Category Archives: Reading

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The Okie BookCast

Last week I had the chance to sit down with J Hall from the Okie Book Cast. We chatted about my love for reading, and writing for Middle-Grade boys! You can listen right here.

Podcast Link

The Okie Bookcast is dedicated to helping curious readers like you find your next great read by connecting you to Oklahoma authors and stories. Each episode includes an interview with a contributor to the reading life of Oklahoma – it might be an author, publisher, librarian, reader, bookseller, or other figure. In addition to the interview, each episode includes a review from an Oklahoma author about a book they love. New episodes drop on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Connect with Okie Bookcast on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok – @okiebookcast.

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First Time Reading Tolkien

My introduction to Fantasy was the Belgariad by David Eddings and The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It may surprise some that I’ve never been into Tolkien much. I’ve enjoyed the films, but I’ve never made much progress reading his work. I skipped right over Tolkien, and anytime I would try to go back and dive into his stories, I struggled to get into his voice. I would get about fifty pages in and stop. It was probably a bad idea to make my first time reading Tolkien be The Silmarillion. But I set a goal to try and get into his work this year. So here I am.

book on wooden surface near a candlelight- First time reading tolkien
Photo by Vincent M.A. Janssen on Pexels.com

My approach to reading Tolkien was to come at it from a student’s perspective, as if I’m studying the history of Fantasy.

One thing I didn’t realize, getting into this was that “The Silmarillion” is only a portion of the book. There are two Prologues, Ainulindalë, then the Valaquenta, and then you finally make it to the Quenta Silmarillion, which winds up being the bulk of the book. This story is “an account of the Elder Days or the First Age of the World.” I’ve learned that The Lord of the Rings takes place at the end of the Third Age, (I honestly didn’t know this) so basically this is the genesis story of how that land came to be. (I can hear a million Tolkien fans quietly laughing at my lack of knowledge.)

So far, I’m enjoying it. Although several podcasts and commentaries have helped. It makes me appreciate Tolkien a bit more, and gives me the desire to dive into more of his works. I’m only on Chapter Nine, but the story is unfolding fantastically.

In a few weeks, I’ll be recording a podcast with a friend of the Show, David Wright, for Geeky Dad’s Talk About Geeky Things. We will not be able to cover everything there is to discuss during that one episode. So, I’ll blog a few of my thoughts occasionally. Like I said, this is my first time reading Tolkien, and I’m enjoying it so far.

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I’m a Slow Reader

Here is a little confession: I’m a Slow Reader. 

I always have been. I used to envy people who read quickly, devouring books in a single day or thick epic fantasy stories over a weekend. But it’s okay that I’m slow, and there are many reasons why. 

eyeglasses on opened book beside cup of coffee on table
Photo by Oziel Gómez on Pexels.com

1) Time. With ADHD, I struggle to sit and stay focused for long periods. I get distracted easily, and the slightest thing can pull my mind away. 

2) I’m just slow. My average reading pace with proper comprehension is about 171 words per minute. Most people come in at around 250 words. That means if I read for a full hour, I can get through about 10,260 words. So a typical 100,000-word novel will take me about ten dedicated hours of reading time. 

3) Priority. I have a lot going on in life and wear many different hats. So sitting down to read is much more complicated than it was fifteen years ago. 

However, I’ve learned a few tricks to help me read more. 

1) I’ve learned to read in ten-minute chunks, which has helped. If I can carve about ten minutes here and ten minutes there, I’ve seen a vast improvement in the number of books I can consume. 

2) Audiobooks. I had to learn to listen to books. It didn’t come naturally. A great narrator can hold me for hours if need be. But I stress the “Great Narrator” part. I can consume more through audio than I used to. So I tend to devour them more now. I want publishing to get it together and learn to bundle ebooks and audio at a discounted price. They would make a fortune.  

3) Stop worrying about how much everyone else is reading. Reading isn’t a sport, it’s entertainment, it’s for enjoyment, it’s for disconnecting from an already chaotic world. I don’t need to keep up with everyone else. So, I don’t care if so and so has read ten more books than me this year. Good for them. 

I’m a slow reader. Maybe you are too. Guess what? That’s okay. Just dive in and learn to enjoy. 

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Good Stories

I like quick addictive reads. They are fun, exciting, and enjoyable. Some people read to get a deeper meaning out of life, to learn a deep truth- I read for enjoyment.

There are different styles of readers, so whichever you are is fine. However, on both sides, I have found that Dean Koontz story structure method is a formula they all share.

From his out of print How to Write Best Selling Fiction (Writer’s Digest Books), © 1981. I first learned of this on Jerry B Jenkins Blog. Below is how Jenkins summarized it.

  1. Plunge your main character (lead/hero/heroine) into terrible trouble as soon as possible.

The definition of “terrible trouble” differs depending on your genre. For a thriller, it may mean your hero is hanging by his fingernails from a railroad trestle. For a cozy romance, it may mean your heroine must choose between two seemingly perfect suitors, each of whom harbors a dark secret.

2. Everything your character does to get out of the trouble makes it only worse.

The complications must be logical and grow increasingly bad until…

3. The lead’s predicament appears entirely hopeless.

4. Finally, because of what all that conflict has taught the character from the beginning, your lead rises to the occasion and battles out of the trouble, meets the challenge, accomplishes the quest, or completes the journey.

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Brave Chef Brianna – Review

There is no question I love Comic Books- I’m the geek guy in line every Wednesday when the doors open because it’s new comic book day. I especially love it when I come across a new miniseries. Imagine my surprise when I saw Sam Sykes on the cover of one issue today.

I’ve been following Sam a while now. He is fun to follow on Twitter and has written one heck of a Fantasy Series in “The City Stained Red” – The dude has got talent as an author, and I respect that.

This week Boom Studios released their new comic miniseries Brave Chef Brianna. The four issues series is being written by Sam Sykes with art by Selina Espiritu & Bridget Underwood and colors by Sarah Stern.

It follows the journey of Brianna Jakobsson fresh out of culinary school. She is part of a large family with a famous chef father and fifteen brothers who are also chefs.

Trying to prove herself with the hopes of inheriting her father’s legacy- Brianna moves to a new city to open her restaurant- But this isn’t just any city: It’s Monster City- Where Human food isn’t exactly something locals are accustomed to.

This is a story about a girl moving some place unfamiliar- Overcoming her anxiety and self-doubt- Something that many of us have struggled with in life. It’s the search not just to prove to her family (or herself) that should be among them- But that she is finding out what makes her happy. What makes her smile.

In life so many times we simply settle. Sometimes because we didn’t have the confidence to continue, other times because no one believed in us, so we gave up. Regardless- Little Brianna teaches us to keep going and to be brave.

I’m so excited about the rest of this series and can’t wait to find more unique monsters through the story. Check it out- You will love it.