This week I was able to hear local author, Mary Doria Russell, speak at the Orange library and catch up with an old friend from my Washington DC days.  Mary is a hoot and I hope you all take a look at her schedule and plan to hear her speak about her latest book, Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral.  I last heard her speak in 2008 and she did an email interview with me on this blog in 2009 (parts 1 & 2).  Many bloggers love her first novel, The Sparrow and its follow-up, Children of God (actually my friend Amy and I read Sparrow together in the same DC book group!).  She wrote those two sci-fi novels and has been writing historical fiction ever since.

I will go out on a limb and say that even if you have zero interest in Doc Holiday or the shootout at the OK Corral, you will want to read them after hearing Mary’s passionate talk and response to these men and their stories (especially Doc who is still her favorite character).  I admit that I know, well knew, nothing about the OK Corral but I am very excited to read both Doc and Epitaph with Jason.  She knows her stuff and she has me interested in the OK Corral because she told us that it was about gun control.  Sound relevant?  As a cop’s daughter she was able to see these men for what they were warts and all, even making many connections with stories of today.

I’m so glad that I was able to hear her speak again and I hope you can find a tour stop where you can too!

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I’ve been tagged by Vicki at I’d Rather Be At the Beach to answer some questions about my reading habits.

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?  Not really.  Our front room is great for natural light during the day and I have been known on occasion to take a book into the hot tub with me 🙂

Bookmark or random piece of paper?  I have a basket of random bookmarks on my desk so I will usually use those, but in a pinch any piece of paper or wrapper will do.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?  My reading time is ruled by a 4 year old so stopping at the end of a chapter seems like pointless goal 🙂

Do you eat or drink while reading?  One or the other for sure.  A glass of tea or wine in the evening with or without Skinny Pop usually does the trick.

Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?  I don’t need either but both are fine – unless it’s a show I’m halfway interested in and then the book usually loses.  But I have so little tv or reading time that this seems like a moot point really.

One book at a time or several at once?  I never thought I had ADHD but my reading seems to point in that direction (and I say this with love since I have a son who is most likely ADHD).  I always have 2-5 books going at once.  If one really grabs me I will lose the others until I finish it.

Reading at home or everywhere? I read pretty much everyone, most often while I’m waiting for Gage at different activities or when I happen to be in the car by myself.  I’ve also been known to read books in line at Chipotle because we have the slowest Chipotle in the country.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?  Do people really read out loud?

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?  I don’t skip pages but I have read the last page on occasion.  It used to be all the time but now it’s only if not knowing what will happen is causing me stress.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?  Breaking the spine is okay and sometimes the only way to enjoy reading a paperback.

Do you write in your books?  Depends.  In college we were told to teach active learning so writing in books was encouraged.  I have some classics and non fiction that have received some active learning 🙂

If you thought these questions were fun I hope you will consider yourself tagged!