Oh Reader Magazine

Oh Reader magazine

No matter your most-loved subject matter in the books that you read, you will love Oh Reader magazine.

As stated on their websiteOh Reader is “a magazine about reading, for and by readers.” The articles deal with how, when and why we read. For example, why would someone read the Nancy Drew mystery series during the recent pandemic lockdowns? And then compile a guide to the food and meals mentioned in the stories? And then try to recreate some of the dishes? Other articles deal with what and how much book lovers read while dealing with chronic illnesses or depression. Or how they met their future spouses through reading forums.

Oh Reader is “not so much about books themselves…it’s more about the lives of those who read them.” So, if you’ve ever wondered what others are drinking while reading the same book that you are, pick up a copy of Oh Reader. Do you read the acknowledgements page in the books you read? So does Meg Walters, who writes about this in the current issue (#007).

I’ve been a subscriber to this magazine since the beginning and have never been sorry.

For a look at other magazines appearing in my mailbox, see my earlier post, here.

 

Private Investigations – Real Backstory

Private InvestigationsWe all have favorite authors, right? Do you ever wonder what has happened in the real lives of these authors that caused them to write what they do? And in the style they do? And if any of the writers’ backstory ever shows up in their work in one form or another? Well, for lovers of mysteries, some of these questions about style and backstory are answered in Private Investigations, edited by Victoria Sackheim. These nonfiction essays dive into the thoughts and lives of twenty of today’s top mystery writers.

Jeffrey Deaver considers the multiple twists and turns that his writing career took prior to his writing mystery novels and short stories. This is exactly the type of reading he has enjoyed all his life. In other words, write what you enjoy reading. Anne Perry wants to be someone who “creates worlds and peoples them, makes events occur…and wants them to last so they can be revisited any time.”  She also writes mysteries because she enjoys them and likes the intellectual puzzle.

The mother-son team of Charles Todd became immersed in research of the First World War for their two historical mystery series. This has led them to read memoirs, newspaper accounts and firsthand histories of the war. Such extensive research and the travels to view battlefields and memorials gave them a deep understanding of the suffering war entails. Jacqueline Winspear discusses how her parents’ deep involvement in World War II affected her childhood and thus her choice to focus on war in parts of her Maisie Dobbs series.

So, if, like me, you’ve wondered about how writers’ real backstory affects their writing, read Private Investigations.