Reading is not important to a writer - it is vital!

A few years ago, I organised an event in my town. A group of writers came together, displayed their books and met with the public. The local indoor market gave us a stall for the day and advertised the event.

I enjoyed meeting people that were interested in writing their own books, as well as those that had read one or more of mine and were pleased to see me and be able to speak to me.

There was a down-side too.

Some people wandered past, seemed to be interested in the group of eager authors waiting to regale them with stories of writing and the process. But when they got right down to it, after turning a few books over in their hands, looking at the covers, they admitted, "I don't read books."

The question occurred to me then: "If you don't read books, what do you read?" Newspapers? Cereal packets?

I admit there are plenty of places to read other than in book form, but why would anyone be proud to say, "I don't read books."?

So, the next project for the mentorship group is this:

Read something - anything - and write a review on it.

I wrote a blog here on Steemit about writing a reader's report. Here if you want to take a look.

Personally, I never go for the jugular when making a report. I am always mindful of an Author's feelings, even if you know the Author, never make it personal - after all, I wouldn't want someone slating any of my work just because they don't like me.

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I read this story a while ago and here's the review I wrote.

Prey by Graham Masterton

Well what can I say? This book had me looking under beds and making sure the attic hatch was tightly closed of an evening.

Prey is set on the Isle of Wight, in a dilapidated Children's home and as the story unfolds it takes the protagonist through the history of the building he is staying in and refurbishing and unfolds horrors and terrors which are set to be repeated and revisited on the occupants.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prey-Graham-Masterton/dp/0749309504/

There's something wrong in the house and the architecture is all off, walls seems to finish in unexpected places and the attic is certainly to be avoided - sometimes...

It gives a new slant on the theory of time and dimension travel and certainly makes the reader wonder about the possibilities of alternative reality or parallel universes - what could have been, if only...

On the downside, the plot is sometimes held together by a few barely linked events that are somewhat tenuous at best and the protagonist is more than a little unobservant and clueless. One of the major pieces to the puzzle could have been explored earlier on in the story - or at least in greater detail, so I think an opportunity to draw the reader in further was lost.

Some events seem to have been thought up late on in the story and even one quite important piece of information doesn't pop up until late on, sort of as an afterthought or an "Oh yeah, I should put that in" moment.

All said and done though, 'Prey' does have an original plot (if a little far-fetched, especially toward the end) and I read it in a very short time - it really is a page-turner. If you can read a book just for the story and not put too much store in worrying about details such as those few I mention, you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

It is a novel with lots of different things to make you wonder about nocturnal noises that you never took much notice of before. It really gave me the creeps (in a good way of course) and I'll certainly be looking out for Graham Masterton's work in future.