Confessions of a Bad Reader
Sara Read's author newsletter. (I switched to Substack as my newsletter service.) I have not always been a Bad Reader. I was once a very Good Reader.
I am a Bad Reader
I wasn’t always this way. Before I got serious about learning to write, I was a very Good Reader. I read a lot, always had some book going. I had patience with the beginning of a story. I figured if it was a little tough going at first, that was on me: I was getting used to the way the author wrote, the flow of the story, slowing down my mind and getting into the world of the book. I read widely in science fiction, literary and upmarket fiction. I dipped my toes in horror and suspense. For several years I read almost exclusively non-fiction, then went on a three-year bender of novels written before 1900, digging deep into the back catalog of Anthony Trollope and Maria Edgeworth.
Then I discovered Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1855 masterpiece, North and South. I remember finishing the long, thick paperback while working a slow night shift as a nurse on Labor & Delivery. I got to the last page, heart pounding. I paused, overcome… and turned right back to the first page to start over. Among other forces at play in my life, that book inspired me to try and write a novel. And ever since, it has gotten harder and harder to really immerse myself as a reader.
I could blame it on seeing the man behind the curtain (seeing what the author is doing), or maybe the raging impatience that came with menopause, or maybe I am just having bad luck in my choices. I seem to keep trying books that are impressive to the mind yet depressingly void of geniune feeling, or else so loaded up with pink frosting and rainbow dopamine sprinkles that the whole experience feels somehow unhealthy. I DNF (do not finish) with abandon. In fact, there should be a term for starting a book, reading about fifty pages, and giving up. That feels not so much DNF as didn’t-even-really-start.
It’s hard to get into the excitement in the book community around new releases. Books that seem broadly loved or admired so often feel meh when I try them. And of course who wants to be the dark spot in everyone else’s enjoyment? So I tend to just keep my big mouth shut. (If this is you too, you are not alone!)
Yet I keep trying. In the time since I finished North and South and started writing, I read Ursula LeGuin’s Left Hand of Darkness and got completely lost in it. And that was a more transporting read than perhaps any in my life, precisely because I had become a serious writer, and an impatient reader, and I could see the man behind the curtain—and I got lost anyway. So there’s that. It’s rare for a book to really carry me away, but now, when it happens, it’s better than ever.
Book Release Events
I’m starting to plan for the release of my next book, Principles of (E)motion, and I’m really excited. Release day is January 9, 2023, (party at Bluebird Books in Crozet, VA. Be there!) and I would love to do more indie bookstore events and book clubs. I’m game to go anywhere within about a 4-hour drive from Charlottesville (central Virginia), so if you’d like me to pay a visit, please reach out!
Lessons in Chemistry meets advanced mathematics in Principles of (E)motion, a heartwarming, STEMinist novel about a female genius who solves a famously elusive problem known as “the Impossible Theorem” only to struggle with anxiety and the prejudices of her field when challenged to prove that the proof is her own.
What I’m Reading
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger. This book takes place in 14th century England and involves Chaucer and his buddies and a murder and a mysterious book. I’m in the very beginning, but Holsinger has already managed to make this fairly distant time period seem immediate and personal.
The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez. Though I don’t currently teach workshops, I am doing coaching for other writers and authors, and Chavez’s methods and observations are often revelatory and key to creating a thriving and healthy community of writers.
From the Craft Bookshelf
My Author Coaching Services
My author coaching service is getting off to a great start. Many thanks to my first clients for trusting me with their work and their process. Similar to book coaching, I offer a combination of editorial support, help navigating the path of traditional publication, as well as guidance in building one's personal toolbox both as a writer and a human to help you through the often grueling, sometimes transcendent writing life.
Being an author is a long game with zero certainty and a constantly shifting landscape. I would like to be a mentor to help writers sort it out and stay strong so they can enjoy the real fulfillment that the life can bring.
If you or someone you know needs help with a work of fiction, or figuring out how to approach traditional publishing, please reach out. I’m very flexible, from an hour chat-consult to a full manuscript overhaul. For more information go to my author coaching page.
I hope you enjoy my newsletter. It will come about once a month. I'd love to hear any questions or thoughts about what you want to hear about in the future. Thanks for reading!
Unsubscribe at any time. Though I'll be sorry to see you go, I get it
.