I'm very excited, you know. This time next week we'll be on our first proper holiday all year. Oh, the bliss! Discovering new places, spending relaxed time with friends and family. The food, the drink... the sleep. And the books.
Like most avid readers and writers, I have a To Be Read pile. Once, it was extensive, spread over several bookshelves, boxes, and piles, threatening world domination. These days I seem to have less time, and am a little more discerning with my book budget, so the TBR is a little more manageable. But it still has an important sub-set: the holiday read.
To me, the holiday read isn't a particular genre of book. No, it's all about quality. Those special books I've been waiting for, or from an author I know I'm going to get a great experience from. I want to have space to enjoy them, I want to have guilt-free time to read them in, I want to be relaxed and indulgent and wholly absorbed.
When we go on a camping holiday, the books take up more space in the car than the tent.
This year's holiday reads pile is a mixed bag, historical romance (usually my favourite - I write car chases but I read carriage rides) cheek-by-jowl with contemp women's fiction, sci-fi competing with male-orientated historical adventure. I think I'm most excited about reading Lousie Allen's The Lord and the Wayward Lady and Scot Oden's The Lion of Cairo.
Of course, sometimes my willpower simply isn't up to reserving a read for later: Susanna's Mariana didn't make it as far as the holiday. And, oh, it's good. I mean, really good. *shivers*
So how about you? Are you hanging onto any good books for a special occasion?
Don't forget to join us again on Thursday, when Christina will be posting. See you then!
I do exactly the same thing, Anna! I save the best books for when I know I won't be interrupted and I can stay up reading till 3am without having to get up early the next day. My TBR pile is teetering too, but the "special" pile is smaller and at the moment contains (among other things) Elizabeth Chadwick's "To Defy a King", Lesley Downer's "The Courtesan and the Samurai" and David Gibbins "The Mask of Troy". Not sure when I'm going away next, but I know I'll enjoy those for sure. Have a great holiday!
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to have special books to look forward to, isn't it, Christina! And thank you, we're really looking forward to our hols.
ReplyDeleteI'm saving The Hunger Games trilogy for when I've finished revising this current book. But they are only the cusp of my TBR pile. Unfortunately I haven't got another holiday coming up for a while...
ReplyDeleteI save books too, because there are some that you know that once you start, you will never want to start.
Exactly, Julie! And you've reminded me (in that random, only in Anna's brain kind of way) that I want to get the next Artemis Fowl for hols, too!
ReplyDeleteI can't bear to leave books unread! I never have a pile for holiday I am one who buys at the airport or train station. Yes I am instant gratification kid :-)
ReplyDeleteAt the top of my TBR pile is Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. I got so sucked in to Outlander that I knew I couldn't risk even reading the first page or two of #2 until after my deadline. It's my reward for getting the project submitted.
ReplyDeleteI also had Susanna's Mariana on that pile, but it was an interlibrary loan that couldn't be renewed, so when the deadline got extended past the due date I took a day off work and chores and spent a deliciously relaxing ten hours just reading.
I don't hav a TBR pile. When I find a book I want to read I can't keep my hands off it - I just make time and stay up into the wee hours reading like I did when I was a kid. What I need is a TBR suggestion list because I read all my favourite authors voraciously until there is nothing left and then I don't know what to read because they don't write new books fast enough. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm like Biddy, I don't save books for my holidays. It's like new clothes, I need to wear them immediately. And usually, I can't decide which one to read next because I want to read them all just the same.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your holidays Anna Louise and happy reading.