Planning a Winter's Respite of reading

With a new year comes new opportunities to do better and since my Christmas Spirit read-a-thon didn't go very well(never finished the second book in my pile), I seek redemption in next week's Seasons of Reading sponsored event, A Winter's Respite.

Fortunately, this one doesn't require a set number of titles or a particular theme, leaving me plenty of options. My plan is to treat this like a vacay(or mini-break, if you're feeling British) and just read a few select books strictly for fun. I will mark my progress on Twitter and have a midway report here at LRG(and a finale one as well). So, let's look at the novels that I plan to party with:

GETTING ALL HEATED UP: The Nikki Heat mystery series that ties in the literary world created by the TV series Castle are pretty much like the source material; smart, fun and a bit steamy at times.

Having enjoyed Heat Wave, I recently picked up two of the latest books featuring NYPD detective Nikki and her journalist buddy Jameson Rook,Frozen Heat and Deadly Heat.  Both stories involve a plot line regarding the mysterious death of Nikki's mother, a story element that was a solid basis for a couple of seasons of Castle which makes me all the more eager to crack these covers open.


 It's interesting that the Richard Castle titles are getting enough readers(there are also Derek Storm books and graphic novels out as well) to warrant this much shelf space, but why not expand the pulpy pleasures that this show has in abundance? Besides, a world with Richard Castle books to read sounds like a great place to be:

LIZZIE BENNET OVERDRIVE: On my last shopping trip, I snagged a copy of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, the tie-in tome to the fabulous Pemberley Digital web series.

Written by the creators of the show(Bernie Su and Kate Rorick), this book promises to have a little more insight into the lives of the Bennet family and their growing circle of on and offline acquaintances.

Now, I know that this book received mixed reviews from both critics and fans alike but having a piece of this great Jane Austen themed show to turn pages in is sort of a must(besides, I don't own the official DVD). My expectations are reasonably set here, not to mention perhaps an excuse to watch a few of the videos again to better appreciate the new perspective being offered here? Plus, plenty of questions are sure to asked and answered by reading TSDOLB(too many initials, I think), no doubt about it:

HAVING A FLING WITH MISS FISHER: If I have any time left over, I will try to finish up the newest addition to my Nook library which is Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood.

Cocaine Blues is the first title in the Phryne Fisher mysteries that has become an enchanting TV series(Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries) now available in the US. The leading lady of this series is a too smart for her own good flapper that emigrates to Australia and starts up a sleuthing business.

Our Miss Fisher doesn't just catch killers with her quick wits and pearl handled pistol; she also battles social injustice along the way. Subjects like abortion, women's rights and  prejudice against race and religion crop up in her line of duty. I've heard great things about the Miss Fisher show(even caught an episode on PBS recently) and plan to watch season one via Netflix, yet reading the books as well should be even more of a kick:

 The Winter's Respite read-a-thon begins on January 26th and ends on February 1st, so there is plenty of time to join in if you like. Believe me, I could use a break from the every day right now as another brief family illness has come and gone(my little sister is thankfully on the mend).

 Also, putting aside most of my regular reading for a little while,excerpt for my Year of Rereading and Classic Morning Read, should clear up some of my book piles there. One thing is for certain with this new literary venture-complaining about having "nothing to read" will be entirely moot indeed: