So I'm sitting here, in my office, thinking. I've come to a "bump" in my career path, and I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. I have been a college psychology professor for nearly 20 years. Recently, due to a school closure, I lost my job, smack dab in the middle of a semester in the middle of an academic year. Why is the timing important? Because NO ONE is hiring full time professors in the middle of a semester in the middle of an academic year! One of the results of this dearth of employment opportunities is that it has given me time to think. Where do I really want my career to go? What other things could I be doing aside from teaching college? What are some other skills I have that might be valuable?
A book blog? How did I land here?
Well, I love to read and to listen to audio books. In fact I've always got at least 2 books going at any given time. My friends said "You're creative, and a good writer. Why don't you write a book?" But the fact is, I don't have the imagination for creative writing. Imagining characters and situations and conversations, that is not where my creativity lies. Playing dolls or "imagination games" with my daughter when she was little was absolute torture. I would do ANYTHING to avoid playing dolls. What are they going to do? What am I supposed to say? ARGH! Nope, writing a book, fiction in particular, was just not going to happen. Non-fiction, ok, I'll bite. I'm trying my hand at writing a textbook, not sure how it will turn out, but I'm giving it a shot.
Now reading books, that I'm good at. I love to read. I love to listen to audio books. I love all different genres. Thanks to my book club, I've found that I love to talk about books. All of those characters and situations and conversations that I could never make up, I love talking about them.
So, here we are. Maria Reads and Reads... (and reads and reads). My goal is 52 books in 2019. I'm already at 17. I'm going to post some reviews here. Maybe someone will like them! Probably, they won't be super "heady" reviews. Symbolism and I are not friends. I am of the "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" school of symbolism. If you're an author or a publisher and you want me to review your book, send it on! I'm pretty open to most genres of books. The major exceptions are those that rely on Christianity to tell the story ("Jesus take the wheel!" Um, no thanks, I'll be driving myself thanks), and horror (no offense Stephen King, you're an AMAZING writer, I just can't sleep after I read your books, and I love sleep almost as much as I love reading). I read all variety of adult, YA, teen, and juvenile fiction; non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, I run the gambit. Toss me graphic novels, or short story collections, or books written in verse, I'm all over it.
I will warn you, my reviews are all likely to be positive. It takes a LOT for me to not like a book. I may dislike a character, or wish there was a different ending, but usually I find something enjoyable in everything I read. Two notable exceptions - poor editing (if there are grammar errors, that aren't being used for a purpose, I won't be able to read it. I'm a horrible snob that way) and whiny main characters. If your main character complains, but then does nothing to fix the issues they are complaining about, no thank you, I have no time for that nonsense.
So here we are, a blog about books written by an out-of-work college professor, single mom, and reading devotee.
A book blog? How did I land here?
Well, I love to read and to listen to audio books. In fact I've always got at least 2 books going at any given time. My friends said "You're creative, and a good writer. Why don't you write a book?" But the fact is, I don't have the imagination for creative writing. Imagining characters and situations and conversations, that is not where my creativity lies. Playing dolls or "imagination games" with my daughter when she was little was absolute torture. I would do ANYTHING to avoid playing dolls. What are they going to do? What am I supposed to say? ARGH! Nope, writing a book, fiction in particular, was just not going to happen. Non-fiction, ok, I'll bite. I'm trying my hand at writing a textbook, not sure how it will turn out, but I'm giving it a shot.
Now reading books, that I'm good at. I love to read. I love to listen to audio books. I love all different genres. Thanks to my book club, I've found that I love to talk about books. All of those characters and situations and conversations that I could never make up, I love talking about them.
So, here we are. Maria Reads and Reads... (and reads and reads). My goal is 52 books in 2019. I'm already at 17. I'm going to post some reviews here. Maybe someone will like them! Probably, they won't be super "heady" reviews. Symbolism and I are not friends. I am of the "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" school of symbolism. If you're an author or a publisher and you want me to review your book, send it on! I'm pretty open to most genres of books. The major exceptions are those that rely on Christianity to tell the story ("Jesus take the wheel!" Um, no thanks, I'll be driving myself thanks), and horror (no offense Stephen King, you're an AMAZING writer, I just can't sleep after I read your books, and I love sleep almost as much as I love reading). I read all variety of adult, YA, teen, and juvenile fiction; non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, I run the gambit. Toss me graphic novels, or short story collections, or books written in verse, I'm all over it.
I will warn you, my reviews are all likely to be positive. It takes a LOT for me to not like a book. I may dislike a character, or wish there was a different ending, but usually I find something enjoyable in everything I read. Two notable exceptions - poor editing (if there are grammar errors, that aren't being used for a purpose, I won't be able to read it. I'm a horrible snob that way) and whiny main characters. If your main character complains, but then does nothing to fix the issues they are complaining about, no thank you, I have no time for that nonsense.
So here we are, a blog about books written by an out-of-work college professor, single mom, and reading devotee.
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