Mindy Long » Reading

Reading: What is on Your Nightstand?

mindylong_web — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:20:39 +0000

Right now I’m loving Alice McDermott’s novel After This. Her descriptions are so beautiful. I hope to finish it tomorrow, so I’ll talk about it more later. But, I want to know, what are you reading right now and what is on your to-read list? I just added Tinkers by Paul Harding to mine after reading this article about Harding’s path to getting published. I’m also looking forward to Allison Winn Scotch’s latest novel that comes out soon. She is giving away another chance to win a copy on her blog.

Reading: Ice Cream for Breakfast

mindylong_web — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:11:32 +0000

Since I’m a sucker for short stories, I have another favorite I want to share. It ran in Writer’s Digest several months ago and has been on my mind every since. And, let me tell you, if Ice Cream for Breakfast by Tina Rivera doesn’t make you hug your loved ones just a little tighter or treat them to ice cream, I don’t know what will. Grab a Kleenex and head on over to Writer’s Digest for a quick read.

Reading: Getting Lost in Blogland

mindylong_web — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:41:06 +0000

My name is Mindy and I’m a blog addict. I freely admit that I love blogland. I can justify my blog reading in a number of ways—research, professional development, relationship building and sheer enjoyment (time spent doing something you enjoy isn’t wasted).

However, once I enter blogland, I can get easily distracted. One blog leads to another and another and another until I can’t even remember how I got there. The next thing I know it is midnight and I have to be up in five hours.

In an effort to streamline my online reading, I just started using Google Reader. It has been out since late 2007, so I’m behind the times on this one, but I’m loving it.

If you aren’t using it, here is the scoop. You create an account, subscribe to the blogs you read, and then Google Reader automatically shows you which blogs have new posts. I can read them right from Google’s page, which keeps me from clicking on blogrolls or delving into a blog’s archives—both of which add to the amount of time I spend online and contributes to the dark circles under my eyes in the morning.

I do still love discovering new blogs and reading old posts. I won’t ever be able to give that up, but Google Reader helps me stay focused on my favorites. I also look forward to those times when I know I’ve finished everything on my to-do list and can journey into the black hole of blogland guilt free.

Reading: Win a Free Book

mindylong_web — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:17:00 +0000

Psssttt…Allison Winn Scotch is giving away some galley copies of her latest novel. You can find out how to enter on her Web site. It is as easy as visiting her Facebook page and leaving a comment. Just be sure you do it by Thursday.

Reading: Jodi Picoult’s Tour Dates

mindylong_web — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:41:09 +0000

The new book tour dates for Jodi Picoult’s House Rules, which will be released March 2, are up on her site. It is a draft schedule (visit www.jodipicoult.com and click on appearances), and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Picoult will make a stop near me. For the past few years she has and I’ve been lucky enough to make every one. Well, almost every one. There was the time my son arrived five weeks early, just a few days before Picoult’s reading, so I had to skip it. I’m sure she’d understand.

Even though I’ve been to several of her readings, I am star struck every time I see her. My heart beats fast, my palms get sweaty, I begin to utter mere syllables instead of actual words. It is pathetic.

After her reading of Handle with Care last year, she took questions and answers. When she announced she had time for one last question, I decided I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to her, so I shot my hand up in the air. It was right as she called on me that I realized I didn’t have a question to ask! So, I pulled together a really lame, boring question: Has your writing routine changed since your first novel? Ugh. I might as well have asked what toothpaste she uses. She answered it graciously saying her routine hasn’t changed at all. Go figure.

Next came the signing. I waited in line hoping I could get a picture with her, only to find out she wasn’t doing photos. She wrote my name and her signature in my book and I tried to think of something to say to her. "I love your writing" seemed too obvious. So I came up with the incredibly witty, "I love the MP3s you post on your Web site." That was it? That was all I could come up with? I’ve read every single one of her books, some of them twice and that was all I could think to say? I blame it on the butterflies. She thanked me and told me she’d be posting a new one next month. I walked away shaking my head.

I’m looking forward to redeeming myself at her next reading, so here is hoping she stops in the D.C. area!