It is always the season to be enjoying books of all kinds but from now to the 24th December is the “big push” for the Christmas market. What with delays in publishing due to You Know What, recent news has been of 600+ books published in one day.
According to a recent article I read, that figure is up by about one-third from what usually comes out in early September. Not a good situation but the publishers are contractually obliged to produce and the inevitable delays meant there would have to be a catch-up time at some point.
This time of year is the big money earner for the publishers. And it makes sense. What is nicer than being cosy at home with a lovely new book to read? (Answer: being tucked up at home reading an old favourite…! Yes I know!).
I’m not sure how each of those 600 authors will all feel about their works being launched on the same day like that but it is true each and every one will still have to do their own marketing and publicity etc. Mind you, I would expect there would be a certain amount of relief the books have come out, especially for those writers whose works were held up due to printer supply issues and so on. (I had heard that paper was an issue at one point).
Yes, the big publishing houses will do some of this work for their star names, but it is expected every writer needs to do their own thing here too. That also makes sense. Writers have the local and other connections their publishers cannot tap into so it makes sense to make use of that. Besides, publicity budgets only go so far.
From a reader’s point of view, it does mean one thing. You are going to be spoilt for choice! So make the most of that, folks. I refuse to believe there isn’t something out there for you!
Books To Read At Any Time of Year
So all of this made me wonder if there are certain books you save for certain seasons and, if so, which ones and why? Also when do you buy these books?
The books I can read at any time of year include Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series with two exceptions (and I’ll come back to those in a moment). I also like short story and flash fiction anthologies at any time of year. Now that is not going to come as a huge surprise to any of you, is it?! But the major reason for this is that collections like these are what I call “mixed assortments” of stories and, just as you can enjoy a mixed assortment of chocolates at any time of year (and I do!), my view is I can do the same with my reading!
I can read Wodehouse at any time of year too.
I do have to be in the right frame of mind to read darker stories though and often that is not when the nights are drawing in, funnily enough. I guess I don’t like the feeling of everything “closing in”.
Oh and I read books by friends throughout the year. The lovely thing with this is I’ve improved my contemporary reading “diet” immensely. I have a shelf of books written by friends (and all personally signed) and I treasure them all.
The only thing I treasure more? On my desk, I have a stack of the books where I have my work included and naturally From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic are there too. Every writer I know will understand that (and feel the same about their own stacks of their works).
Now what follows is general and there are always exceptions to any rule. If there is a book I absolutely love I can and will read it at any time. When I want cheering up, I will always go back to a tried and tested favourite but then this is one purpose to books, isn’t it? They are meant to help you lose yourself in the world of the story for a while.
I should add now that I read non-fiction throughout the year. I like a reasonable diet of non-fiction in amongst the totally made up works!
My Spring Reading
I like a nice light start. This is when I might dig out Pride and Prejudice again, delve into my Agatha Christie collection, read some Wodehouse short stories etc. If the weather is good, I want my reading to match the lighter days, the cheery mood spring does so much to encourage and so on. If the weather is awful, then I want something to cheer me up, especially after a day when Lady and I seem to have spent most of the time getting a soaking.
My Summer Reading
Now this is where I might start digging into the darker tales. This is where I might go for the latest in a crime series I follow or perhaps read an anthology which looks at life on the darker side. This can often include fairytales. I’ve mentioned before my loathing of these being thought of as “twee” and “just for kids”. Absolutely not! The original tales were not written for kids directly. Many of them reflect human behaviour, in all its awfulness at times. Many act as warnings. (For example, Little Red Riding Hood is thought to warn young girls off the “wolf-like” characters they are likely to come across).
My Autumn Reading
Time for one of my two Terry Pratchett novels to come out of hibernation and be relished again. It is time for the marvellous Reaper Man to be read once again where Death discovers what it is like to live. I don’t really want to say more than that but it is a fabulous story and the character of Miss Flitworth is the kind of feisty lady I love reading about. Naturally I try to time my reading of this for around harvest time!
Mind you, this year has been so odd. I’m drafting this on 27th September and the church service I went to this morning was for the annual harvest celebration. Did it feel like it? Not a bit of it! Absolutely nobody’s fault but I missed seeing the usual harvest displays though it was lovely the organist played We Plough the Fields and Scatter. Just a pity I couldn’t sing along though it is great to hear live music again. Tinned food was being collected though and will go to the food bank.
My Winter Reading
Time for the other Terry Pratchett novel to re-appear and this is Hogfather, which is the story of the Discworld equivalent to Christmas and what happened when…. No spoilers here, folks! Do check it out. It is very funny and you will love the references. A Christmas Carol also make a re-appearance. A lot of my winter reading will be from books I have had as presents.
So over to you then! What do you read and when?
And whatever you read, enjoy!
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Good article, Allison.
Tra La>>>>>
Christmas is Coming,
The Publishers are getting fat
Please put a penny in the celebrity author’s hat
If you haven’t got a Penny a h’penny will do
If you haven’t got a h’penny
Then have one for nothing and enjoy it ‘cos I’ve got a garage full!
Thanks, Richard. Love your contribution to the world of poetry!
I’m looking forward to read the latest fiction from my friend, Gonzalo Munevar, ‘Alex in Femiland: A Politically Incorrect Novel of Morals’. Gonzalo emigrated to the US and became an American citizen and describes himself as an American, rather than Hispanic or Latino. The book’s title is derived from Lewis Carroll’s great work of philosophy and political satire, drawing from some of the author’s experience. Alex, the main character, is a sarcastic South American research physicist who moves from Harvard to teach at The Sound College, south of Seattle. It is 1989, when political correctness is beginning to take over campuses nationwide, setting aside such technicalities as due process and freedom of speech. Alex makes fun of the cult of victimhood, which makes him a target of the Sound political activists, who consider him a traitor because his behaviour is unbecoming a “person of colour.” Soon they bring him up on false charges of sexual harassment…
As a matter of local interest the author draws from his visit to Europe where he stayed at my home in Chandlers’ Ford.
Many thanks, David. It is always a good thing to have books to read, books to look forward to reading, and books to put on a wish list for later!