Sunday, December 8, 2013

'Tis the Season for Reading

The Road to You is a story about finding truth...
and love...along the highway of life.
Right now, I'm in between books...that is, in between writing them. I've been pretty much on a nonstop deadline for the past five and a half years with very few pockets of down time to just read. 

More often, I've only been able to snatch a few minutes here or there, while waiting in the school parking lot to pick up my son or at the orthodontist's office, etc. And, much as I love writing, I've missed those nights of snuggling up with my Kindle or a new paperback on the sofa downstairs, while the guys in my house obsess over the Blackhawks playing hockey. I've missed those cold winter weekends where the snow outside makes exercising at the gym even less appealing than usual, and I just need to escape into a novel for a few uninterrupted hours...

After having three major releases in 2013 (including my coming-of-age romantic mystery THE ROAD TO YOU in October) and finishing up edits on the new-adult/romance anthology I've got coming out in mid-January (ALL I EVER WANTED with authors Caisey Quinn, Rhonda Helms and Lexi Ryan), I promised myself that December would be all about reading. In fact, that's my Christmas gift to myself!!

So, it was doubly exciting for me when I found out that the theme of this month's GBC cycle was on sharing books, particularly those written by my fellow Girlfriends. I've had the pleasure of reading a novel (or two or three!) by almost all of them, and I have quite a few on my Kindle or paperback TBR list as well. Below are some of the titles that fit into one of those categories, and they're all books I'd recommend for readers to check out!

Ariella Papa ~ A SEMESTER ABROAD
Barbara Claypole White ~ THE IN-BETWEEN HOUR
Brenda Janowitz ~ RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE
Christa Allen ~ THE EDGE OF GRACE
Cindy Jones ~ MY JANE AUSTEN SUMMER
Ellen Meister ~ THE OTHER LIFE
Ernessa T. Carter ~ 32 CANDLES
Hank Phillippi Ryan ~ THE OTHER WOMAN
Jacqueline Luckett ~ SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER
Jenny Gardiner ~ ANYWHERE BUT HERE
Jess Riley ~ ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE
Judith Arnold ~ SAFE HARBOR
Karin Gillespie ~ BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR
Laura Spinella ~ BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
Lauren Baratz-Logsted ~ THE BRO-MAGNET
Leslie Langtry ~ 'SCUSE ME WHILE I KILL THIS GUY
Leslie Lehr ~ WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS
Maggie Marr ~ HOLLYWOOD GIRLS CLUB
Malena Lott ~ SOMETHING NEW
Maria Geraci ~ A GIRL LIKE YOU
All I Ever Wanted - coming January 13, 2014!
Megan Crane ~ I LOVE THE 80s
Melissa Clark ~ SWIMMING UPSTREAM, SLOWLY
Michele Young-Stone ~ THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS
Samantha Wilde ~ THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME
Sara Rosett ~ ELUSIVE
Saralee Rosenberg ~ DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD
Sheila Curran ~ EVERYONE SHE LOVED
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga ~ LOVE IN TRANSLATION

How about you?? What have you got on your reading list for this month? Any novels you've been itching to break open? Any others you've especially enjoyed?

Whatever your December plans, may you all have a fabulous holiday season and a happy, healthy and safe start to 2014!!

---
Marilyn Brant is a USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary fiction and was named the 2013 Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She loves to listen to music, travel to new places, and read for hours at a time...whenever she can. She's also really fond of ice cream -- even in winter.

8 comments:

  1. Five and a half years?! You've earned that downtime, Marilyn!! And I'm so honored to be on your list.

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    1. Thanks, Brenda!! I've been really enjoying the past week or so and staying up late just because I don't want to put down the book I'm reading... It's heaven! I've got Recipe for a Happy Life in my TBR pile, but I'm a chick-lit fan from way back & I loved Scot on the Rocks when I read it some years ago -- so cute, funny and charming ;).

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  2. Wow, Marilyn, you've been a busy girl! Congrats on all the releases and kudos to you for taking time off to read!

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    1. Maria, thank you, my friend!! You should already know what a fan I am of your stories -- I've read them *all*!! Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday & I hope to get to see you in person again sometime soon...maybe in the New Year! xo

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  3. Great Post Marilyn and I totally agree there is no better way to sludge through the winter than through the eyes of your favorite author or even better a brand new fav.
    There's lots on my list this winter and whenever I have a spare minute it's what I'm doing in between, life, love and the pursuit of book
    Happy Holidays to a very special lady :)
    xoxo
    deb

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    1. Deb,
      If anyone is busy reading -- at ALL times of the year, not just during the holidays -- it's YOU! Whenever I peek in on your blog or visit your FB page, I'm always in awe of how many books you've read and reviewed. You're an inspiration!!
      Happy Holidays to you, too, my friend! Thanks for being such a wonderful part of my life ;).

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  4. Wow. You have definitely earned some quality reading time. ENJOY!

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    1. Thanks, Barbara! I'm definitely enjoying it ;). I think all of us who write know how busy things can get, esp. in those weeks before/after a book release...very excited that your fabulous The In-Between Hour will be out in just a few weeks!!

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