On Reading
One wall of shelves in my yet-to-complete new office
Like other writers, I like to read. Books give me enjoyment, relaxation, and inspiration—and provide me with the tools of my craft. Gifted writers show me how to create beguiling openings, how to sustain suspense, how to bring plots to a satisfying conclusion. Lesser writers teach me what pitfalls to avoid—the information dump in the opening chapter, the purple prose, the lifeless characters who are stereotypes rather than real people.
If only all learning could be as delightful.
While I admire those who read widely, I tend to focus on three kinds of novels—literary fiction, crime novels, and so-called women’s fiction. My taste in non-fiction is broader, although I confess to a near-obsession with books on food and cooking. (Culinary porn, anyone?) But in a pinch, I would read almost anything rather endure a life without books.
Until recently, my process of selection was a hit-or-miss affair. I’d roam library stacks and choose books that struck my fancy. Then came the covid lockdown. I perused the on-line provincial library catalogue and ordered books for pick-up—a practise I continued after libraries re-opened.
The system worked for me. I had some great reads. But I wanted to expand my repertoire. Recommendations from friends helped. So did book reviews. And then I struck gold in the form of literary blogs.
There may well be hundreds of them on-line, but I limit myself to only a few. One of them is A J Pearce’s “Notes of Cheer.” Pearce is an English novelist who’s written a series of four novels set in England during Worl War II. Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully, Mrs Porter Calling, and Dear Miss Lake trace the adventures of a young woman who becomes a journalist for a women’s magazine in London. Life during the blitz isn’t easy, but she endures hardship cheerfully and in the company of friends. The author writes a monthly newsletter in which she recommends similar novels, many of them written in the 1950s. I have enjoyed those that I read.
For literary fiction, I go to the Women’s Prize Trust. It awards an annual prize for both fiction and non-fiction. (The fiction winner for 2026 is The Correspondent by Virginia Evens. It’s an outstanding read.) Its weekly blog promotes books written in English by women and available from publishers in the UK.
And for Canadian crime fiction, I go to books written by fellow members of Crime Writers of Canada. Recipients of their annual Awards of Excellence are a particularly good choice.
I also read the work of other Canadian writers, especially those from Saskatchewan. The annual short-list for the Saskatchewan Book Awards provides a handy guide to some of the best in local writing.
And then there are the books about books. I recently read Lucy Mangan’s charming Bookish: A Love Letter to Reading. It lists hundreds of books the author enjoyed. Equally good—if not better—is Will Schwalbe’s Books for Living: Some Thoughts on Reading, Reflection, and Embracing Life. I recommend it strongly (and promise myself that I’ll soon reread it).
My current read? Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders, the first in his second series of English crime novels.
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I am about to take my summer break from this blog and will resume writing it at the end of August. In the meantime, I continue to work on my third novel and to haunt my inbox for word from the publishers to whom I sent A Clear-Cut Case.
Wishing you a wonderful summer filled with friendship and good books,
Betty
