When Interesting Books Come Along

I always read for an hour or so before I go to sleep. Last night I started reading Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick. By 2 am, I had to force myself to put down the book and get some sleep. This morning, while I was waiting for my laptop to update a couple files, I was, again, engrossed in the book.

Just before going to sleep is the best time to get immersed in a good book since you're not likely to experience interruptions. But last night also made me realize something. This isn't the first time I've come across an  author I thought I might like to read and didn't act on it at the time. I'd seen Chadwick's books advertised before.

Years ago, I picked up a couple paperbacks by Diana Gabaldon. The time travel sounded intriguing so I put the books aside. It was a couple years before I finally got to them and when I started on Outlander I went looking for more books in the series. I think I pretty much wore out the paperback versions, they were beginning to fall apart. I was fortunate at the time to find hard copies. Since then I've kept up with her Outlander series.

I did the same with another book called When Christ and His Saints Slept. No, not a religious book. That was an expression used to describe the fight between Maude and Stephen for the English throne when Maude's father died. (He was the son of William the Conqueror) That book sat on the shelf for several years. I found another book by Sharon Kaye Penman about the Plantaganets before realizing Christ and His Saints was the first book in the series. I still haven't got to that one and have 3 more in the series I've purchased and haven't read. (now the series is up to 9 books)  I've got them in chronological order and hope to get to them soon.

And now I'm about to start collecting Elizabeth Chadwick. (Did I mention I love to read historical fiction?) All my bookshelf space is filled but at least now I have the choice of downloading her work. The others I'll somehow manage to squeeze in the shelves somewhere since it doesn't make sense to have part of a series in print, the rest in ebooks.

 I think it's past time I checked the authors' websites to find out what books are hitting the stores and when. If you have to have "bad" habits, then collecting interesting books is mine and I have no regrets.

 I have only one thing left to say...  To paraphrase Shakespeare's Richard III...  "...My kingdom for a bookshelf!"