Reading broadly

Most of the time I’m reading horror. But for most of my life, I’ve primarily consumed books outside of that genre. The first books I truly fell in love with were Piers Anthony’s amazing Xanth series. Then it was Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms. Eventually I found Kerouac. Then Hemingway and Steinbeck who remain my favorite authors along with a little-known horror writer with the initials SK. And I read a decent amount of non-fiction. Most recently, I finished this one.

3 Shades of Blue by James Kaplan

One of my other major passions is music, and over the past years I’ve fallen deeply in love with jazz. Not that Kind of Blue is deep. Still, along with a few others (Bitches Brew, A Love Supreme, Time Out, Getz/Gilberto) it’s a favorite. This book was amazing in placing that singular moment within the broader arcs of these amazing musicians. I was hooked from page 1. Recommended if you’re into jazz. Their lives were tumultuous, dramatic, impactful . . . like the best characters in any story. I’m proud of the way my writing is going, and happy I got into books and music early in life and in a variety of genres.