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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR CHERYL HOLLON ON SUMMER READING

Our guest today is cozy mystery author Cheryl Hollon, retired from a career designing and installing military flight simulators around the world, she's now living the dream of combining a love of writing with a passion for creating art in St. Petersburg, Florida. Learn more about Cheryl and her books at her website.

Summertime, and the reading is easy!

 

I always read more in the summer than in the winter down here in Florida. This is because I’m spending more time indoors in lovely, air-conditioned comfort. The reason? It’s HOT here. It’s too hot to walk downtown in the noon-day sun. In fact, we call it the 90/90 season. That’s a temperature above 90 degrees and more than 90 percent humidity. I do spend a bit of time around the pool – after all my writing is done, of course.

 

Some of that is habit. As a schoolgirl I always enrolled in the library’s summer reading program. My dad encouraged each of us four siblings to read widely. Not just adventure tales, but also nonfiction books in astronomy, wood-working, photography, gardening, and anything else that caught our fancy.

 

Summer is also my chance to tackle that TBR (To Be Read) pile of books that threatens to topple over and send me or my husband scrambling to gather up his, mine, and our next-to-read books. Summer is my chance to catch up.

 

On vacation, I only take about two paperbacks, but I load my Kindle up with more than 50 books. I’m getting fussier about the type of books I’m willing to spend time with. These days. I’ve been known to read the first few pages and abandon the book before the next in line. I know I’m not the only one.

 

I’ve also started reading series books out of sequence. Right! OUT OF SEQUENCE! I’ve discovered that if I like the current one, I’m happy to get the rest of the series. If it’s well-written, then I’m in good hands.

 

How many books do you plan to read this summer?


The Paint & Shine Mysteries

The Paint & Shine Mysteries (Still Knife Painting, Draw and Order, and Death a Sketch) are set in the Daniel Boone National Forest. My parents were born and raised in the area, and now they rest in peace in the JJ Adams Family Cemetery in Wolfe County, Kentucky. The characters spend considerable time preparing traditional southern meals and creating moonshine cocktails. Please consider buying locally. Independent bookstores need your help. 

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8 comments:

Dru Ann said...

great post. I don't count number of books I read during a season. Sometimes I have spurts where I read 3+ per week, other times one book per week.

Cheryl said...

I also have spurts of re-reading my favorite books. I just finished GAUDY NIGHT by Dorothy L. Sayers. I'll start something new today, I promise.

Cheryl said...

Hi Lois. Thank you for hosting me on your fabulous blog.

Madspangler said...

In 2000, I decided to keep track of the books that I have read, so I did a Word list of books. Now I put the date I have finished them on the list also. Last year was a record year for both reading and working jigsaw puzzles. I read a record 59 books and worked 34 puzzles plus books on kindle. This year so far, I have read 23 books and worked 16 puzzles plus some books on kindle. It is fun to keep track. So onward and upward and let's all read more books. So many books, so little time. I love reading series in order and sometimes let them stack up so I can do marathon reading of one series. Madeleine Spangler

Cheryl said...

Oh my goodness. I never thought of counting puzzles. Fabulous.

Lois Winston said...

Happy to have you, Cheryl. Come back any time.

Cheryl said...

Thank you so much, Lois.

Barbara Nimmo said...

I absolutely adore the idea of creating a stylish wrap crop top from a simple scarf. It's a brilliant way to upcycle old scarves or create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for your wardrobe.
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