorette Hall to relay some of the business news (and discuss the game); no worries, I’d be off the phone in a jiffy, then do my research stuff, and then get to my list.

Except then Oldest Junior Hall called and we had to discuss the business, but mostly the football game, and then, no more fooling around, I needed to get that research done (because Brother Man had sent me a text asking for it!). And no joke, I was right in the middle of the research when Youngest Junior Hall pulled into the driveway.

To take me to lunch. Because yes, by then, it was lunchtime. So I finished my research, and Brother Man called again–seriously? Does anybody in the state of Georgia plan to work today?–and took a shower because people out in the world expect you to show up clothed and relatively decent-smelling (though my kids probably know better by now).

Anyway, off to lunch we went to discuss the business and the research and we were almost going to come home so I could work before the big game tonight (which we also had to discuss) when Youngest Junior Hall remembered an Office Depot detour he needed to make.

It’s almost 4:00 now and unless a dead relative decides to pop in (and discuss the game), I think I’m good to get to work. So if you have a minute, maybe you could pop in over at The Muffin and read my post for today: “Time to Tackle What’s Holding You Back.”

Yeah, you can’t make this kind of stuff up. (And one more thing! Go Dawgs!)