Suzanne asks: "What's a Quill to do?"

I'm about to take a short hiatus. This is the first real time off I've had from writing in 2006. (I refuse to count RWA or the three weeks + after the conference when I had the flu and a nasty case of vertigo as "time off.")

A hiatus to me means time to read, read, and read. Watch a little TV. Definitely go to the movies or rent the DVDs of whatever I missed in the theaters.

So, I've been asking everyone I know for recommendations: books they loved, TV shows they've been watching, movies they can rave about. Here's what I have so far:

My son gives a big endorsement to the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child trilogy: BRIMSTONE, DANCE OF DEATH, and THE BOOK OF THE DEAD. I must draw the line, however, at his TV choices: I don't think I'm interested in reruns of "Friends" or "Seinfeld." And the only movie he's seen this summer is "The Pirates of the Caribbean."

My husband gives two thumbs up to any book by Jeffery Deaver. I see there is a stack of them on the bookshelf in our family room. His TV recommendation is football. Nuf said. I know he doesn't have a movie to rave about because we haven't been to any movies thanks to my crazy work schedule and the aforementioned flu/vertigo episode.

P.S. Under pressure, dh came up with "Bones," a TV show based on the experiences of best-selling author and practicing forensic anthropologist, Kathy Reichs.

My friend and fellow writer, Shirley Jump wrote me a whole essay when I e-mailed her. Here's what she recommended in the TV show category:

Well, after working so hard on the Opus, you need something vapid and a total waste of time. I recommend "My Name is Earl." Not only will you see how the other half lives, but how they do it while reaching even deeper into the dregs of humanity. Earl has good intentions because he believes Karma is trying to teach him a lesson about his life of petty crime, but he is surrounded by a cast of characters with the worst of intentions, which kind of makes redemption hard.

Just start with his ex-wife, Joy. She "rents" movies by digging in the return bin ("I got us a new one, honey!"). Or when she asks how bad her kids have to be to get into the bad kids camp so she can have a week alone for Mother's Day. She's no Mother of the Year but in a weird way, you have to like her, even if she's bad. :-)

Earl is a hapless, bit naive, good-intentioned but not too ambitious guy who suddenly has a wake-up call. He gets sidetracked often, but represents, in many ways, all of us, and our own struggle between doing what is right and doing what we really want to do. It's funny TV, doesn't require a whole lot of thinking and is one of my favorite shows. Of course, that may say a whole lot about how deep-thinking I am, LOL. (Look for THE OTHER WIFE by Shirley Jump, Harlequin NeXt. November 2006.)


So, I asking for your help: What's a Quill to do? Please share your recommendations for books you've recently read and loved, TV shows you enjoy, and movies you can rave about.

Here's to a Happy Hiatus!
Suzanne