Recommended Reading - January 2013

We're a little over a month into 2013 and, as always, I'm excited about all the new books and stories and authors to discover. It's been a good month for me in terms of reading. I joined GoodReads - check out the sidebar then, if you want to, come find me and friend me or whatever they call it over there. I'm also making progress - even though I am a bit behind - on my goal to read at least 100 books this year.

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Books Read in January:  6

Standouts:

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon - I've enjoyed all of her books, but this is her best yet. I was freaked out by page five! The creepiness and suspense never let up, but it's really the excellently drawn characters that take this story to the next level.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova - I could kick myself for waiting so long to read this. To be fair, I read Left Neglected first, was blown away by it, then made a note to read pretty much everything else Genova wrote/writes. One of my favorite things about her books is how she takes these sad, frustrating, terrifying situations and delivers them with tight, crisp, clear prose so that there is little to no melodrama and over-sentimentality. Pretty much the only weeping done is by the reader. Have tissues handy.

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Have you all read anything that blew you away lately? Are you looking forward to anything coming out in the next few months? (I'm looking forward to new novels by Lisa Gardner and Jodi Picoult coming in February!)

Callout for Submissions

Here are a handful of upcoming submission deadlines I thought some of you might want to check out: 

Every Day Fiction's January Table of Contents says that - "Moving forward, we need those Valentine stories (or anti-Valentine) stories by January 27th at the latest, and don’t forget to mark them Targeted so we can find them." Not much time left on this one. 

(I've got a story in the works, but I'm struggling with the title. Any suggestions for how to come up with a good one? Fingers crossed, I'll be able to sub it in time.) 

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The First Line's Spring deadline is February 1st so don't wait too long to check it out. Plus, you can see all the upcoming "first lines" and their deadlines for the rest of the year.

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Flash Fiction Chronicles "is  having its fifth annual contest—String-of-10 FIVE—for the best 250-word story written from a specific prompt.  At 12:01 on Sunday morning, February 3rd, we will post  a string of ten random words and a thought-provoking aphorism as our contest prompt.  Entries will be accepted during the designated time period  using our SUBMISSION MANAGER.  Guidelines and List of Prizes forthcoming."

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Good Luck!

Finally on GoodReads!

Don't ask why it took me so long to join GoodReads. I have no idea. It might have to do with the fact that I - so foolishly! - believed I didn't need any more ways or encouragement to find and read and talk about books.

But, as you can see on the side bar, not only did I join, but I signed up for the 2013 Reading Challenge, broadcasting that I will indeed read a minimum of 100 books this year (whoo hoo, 2 read, 98 to go!)  

Since I'm relatively new on there, I'd love for you all to give me any tips and pointers in the comments on how to use it best. I'm still exploring the site and filling out my profile, but if you want to "friend" me (is that what it's called?), please feel free! 

China Doll - Nailpolish Stories

I've mentioned before how much I love the idea of Nailpolish Stories, A Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal, where all the stories are exactly 25 words and are named for nailpolish colors.

Perky and innocent names, like "China Doll," can go in a very different direction in the hands of, well, someone like me.