Tell me about your reading habits

I'm just curious ...

Now that you're committed to a writing life, do you read as much as you used to?

I don't, that's for sure. I used to be an avid reader and now I barely read a book a month, if that. And I tend to read outside the genre that I write in. I'm reading 'straight' SciFi right now (going back through Frank Herbert and reading his books, then moving on to his son's, which pick up the storyline after Frank died). I plan to re-visit Julian May's "Jack the Bodiless" series next. I just finished re-reading Martha Grimes.

Hmm. There's a pattern here. I'm revisiting old friends, not picking up new ones.

I take that back. I did read the Jenny Crusie/Bob Mayer book on my trip. That was fun, but skimmable. I also read an historical that was on the shelf in the cabin (can't remember the author, but it was a fun read). I also read William Kent Krueger, but I always read him when I go on vacation because his books are set right where I'm vacationing -- near "Iron Lake" (the Boundary Waters of Minnesota).

But that was on vacation. Here at home, I probably won't pick up a romance or romantic suspense for at least another few months, if then. Ditto with paranormals -- I don't like vampires, don't get into werewolves, and have trouble with some of the 'fantasy' worlds that are created. So many of them are cursory and derivative.

So tell me -- have your reading habits changed since you started to seriously pursue the writing life?

J