I love a good mystery set in the UK. Elizabeth George, Sophie Hannah, Tana French, Val McDermid, and Deborah Crombie all set a detailed, rich, and identifiable dark stage of intrigue. Stephen King is a favorite for American fiction -- no one captures the experience of living in the US in my lifetime better than King. He is the Mark Twain of our times...albeit a bit twisted! Not to mention the frequent naughty words that are part of King's books, at least one of them has been picked up by the parrot. Tananarive Due and Elizabeth Kostova have written compelling books mystery fiction books, too (I loved The Historian.) I recently finished a couple of books by J.D. Horn called the "Witching Savannah" series, a fun romp through contemporary witchcraft.
History also is an interest. Stories of pirates and early world explorers are fascinating as they tell stories of a very different world with very different (albeit human) challenges, but one not too far removed, in terms of years, from our own. Stories of war, especially WWII, are another fascination. The accounts of that time rival any fictional stories in terms of their power. It scares me that so many young people have no idea of what went on in the world at that time. David McCullough is also a favorite for American history, profiling different time periods in scrupulous detail. Have to admit I also indulge in true-crime and serial killer books, too. Not sure why!
For years I've subscribed to audible.com with their "two books a month" package. Between choosing long books, credits that carried over from month to month, and rationing my listening to work time, this was enough for me. All that changed a few months ago when I discovered scribd.com. For $8.99 a month, I can listen to any of the audio books in their vast collection, as well as read any that are not audio books. There is an unlimited supply of audio now -- and I find myself tearing through titles at an unprecedented rate! Life is too short to read (or listen) to a bad book, so now if a title is boring or the narrator is difficult to listen to, I can move on without guilt. I fall asleep to audio books, too (having tinnitus makes it difficult to be in a silent room.) Also, many of the art and textile books I'd had on my "get someday" list are on scribd. I'd rather view them online than add to my over-filled bookcases! Pure joy!
Looking at the environment in which we create is important to stay creative and productive. We've all learned now that multi-tasking is not as effective as we were initially taught to believe. It still works for me, though, as when trying to catch to flow it is helpful for the cognitive, rational, and verbal parts of my brain to keep busy while my hands do the rest. What works for you?
What will you make today?