Books, Books, and More Books
by Steph Beth Nickel
My now-grown kiddos pretty much wore out one of the Berenstain Bear movies. In it, Sister Bear sang the song “I Want It All.”
Of course, the point of the story wasn’t that she should get everything she wanted. But when it comes to books, too often I’m like Sister Bear.
Fiction. Nonfiction. Audiobooks. E-books. Physical books. Quick reads. Massive tomes. And on and on and on.
While I’m seeking to exercise some modicum of self-control, I always have several books on the go at once.
At the risk of encouraging you to add more books to your already overflowing TBR pile, I’d like to share some highlights of some of the books I’m currently reading.
Audiobooks
I consume these most frequently because it doesn’t matter how “crispy” my eyes are, I can read. Among others, I’m currently reading the following:
The fourth edition of Joanna Penn’s Successful Self-Publishing
Becca Syme’s Dear Writer, You Need to Quit
Diann Mills’ Canyon of Deceit, a fast-paced Christian suspense story
Lindsay A. Franklin’s Story Peddler, an intriguing fantasy novel
E-books
When I first started collecting e-books, I had to remind myself that I owned them. As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” However, I have found it incredibly handy to carry around several hundred books wherever I go. With my propensity to have multiple books on the go at once, this is the perfect solution. (I pretty much have very book-reading app available on my phone.) I have several nonfiction books on the go, among them:
Johnny B. Truant’s latest book, The Artisan Author, his response to the “rapid release” movement.
Lori Morrison’s She Shepherds, encouraging women to step into the leadership roles God has equipped them for in their homes, workplaces, and churches
From editors Susy Flory and Scott Johanningsmeier, Jesus Was: Not What We Expected But Better Than We Imagined
Michele Cushatt’s I Am, which explores 60 identifiers that God assigns to His children throughout His Word
Physical Books
Like most readers, I love physical books. And although I’ve given away several hundred in my lifetime, I still have many on my shelves (and packed away in boxes that we will be taking with us when we move). And the current trend of creating beautiful books with sprayed and painted edges and gorgeous endpapers in both the front and back of numerous volumes entices me to add some of the most appealing to my collection. For now, I must get back to the following nonfiction works that I’ve begun:
Myquillyn Smilth’s House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget
Orna A. Ross’s Creative Self-Publishing: ALLi’s Guide to Independent Publishing for Authors and Poets
John Truby’s The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works
Alex Temblador’s Writing An Identity Not Your Own: A Guide for Creative Writers
How about you? Do you have multiple books on the go, or do you read one from beginning to end before picking up another?
Do you prefer audiobooks, e-books, or physical books? What do you find are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Have you read any of the books on my list? Are there any you’ve read recently that you would categorize as Must-Reads?
Happy Reading, All!
As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.
If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.
You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.
You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.
