A children's book for adults

I just finished reading an incredibly fun book called "43 Old Cemetery Road: Over my Dead Body" by Kate Klise and illustrated by M. Sarah Klise. It's partially a graphic novel, partly a straight reading novel, but all fun. It is so tongue-in-cheek hilarious, I couldn't put it down. The story basically concerns an eleven-year-old boy,Seymour Hope, a 62 year-old-man, Ignatius B. Grumply, and a ghost, Olive B. Spense. They are thrown together and have to fight city hall to continue to stay together as a family. The evil Dick Tater (who looks an awful lot like Hitler), head of IMSPOOKY, wants to do everything he can to split them apart. The book touches on serious issues with a sense of humor that doesn't fail to get the point across.

Kids will love love it because of the quirky, fun story. Adults will love the Big Brother satire - and because it's a quirky, fun story. At 116 pages, it's a quick, fun read that will appeal to anyone who loves books, hates book burning and censorship, and believes in hope for the future.

I highly recommend the book to anyone and everyone, especially if you love ghost stories, libraries, and the freedom to read what you want.

Coming out for Romance

In my non-writing life, I work at a small, independent bookstore called Aaron's Books. My one boss, Sam, and I are always discussing books - what sells and what doesn't in our area and how to figure out what she should order for the store. Romance books are not huge sellers - it seems nobody wants to admit they actually read them. This past week, in passing, she said she needed to blog but didn't know what to blog about. I challenged her to blog about romance. Her blog is here:

http://www.aaronsbookslititz.blogspot.co

Take a look and see what challenges she faces in deciding what to purchase.

As for me, I am very much a romance reader. But it is not the only genre I read. I also love science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries. And if they happen to have a little romance in them, so much the better. It's probably why I adore paranormal, futuristic or romantic suspense - everything I like all in one.

What I don't like is people who look down on the romance genre. Over the years, I've found some of the best reading I've ever enjoyed in this area. Yes, there have been a few here and there that I felt like tossing in the trash, but for the most part, they have been well-loved tomes. I find it interesting that the people who usually put them down the most have never read one. With the wide variety of sub-genres out there, you really should pick one up and read it. Don't like fantasy? Then try a contemporary. Or inspirational. Or suspense. Or futuristic. Or paranormal. And they come in every heat level from sweet (barely more than a chaste kiss) to extreme heat (graphic physicality). There's something for every taste.

Why not take a look? You might be surprised.